Boiling point is one of the first personal hot pot restaurants that opened after Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hot Pot in Richmond. Their first BC location opened back in 2010 in Richmond on No. 3 Road near Alexander Road, and since expanded to Surrey and Burnaby. We visited their Burnaby location on Kingsway near Royal Oak Avenue.
Strength: Cheap hot pot when you want it quick.
Weakness: Lack in most other aspects.
Other Personal Hotpot
- Potelicious (4 Stars)
- Nabebugyo Hot Pot Cuisine (5 Stars)
- Beijing Hotpot (4 Stars)
Front of Boiling Point
The store owner of Boiling Point is probably very happy about their decision on opening a location in Burnaby. There is almost always a line up out the door even with a small waiting area inside.
Waiting Area
As soon as we enter, the first thing I saw was the ticket dispenser. We entered the number of guests and went to the right side to wait. There is a metal mesh between dining customers and waiting customers.
Interior of Boiling Point
There is a small dining area to the left and a narrow corridor leading to the back. On the right side, there are some booth seating and a row of 2-people seats along the corridor. The booth seatings are large seats divided into smaller ones by a wooden divider. The divider is only on the table, so sometimes your arms can be touching the guest of another party. This is not an ideal solution, but Boiling Point seems to have gotten used to serving customers like this.
Small table real estate
When we sat down, I realized Boiling Point’s booth seat seems to be higher than before. Then I realized they have simply added a piece of wooden board as the new seat finish. Our table was very small there wasn’t much room left after the pot has arrived. It’s not a very comfortable eating environment.
Sauces were boiling point’s signature
There are 4 types of sauce for you to combine and make our own. You can see the type of sauce in the label. I think the spoons were too small to be convenient.
Garlic Pork Belly $6.30
The garlic pork belly is boiled bacon in minced garlic soy sauce. I noticed the roughness in the workmanship that the bacon slices weren’t even separated before they were boiled. Most likely they were thrown into the boiling water while still frozen. This type of roughness can be seen in many dishes served in Boiling Point.
Combo comes with carb and drink
Boiling Point’s hot pot cost approximately $15 to $20, but they all come with a choice of carb and drink. The drinks are limited to plain green tea or black tea, and they cannot be upgraded to bubble tea on the menu by paying the differences.
Patented hot pot holder
Boiling Point claimed to have the hot pot holder patented. I agree it is a well designed multi-functional piece of equipment, but unfortunately, I cannot see the value in the patent. This square stand with recessed area allows for stacking, and ease of delivery, but that’s about it. They use gel fuel, which is what you are smelling when you enter the restaurant. I think it is their employee’s standard of practice to serve the hot pot onto the table, then turn it 90 degrees to have the logo facing the customers.
Tonkatsu Miso Pot $19.76
I’ve always ordered the Japanese style miso seafood hot pot at Boiling Point even from their Richmond location. This time I’ve noticed a slight change. The name is now Tonkatsu Miso Pot, and the meat has been upgraded to Japanese chasiu. I have noticed some browning on the edge of some cabbage. This is a good indication that the ingredients are not fresh. The udon at the bottom is way overcooked I could break it by simply picking it up.
Beef Pot $15.98
The spicy beef pot is a simpler dish. I like how the soup base is wonderfully complex with perfect spiciness. The beef was obviously overcooked that they are very tough to chew.
604 Food Critic Assessment
To be honest, I don’t know why Boiling Point has such a long line up. Sometimes, I just feel like going there especially when the weather gets cold. This establishment really gives me the feeling that they treat everything like an assembly line. The soup has lots of taste, and that’s what Boiling Point is good at, but it’s obvious they come from artificial flavouring. There is evidence showing the ingredients are not fresh, and everything is overcooked except the raw egg in the pot. Every hot pot is so packed with ingredients that there’s no room for things to cook properly, so the gel fueled flame’s only purpose is to keep things warm. That being said, I guess what attracts customers the most is their competitive price as a hot pot. If you want to get a hot pot for less than $20, your options are probably limited to Boiling Point, and food court hot pot.
Menu
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 620-9737
- Address: 5276 Kingsway, Burnaby
- Hours: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
