the dolar shop hot pot restaurant 豆捞坊 - 1909 dining precinct

very welcoming staff and bordered on being over attentive (i'm not complaining) whilst we worked our heads around the menu and process associated with a hotpot. asked for another menu ( not the order form) and got the fab hardbound version and soon it all made sense. before i forget - a very cool space too ! unfortunately hit a snag as soon as i sat down - how low are the chairs !! one likes to sit up straight over the food and not have to contort shoulder to get chopsticks picking. anyway, decided to live with that. 
ordered a variety - two broths - silver special broth and a combination ( with one mild szechuan - mistake) and pork leg, hand pulled noodles, banana pancake, shrimp pate and kurobuta pork. loaded up with a few sauces, a tsing tao each and we were off ! it was intriguing more than anything else though we are veterans of most cuisines all over the world. definitely a meal not to be rushed and preferably eaten in a group. that evening we weren't up for an 'active involvement' dinner and hence tired a bit. the low chair certainly didn't help. 
the food and flavours certainly pleasing ( the sauces rocked ! and not the szechuan broth !) but one can't but help comparing any broth meal to a pho. and that humble pho ( with a good stock) gets ranked higher and higher and beyond reach of its competition ( ramen included !) . all up i would give the dolar shop an 3.5 but zomato's system works only in full stars. a nice experience i'd say.

great service - the friendliest and most welcoming staff. the food was delicious, the individual hot pots are so convenient. such a fun night with friends!

the food quality is excellent with every bite of freshness and wholesome taste, staff are all courteous and helpful, a good spread of dish variety and sauces/condiments.

overall, a very satisfying experience. will definitely be back again.

wish that dolar shop will debut in auckland one day.

the best broth ever. an individual hotpot for each of us, no more argument for sharing which soup. liked it :) fairly high-end restaurant with high quality customer service. tips: always double check the order bill with what you have ordered, i went there for twice and they keep missing something for my order.

actual rating: 4.5/5

presentation and quality of food was very impressive. each person had their own hotpot which they could choose a broth and add ingredients to their liking. there was also a “sauce bar” and unlimited ice cream at the end of your meal.

my only fault would be that we had a strand of of hair on our meat platter but the staff attended to us promptly.

also, it would be helpful if the menu stated how many serves a “whole” or a “half” portion of various ingredients fed.

the dolar shop is one of my favourite premium hotpot places in sydney. the price is definitely on the more expensive side (probably works out to be $100pp) but it is definitely worth it for the service and quality of food. super impressed with the high quality beef and seafood on their menu

there is also unlimited free matcha and vanilla ice cream for dessert!!! 

would definitely re-visit. for all you hotpot lovers, the dolar shop is a must experience!

i badly love the sesame paste made by this restaurant! it is too delicious!

level 3 of market city underwent a complete rehaul a while back and has been transformed into the 1909 dining precinct, which now includes dolar shop. it's a hot pot restaurant i've definitely heard good things about, so i had to find out why.

the first 30 seconds really get to say a lot about how much they value their customers here. i was shown to my table and given a brief intro into how hot pot works (if you're not aware already), and a quick background about the restaurant itself. on the way you can see everything being prepared fresh and get your first look at their extensive sauce bar.

most people know communal hot pots, but dolar shop are well known for their single serve pots. this means you can tailor the broth to your personal liking. there's a number of different spice levels to choose from, as well as others including pork bone, spare rib, mushroom, or tomato and oxtail.

now the meat and seafood is where dolar shop shines. everything is of the highest quality with cuts including m9+ premium wagyu beef, and fresh seafood from the live tanks outside.

the whole venue screams premium and that's apparent in every aspect of our evening. from our attentive server, the quality of food, the interior, and the incredible flavours from everything on our table! they can also cater for anyone from single diners all the way up to events with 40+ people.

to date this is my favourite chinese hot pot in sydney and i strongly encourage anyone to see that for themselves.

