1 Pot – Calgary, Alberta

It was a pretty chilly spring evening when we decided to go to Chinatown in Calgary and try 1 Pot which is located right next to the paid parking lot. The space is large inside, but they were really busy! We made reservations as a friend told us it’s a good idea to… and it is! Just make sure you and your entire party gets there on time!

We didn’t know how to order… if checking “1” actually meant “1” of the item or if it’s “1 order”, but it turns out to be just 1! So, we had to get a few more sheets for us to mark down what we wanted!

There’s tons of varieties of soups and there’s also a sauce bar kind of thing where you grab a bowl and put the sauces you like into the bowl to enjoy with your hot pot.

The food, and the soup was pretty decent. The quality was ok – but the portions were a bit on the smaller side. So, order lots up front too!

Overall, it wasn’t a bad experience, and they’re super busy – so they must be doing something right!

1 Pot – Hot Pot

123 3 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 708-8088

Sun Chiu Kee in Calgary

We recently went back to Sun Chiu Kee or Sun’s BBQ Restaurant after awhile now as there has been so many new places to try. Sun Chiu Kee is a place I’ve always enjoyed going to and it’s great to return for dinner, instead of lunch.

We ordered a Lamb Hot Pot which was on their winter special menu, deep fried tofu with salted egg yolk, abalone mushroom veggie.

The order of the Lamb Shank Hot Pot came in a large wok of bubbling broth with some lettuce on the side. The broth was quite delicious, and the vegetables in the soup included carrots, leeks, dried bean curd – which is the “skin” of tofu when they make the tofu, and used in a lot of Chinese cooking. There was a dipping sauce that came with this dish, which was fermented bean curd, and they added honey into it. I thought that was really nice, as I normally add sugar when I make it at home. This was a great dish that they have on their winter menu as it was really hot (in temperature), and the meat was cooked to perfection. It just warms you right up – especially when you put the soup in your bowl with your rice.

Sun Chiu Kee - Lamb Hot Pot

The next dish that we ordered was Deep Fried Tofu with Salted Egg Yolks, and it wasn’t as flavourful as it can be, as this recipe is one where you can add a lot of flavour. When they made it here, it only had subtle salted egg yolk flavours. Salted Egg Yolks is actually from what we called Salted Duck Egg and it’s a ducks egg that is preserved in brine (salt water) and when you see it in the store, it is normally covered with a dark black layer of what looks like dirt. To use this egg, simply scrape off the layer and then rinse it under water – and then you’d use the egg in your cooking. This preserved egg has a denser and firmer consistency, and it holds its shape. So, to make this dish, they basically take that egg yolk and mash it up – cook it down with butter until it’s a thick sauce like consistency…. and of course, you deep fry your tofu and toss it in the sauce. It’s a great dish, but this time had a serious lack of flavour.

Sun Chiu Kee - Deep Fried Tofu

The last dish we had was a veggie dish, we ordered Abalone Mushroom with Gai Lan, and we ordered this because we needed vegetables! Gai Lan is also called Chinese Broccoli but I think it has more “bitter” taste, but cooked properly, it’s quite good!

Sun Chiu Kee - Abalone Mushroom with Gai Lan

I’ve been to Sun’s BBQ Restaurant for a late night dinner, and my experience was pretty good with the food. Be sure to read about me going to Sun Chiu Kee for late dinner!

Forbidden City Hot Pot

Forbidden City is a good place to go for good Chinese food. Forbidden City offers hot pot during the winter months, which is about $23/adult, and it is an “All You Can Eat” hot pot. I believe they start offering hot pot from November until the end of April.

We get to go there for dinner and dim sum a lot as my family enjoys the food there. I enjoy the food as well. The service, I think it’s good, but I’ve heard quite a lot of “poor service” stories, and that may be because we’re just familiar customers to them.

Here are some pictures from Hot Pot during the winter:

  • Hot Pot Utensils
  • Hot Pot Sauces
  • Hot Pot: Cuttlefish Balls, Deep Fried Fish Balls, Imitation Crab Meat
  • Hot Pot at Forbidden City Calgary
  • Hot Pot: Beef Slices
  • Hot Pot: Deep Fried Donut with Shrimp Paste
  • Hot Pot: Fatty Pork Slices - stomach
  • Hot Pot: Cuttlefish
  • Hot Pot: Cooked vermicelli  with Chinese Mushroom

Be sure to check out Forbidden City Dinner Review

Forbidden City Dim Sum & Seafood

999 36 St NE
Calgary, AB T2A
(403) 250-1848

Monday – Thursday 10AM – 10PM;
Friday 10AM – 11PM;
Saturday 9:30AM – 11PM;
Sunday 9:30AM – 10PM

Forbidden City Dim Sum & Seafood

Dim sum at Forbidden City really is quite excellent. Sure, it costs more than almost all the places in Calgary, but it’s got really good quality dim sum in the city.

The service is alright, they do not use the old fashion steam carts that they push around anymore — probably for safety reasons. Here, they give you a form, and you mark own what you want, and they’ll bring you just that. It’s quite different than traditional dim sum, and the actual food is quite special as well.

Sometimes, I do miss the old fashion style, because.. even if you’re not hungry, and something looks or smells extra delicious, you’d get it. Now, you just eat what you ordered. I guess it’s good if you’re limiting yourself, but it doesn’t allow you to try new things that you wouldn’t have thought of while sitting down and marking your little sheet. Regardless, I really like it here! On weekends, be prepared to wait outside as the lines usually get quite long!

  • Forbidden City Fried Squid
  • Forbidden City Beef Balls
  • Forbidden City BBQ Pork bun
  • Forbidden City Tripe
  • Forbidden City Shrimp dumplings
  • Forbidden City Pork Dumpling
  • Forbidden City Beef
  • Forbidden City Spare Ribs
  • Forbidden City Rice Crepes

Forbidden City Dim Sum & Seafood on Urbanspoon

Forbidden City Dim Sum & Seafood

999 36 St NE
Calgary, AB T2A
(403) 250-1848

Monday – Thursday 10AM – 10PM;
Friday 10AM – 11PM;
Saturday 9:30AM – 11PM;
Sunday 9:30AM – 10PM