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

this place is busy around dinner time. bookings are recommended but if you’re like us, looking for a last min place to eat don’t be deterred by the waiting time. the staff bring out snacks while you wait. once inside the service is friendly, attentive and efficient. there’s a self service sauce bar and thefoodis real good too with a variety of veggie, top cut meats, fresh seafood and other trimmings but it is a little pricey. for two adults our bill came to $160 excluding drinks. ice cream at the end is complimentary.
i recommended:
* wagu beef platter
* prawn paste (mince balls)
* handmade noodles
* pork & prawn wonton

my feedback to the restaurant, have more variety and a better selection at the fruit bar.

this place is nice with premium wagyu meat and also the kurobuta pork😍 they provide high quality seafood as well! the hotpot soup base is also good and for those that don't want to share their pot this is ideal! the interior design is so fancy with very comfortable chairs😁

the service is really attentive but i didn't like the way in which they kept moving ourfoodto dishes when we had a few pieces left. it felt like we had to hurry to eat even though there is a 2hr eating window.

however, it is a an extremely pricey for hotpot. we ordered quite a bit because the group had large eaters. so if you're group has people who eat a lot i wouldn't recommend this place. this place also doesn't have a large variety of balls and meat except for the premium beef.

also you would need to arrive early to get a table. my friend arrived at 5.30 to get notified that there would be around an hour wait😱 luckily we had to get some things so that helped reduce our waiting time but it did become a 1hr 15min wait.

i would probably come back to eat on a special occasion but not anytime soon.

heads up: it can be a bit of a wait. if you’re hangry and wantfoodasap this is not the place to be 😂

but if you manage to have the patience and want to give the popular place a try then there’s free snacks, fruit and plum drink at the front while waiting. win-win in my opinion 👏🏻

the service here is great. everyone is so friendly, from helping us make their signature sauce to bringing us ice cream. yes there is ice cream at the end (plus fruits but ice cream first haha)!

their sauce bar is of standard selection with about 10 different kinds of sauces, eg. beef sauce, bean curd sauce, sesame sauce, peanut sauce etc. personally, i think this is the perfect amount of selection as you can mix-and-match the sauces (all them possibilities). as mentioned, they have a signature sauce - dolar shop soy sauce - with a seafood taste. i find it a bit too sweet and tend to opt for my own concoction instead though.

the meat is fresh. we ordered the wagyu-lamb platter, which turned out to be too much for two girls 😂. i also like how they allow for half sized dishes for people who want to try different things. their signature shrimp pate is not a must-try as i could taste frozen shrimps being used - but again i’m very picky with seafood so 🤷🏻‍♀️

now to the broths: we each got a combination broth - mild spicy broth + tomato, and mild spicy broth + mushroom. i find the tomato broth not having as much depth as i would’ve liked. same goes for the mushroom broth. but living up to their names, tomato broth has a distinct tomato taste, mushroom broth with mushroom. they’ll be much better if more bones were used in the process of making the broths. don’t let the mild spicy broth deceive you as it is not mild at all 🙃 so go light with your spice order friends.. my friend even saw someone eating ice cream and their hot pot at the same time 😂😂

i admit their prices are not the cheapest but the service, ambience and meat quality makes up for it. go have a try if you can!

p/s: turns out i was too busy eating and forgot to take decent photos..

omgomgomg. good thing i got to try this out because this is one of the best hot pot experiences i have ever had!! in my entire life. i said it. the soup bases - wow!! the gold and silver soups were amazing. i was downing it so much through the entire dinner experience. thefoodwas super fresh and delicious. if i lived in sydney i would visit the dolar shop at least once a month.

overall rating: 4.6/5

hands down one of the best hotpot places i've ever been to. from the comfy sofa chairs to the attentive service and thefoodquality, everything is top notch. price is relatively higher, but every dollar is well spent.

taste: 4.5/5
value: 4.75/5

one of the best hotpot in sydney.dining areas are nice and clean and thefoodis fresh and good quality.fantastic customers service.highly recommend

the dolar shop is my favourite hotpot. i have been back 3 times and thefood+ service has always been exceptional. i would rate it 11/10 stars if i could! there is a $5 pp fee for sauce/salad/ice cream buffet which is worth adding on - i highly recommend their peanut sauce & the dolar shop dipping sauce was a highlight. i liked the silver exquisite soup as it was very unique, it had a chicken/pork base and tasted peppery. having the half sichuan/half spare rib soup wasn’t as enjoyable as there were too many numbing peppercorns which interfered with the sides. you can’t come here without ordering their wagyu meat and shrimp pate. we ordered the wagyu platter, premium meat platter, shrimp pate, handmade noodles, quail eggs, fish tofu, fresh tofu, fried donut stick, savoury pancake, assorted vegetables and watermelon juice shared between 3 people. this stuffed our bellies. i seriously can’t wait to be dining back here

great service, freshfoodand nice eating environment!

greatfoodgreat service, had a wonderful time. will definitely be back!

food served quick and well presented. service was kind and personal. place is spacious and clean. however have to point out thefooddoesn’t tasty. the beef was as thin as paper and can’t taste much. all are very basic and simple food. the hot pot soup looks good but again lacking of flavour. may you add dipping sources to company with but back to point. not worth the money spent.

really like the concept of having your own hot pot !foodis fresh and the meat balls are delicious

walked around market city upper level for a feed. there were so many to choose from, these hardworking spruikers popped out and convinced us to go in. they did a good a job, and thefoodand service was actually awesome! glad we got sucked in!

our first time here and first hot pot experience...we actually told this to our host and she ensured we were looked after by all other staff who educated us on how to order, cook and eat. beautifulfoodand wonderful atmosphere. topped with complimentary green tea ice cream from a sweet waitress. thank you!

very good service & amazingfood😍 quantities were good, overall was decently cheap. self serve stations were plentiful and had a variety of options. they provide you with a special self made house sauce as well.

it's my 1st time try hot pot, and i'm very impress with thefoodquality and their services. since the 1st step into the restaurant till when i step out, the staff was very polite and helpful. they really make sure you know how to order, what they're serving, and how to enjoy thefoodto the fullest. they really make sure you have a great time. i recommend, and i will go back again for sure.