Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 – That famous hotpot from Macau!

Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞

16 North Canal Road near Rafflesplace MRT or Clarke Quay MRT

Highly popular in Macau as written in almost every review, this was further attested by the Macau friend who isn’t exactly a foodie but admitted that Fu Lin Men Dou Lao 福临门豆捞 is too popular to not know (so now you know it really is legit). Like every hotpot place, we thought it would be packed to the brim but the eurocup seemed to have turned the supposedly lively Circular and Canal Road into dead streets. Not complaining though as we love the extra space given to us when both of us got to sit at a round table meant for 5.

Just like many hotpot places, when the menu could get a little daunting, there are multiple promotions and set menus over at Fu Lin Men. Lets turn it into a point-form description to make things clearer:
1. Buffet – 2 buffets available, one with normal grade beef ($27) and the other with wagyu ($42) that comes with a free flow of mussels and scallops.
2. Set menus – prawn, fish and lobster menus they have.
3. Ala Carte with more premium ingredients than the buffet. And if you spend more than $60, you just need to top up $1 to get a plate of beef or lamb shabu shabu.
Well, we were decisive enough to get the Ala Carte as the lacklustre selection from the buffet menu isn’t as appealing unless you are in for a waygu gorging session, while the rigidity in the set menu doesn’t allure.

Alright, settled down at our classy table and luckily I was the only one who went for the sauces and salad bar for $3. I say, if you are not into super duper Chinese food, don’t go for the bar as the salads are mostly tossed in chilli oil, the way Chinese love to have their food prepared in. As I am more of a Cantonese eater, the spices and salad weren’t my type of food. Sauces are also not necessary with the already heavy tasting broth.

If you are still not familiar, each person at Fu Lin Men gets his or her own hotpot. We got the Vitality Wild & Cultured Mushroom Soup Base ($6) and the Signature Golden Imperial Soup base ($10). Both delicious, the thicker consistency coupled with the strongly permeated herbal flavour throughout, I actually prefer the Mushroom base!

Beer Beef Platter – Immerse that thin slice of nicely marbled beef into the bowl of beer for just three minutes for a thorough permeation, not a gimmick at all as they do have a unique beer aftertaste! The service crew warned us though, that contrary to common belief that the longer you immerse the better it tastes, leaving the beef in the beer longer than 3min would actually render the meat bitter. $16.

Assorted Hand man Fortune balls. So dainty these balls look and evidently high quality ingredients have been made use of over here. We got the spinach, prawn, fish, beef, squid etc balls! $7.

Fish roe shrimp ball and Spinach Cuttlefish ball. $8 each. Apparently, balls are quite our favourite!

Thinly sliced pork Shabu Shabu which H had all on her own as I am not a fan of fats! $8.

Chicken Fillet. One of the most reasonably priced dish as you get so much chicken meat for just $5. Marinated with a little bit of pepper, this simple dish tasted delish too!

What a beautiful spread we had that night, with everything looking refined and plush!

I am pretty delighted with the meal!

Pineapple Glutinous Rice. Adequately starchy, sprinkled over with the colourful rice, the naturally sweetened pineapple rice tasted impeccable and could form a perfect dessert for the night. $9.

hmm… Nom Nom Nom!

Yes, so apart from Hai Di Lao and Beauty in a Pot, this is the third upmarket hotpot that has gotten into my list of delicious hotpot places.

Verdict: A good restaurant. 3.9/5.