i've been to a couple of hotpots in sydney before, not many have made me keen to return.
i recently visited the dolar shop above market city as some friends had told me how good it was. so i decided to check it out.

i can happily say this is by far one of the best qaulity hotpots i've been to!
the dolar shop is macanese, and they have a few unique things about them. firstly, they only source their meats & seafoods from the top qaulity suppliers in sydney that are sourced from australian waters.
this reins true, as the highlight of my meal was the qaulity of meat! it's not a good hotpot unless the meats and seafood are good!

secondly, they have some special sauces and broths that are unique and very popular. i recommend trying their combination hotpot pr bone marrow broth and hot n spicy. i also loved how their hot n spicy comes in mild so westerners can handle the heat. another special sauce was a soy sauce base blend that they make in front of you at the table, which you use to dip your cooked meats into. i could have happily drank a bowl of this stuff it went beautifully with the meats!

thirdly, the staff were very friendly to us and very prompt with giving us new chopsticks or anything else we needed.
the atmosphere and decor was very pretty with a couple of private dining tables around the back. you will also notice a panda bear around the place, either seated with a customer or up on the counter 🐼💕 she will keep you company if your dining alone 😍

must orders:
- a grade wagyu 
- meat platter
- wontons/dumplings for the hotpot
- whole fish
- shrimp paste
- tofu rolls
- whole fish

definitely accompanied by a bottle of wine 🍷😜👌

finally tried this restaurant and we really liked it! besides the wait time (we waited almost 2 hours, we went had cocktails at a bar nearby but the restaurant offers free snacks and drink as well). the meats and fresh prawn paste, fish noodles and everything ordered were great quality.
the price is on the expensive side but i feel justified for the quality and service. we will visit again.

-this restaurant is quite expensive considering the name is contradicting itself. however, it is definitely worth it in terms of its high quality food, meat and amazing service.
-everyone gets their own individual hotpot, select your own soup base and make your own sauce! this place is halal. you get unlimited free soft serve at the end(chose matcha & vanilla).
-our waiter(dennis) showed the true meaning of exceptional customer service. he made it a very special experience for us. i know staff are trained in a particular style but his service felt more personalised and genuine.
-we booked a reservation(recommended if you plan on going at night) and to our luck, they gave us the vip room even though we didn’t specifically ask for it. however, if we did, the minimum spending is $880 if less than 10 people.

food was good. however, i booked for 7 people, we had to wait over 45mins to finally get 2 tables of 4next to each other, not very handy to spend a nice evening with friends.

i've always been a fan of hot pot, it's a hands on experience and allows you to spend time with family or friends and just be present whilst enjoying good food.

dolar shop sets itself apart from the rest with its attention to detail and exceptional quality ingredients. the decor is stunning, very reminiscent of the art decor period. they also have partnerships with the sydney fish market and vic's quality meats to ensure high standard local produce.

they offer something for everyone, a hand picked selection of quality meats and seafood are on offer, plus a sensational sauce bar where you can get creative they also provide all the information you need about 'how to hotpot' if you haven't done it before

be sure to add this place to your list for a refined dining experience.

premium quality meats and seafood. hot pot doesn't get better than this. get the pork broth. can't wait to come back. there's two pricate dining rooms. self serve sauces and assortment of buffet salads, nuts and fruit.

i was a hot pot virgin until @hungry_diner recently took me to @thedolarshopsydney and here's what my experience entailed.
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hot pot is a great way to graze your way through endless cuts of meats and vegetables stewed and cooked in a broth of your own choice.
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for a big eater, this can be frustrating but i found the experience to be very enjoyable when i was surrounded by my friends.
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it's kinda of like a subway sandwich experience where you choose your broth flavour, choose your salads, sauces and meats and then all is brought to your table to be cooked by your own hands just the way you like.
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as the meats are sliced thin it only takes a few seconds for each slice to actually cook, so 30 seconds to 3 mins max is all you need... and at the end of the night you can drink the leftover broth for maximum flavour.
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all in all it was a great new experience and one that all should come and attend.
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