Having tried out almost all the Hot Pot restaurants in Brisbane, one that keeps getting pushed further and further down my list is The Cube Hot Pot. With winter having truly set in, and the abrupt closure of my beloved 100 Degrees, I finally decided to make my way to Sunnybank Plaza and give it a go last Saturday over lunch.
Menus were available at the door. I don't think there is any a la carte option, but rather just two variations of hot pot, a basic meat and veggie option and a meat, veggie and seafood deluxe option. Neither of us were seafood fans, so we settled for the more basic option.
We managed to get a seat immediately after going in. Ordering for the buffet was via paper lists that we could mark and hand to the waitstaff. Food being prepared in the kitchen means no hygiene issues that other buffets have with other patrons touching or coughing over the food, but also means a lack of control over the portion sizes that you order. If I ticked a "1" on the tofu box, I might get six pieces to a serve when all I really wanted was one piece.
Soup came fairly quickly. We went half half, with half spicy and half herbal. Both tasted quite good, as usual, my preference was herbal.
Further to the hot pot, there was also a small selection of cooked food, along with some fruits.
The sauce station was quite a sight to behold. Needless to say, I went overboard with the garlic.
Behold my soy garlic creation, to which the after effects could still be felt 3 days after the fact.
Our food arrived by the time I had finished making my sauce. I do like the addition of a multi level trolley on the side so as not to overcrowd our table.
This was our shaved meat platter. Note the lack or organisation, everything was just mixed in together. The sliced beef and lamb were also extremely fatty, with the fat content being evidently more than half the whole sliced portion. I wish there were less fatty sliced meat options.
Our quasi seafood dish comprised of sliced fish, some seafood sticks, meat balls and marinated beef which was definitely less fatty, but quite thick cut.
Our veggie dish was quite generous with very fresh greens, enoki mushrooms and tofu.
We also had two types of noodles, udon and shanghai noodles. The udon was the preserved type that I'm not really a fan of, but the shanghai noodles were fresh and tasty.
Without further ado, we got started with our meal with our hot soup which bubbled away happily. The meat was fairly fresh, and had a good texture (it really is hard to be chewy when they're sliced so very thin), but again it was very fatty, and I consumed it with much guilt. The fish was fairly fresh and I liked the flaking texture of the meat which had absorbed a good amount of soup. Veggies were quite crisp and tasty too. Throughout the meal, service was reasonably friendly and very prompt, perhaps due to the fact that the restaurant wasn't overly full. Nevertheless, we did have a good time and the meal was quite enjoyable.
Price Range: $26.80 - $29.80pp
Taste: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10
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