Choose your Noodles: A "Four Seasons Hotpot City" Review

Hot pot is the best way to eat a full meal without getting too heavy in the tummy. Everything’s cooked in light broth, but still full of flavour. We’ve been hearing a lot about Four Seasons Hot Pot recently, so we visited it last week in spite of the fact that it’s all the way in Pasay City.

And to make sure that I get the most out of the buffet, I didn’t have breakfast that morning. It was worth it because I enjoyed my lunch! Here are the highlights of our hotpot buffet experience:

So many choices yet sashimi needs variety

From the guys behind Vikings Luxury Buffet and NIU by Vikings, Four Seasons Hot Pot City has an array of meat, vegetables, and dimsum that you can choose from. There’s even a Wagyu section which unforutnately, I failed to try. As all buffet experiences go, I started with the cold section and appetizers which I normally enjoy as much as the main meal especially if the hors d’oeuvres is good. This time however, I was looking for more than what was available. 

I wished that there were more sashimi (salmon to be exact). I don’t know if this is some sort of strategy to have the diners try the actual hot pot, but raw fish would have been a great appetizer to get you through the next course. It’s extra-frustrating to me who practically considers sushi as a main meal.

 

And to wash down all those raw food aftertaste, they got a variety of drinks to choose from, which ranges from the usual iced tea to the ones with flavors that are a little bit more creative. Oh and beer's great, too!

 

Taopao to top it all

I went crazy over the dumplings and squid balls right from the start, that I got full too fast before reaching the meat section. Oops, but the things is I’m crazy for Taopao – I would carefully submerge it in broth then give it a quick dip in satay sauce. I like how it becomes juicy from the both yet not lose its crunchiness…yum!

I also got two orders of striploin and marinated beef and cooked it in chicken broth and satay falovored broth. Both choices of meats were tender considering that we left it in the pot for quite some time. Still, I should’ve tried their selection of ofals too, since I’m a fan of those.

 

Desserts are FTW

The best thing about Four Seasons aside from the hot pot is the desserts. Their sweets are far better than those of other buffets restaurants I’ve been to (their red velvet cake thankfully does not taste like soap). I also enjoyed the cream puffs which were light with an almond cream filling. The pastries on the other hand, were a bit soggy, (probably because they’ve been left in the open for too long) but still definitely better than a lot that I’ve tried.

I even got a little surprise from my work-friends. Awww thank you, guys! ^^

The Pana Cotta, however, was too sweet, and the rest of the cakes weren’t that special either. The Ice Cream was the best deal in the selection – flavorful and creamy.

Choose your noodles

There’s a variety of noodles that you can choose from – egg noodles, chili, and even squid ink. What puzzled me though is that despite the diference in name and color, there was no distinct differences in taste. If you ask me, it’s best to skip the rich ones and get on with glass noodles (sotanghon) or soba.

They also have more selections of broth than the others. You may choose the base - whether chicken, pork, vegetable, seafood, and even sinigang! You can also choose to put in satay sauce, Szechuan, etc. – they even have sukiyaki.

Staff, Service, and Sofa

The waiters and waitresses were accommodating, but the place was too large that you’d have to do some hardcore waving to get their attention. Other than this, they essentially have good service. The chairs and sofas are also comfy enough for me to want to take a nap on them, especially after I’ve had my full.

Geoff looked pretty happy, too!

***

When eating hot pot, you have to know what you’re doing, as there are several ways to maximize your experience, other than just throwing in stuff into the pot. If you're clueless, you can always ask the staff for some help. It’s also best to prepare for it, as anyone would normally do, and just eat light prior. Overall, this Hot Pot/Buffet experience was still worth the long trip to Pasay.

Some wet wipes are pretty handy too!

Four Seasons Hotpot
SM Mall of Asia
Bldg E., By the Bay, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City
831-7777, 835-7777

ADULT RATE:
Adult Weekday Lunch: 588
Adult Weekday Dinner: 788
Adult Weekends/Holiday Lunch & Dinner = 788

KIDS RATE:
Kids below 3 ft: FREE
Kids 3 ft - 4 ft Weekday Lunch: 188
Kids 3 ft - 4 ft Weekday Dinner: 288
Kids 3 ft - 4 ft Weekends/Holiday Lunch & Dinner: 288
Kids 4 ft - 4 ft 6" Weekday Lunch: 288
Kids 4 ft - 4 ft 6" Weekday Dinner: 388
Kids 4 ft - 4 ft 6" Weekends/Holiday Lunch & Dinner: 388

*Prices are subject to 5% service charge.