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Hot pot wars heat up in Burnaby with two new arrivals

What's your favourite style of hot pot?

Want to eat the kind of hot pot they eat in New York City’s Manhattan district?
Well, it’s arrived in Burnaby. The Dolar Shop has opened up in Burnaby’s Metrotown area in the Station Square shopping district.
What’s The Dolar Shop? It’s a global hot pot giant that operates in several U.S. markets, Australia and, of course, all across China. There’s also one in Richmond.
The company boasts that its hot pot is fresher than others and offers the kinds of ingredients that aren’t offered at other restaurants. Such as wagyu beef cubes, shrimp pate, peony shrimp and more.
As for the broths, there is a black truffle broth among the options, as well as tomato and oxtail.
Both of those are something I’ve never seen at a local hot spot. And I’ve tried a lot of them after my girlfriend introduced me to hot pot – it was a watershed moment in my culinary life.
What I’m also waiting for is a hot pot chain with over 600 locations world-wide that’s coming to Burnaby.
Haidilao, which debuted in Richmond in late 2018, has already transformed the one-time Swiss Chalet franchise at 3204 West Broadway in Vancouver and is now set to move into the new Amazing Brentwood mall.
Haidilao (sometimes spelled out Hai Di Lao) began in 1994 in Sichuan Province, in China. Their first U.S. location opened in 2013 in Los Angeles. They also have locations in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The name "haidilao" means "fortune," and is a term used in the game of mahjong in Sichuan. 
Offering a selection of boiling soup bases, such as tomato, spicy butter, and the traditional oil, Haidilao is a classic hot pot set up: You pick your soup and cook your proteins and veg at your table.
In the past five years, we have tried all sorts of hot pots, from Japanese to Korean to the many varieties of Chinese hot pot, including Beijing, Yunnan, Macau, Cantonese and Chongquin.
But my true love is Mongolian hot pot.
If you haven’t tried hot pot, you really are missing out. You get to choose all of the ingredients and side sauces, and cook them at your table as you laugh and talk. It’s such a wonderful shared experience.
So there you have it. Go and try a hot pot place and explore as much as you can. Life is short so eat well.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.