Upon entering Big Way Hot Pot, 18904 Gale Ave, Rowland Heights, my mom and I were greeted by a waiter and drawn in by the restaurant’s bright lights and large space. The waiter explained how their pricing system worked; the final price of your meal is determined by how much your items weigh in your pot: $3.69 per 100 grams (g).
I assembled my pot by heading to the bar containing the protein, vegetables and carbs. Although the selection of protein was less than preferred, with only six options, the variety of other toppings, such as peeled shrimp and fish roe balls, made the selection decent. My pot consisted of deluxe beef roll, a few pieces of chuck roll, a fish ball with roe, quail eggs, corn, napa cabbage, udon noodles, ramen and a few rice cakes. At the register, I chose the limited-edition Sukiyaki broth. The pot weighed 0.620 kg before the broth, and the final price was $22.88.
The cashier provided great service, offering us the happy-hour discount of a free drink even though it was five minutes past happy hour. Our total bill was $47.79 after the discount. I was disappointed they didn’t have some of my favorite hot pot sauces at their famous sauce bar, such as ponzu. In the end, I mixed black vinegar, chili oil and some garlic to make my dipping sauce for the meat.
Overall, the meal was delicious and comforting, with the broth sweet and savory and the noodles not the slightest bit soggy. The food came out pretty quickly and was very filling. However, due to the limited selection of proteins and the pots not being served on hot stones, our food got cold within a few minutes. The experience was not as exciting as I expected, ultimately giving Big Way Hot Pot a rating of 4.5/5. Ω
