For some reason nothing hits as hard as a hot pot craving. Even though traditionally it was more of a winter meal, I find myself craving it all year round (and cranking up the air con to the max). As a meal that ordinarily takes a couple of hours to slowly savour, it's hard to enjoy it thoroughly when you're pressed for time. Luckily Malatang was invented in the sichuan regions of China back in the 2010s, allowing those who are rushed to be able to experience the joys of hotpot whilst not spending huge amounts of time. With that in mind, I am a huge fan of Malatang, having sampled quite a few of the major chains in Brisbane. David's Masterpot, heralding from Melbourne, is top of my list, so it was with much joy that I got to tag along with Brisvegustation to celebrate the opening of their Brisbane City branch on Elizabeth Street.
Their shop itself was fairly small, long and narrow. By the time we arrived on Sunday evening, it was entirely packed to the brim.
By now, you should know the drill. Pick up a pot, a pair of tongs and grab whatever food you want. There was a huge assortment of ingredients, I am told over 100. We focused on proteins, mainly seafood and meats with some veggies and tofu.
Compared to their early days, David's has really expanded their soup options. Now there's four soups and two dry options. We opted for types we had previously not tried before.
Prices are pretty straight forward. $4.28 per 100g. Weighed up at the counter.
Sauces were provided as usual on a DIY basis, as was cutlery.
It didn't take long at all for our table to be completely filled to the brim.
As part of the opening celebrations, David's had asked that we sample a few of their snacks. I was really glad that I did. Between the three of us, we shared the crispy prawn spring rolls, sichuan style spicy beef and the salted egg yolk chinese donuts. These were surprisingly impressive. Even though I was completely stuffed by the end of the meal, the salted egg yolk donuts were fresh, chewy and crisp with the umami contrasting well with the delicious condensed milk it was served with. I also really liked the prawn spring rolls which were freshly fried. The sichuan beef was a bit superfluous to our meal though as we already had a considerable amount of beef in our malatang, but if you were having non spicy soup options, I could definitely see the appeal.
Dr L had the golden pickled soup whilst I had the red soup. The malatang arrived steaming hot, an inviting bowl of red-tinged broth with a layer of chili oil that hinted at the spice to come. Packed with a mix of my favorite ingredients—silky tofu, crunchy chickpeas, tender beef slices, and the ever-satisfying seafood —it was a feast for the senses. At two chillis, the broth had just the right amount of heat, delivering a pleasant kick without overwhelming the flavors of the fresh vegetables and proteins. Each bite was deliciously comforting, with the numbing spice gradually building to a warm, tingly sensation that paired perfectly with the fragrant, savory undertones. Generous in portion and bold in flavor, it was everything I hoped for in a bowl of malatang—hearty, vibrant, and thoroughly satisfying.
Topping off our meal, we had some ice jelly and plum juice. These were refreshing and icy cold but a little on the sweet side for my preferences. Nevertheless they complimented our meals well.
I always have a good time at David's Masterpot and this time was no different. Looking forward to coming back soon for more malatang, especially now they're so close to work!
Espresso and Matcha dined as guests of Brisvegustation and David's Masterpot but as always, our opinions are our own.
Taste: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
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