The contents of this blog are matters of opinion formed over one more visits. There has been some artistry applied and metaphors and similes should not necessarily be taken literally.
This may really just be the uneducated opinion of one westernised Chinese guy, but I really didn’t have that inspiring an experience at Princess J (Jiao Gong Cooked) Malatang 焦功煮麻辣烫 in Emerald Square Burwood.
I found that the menu options and pricing structure was confusing and not well denoted on signage, at least in English, making it difficult to know how different items were priced, in particular the division between the fried foods and the self-serve malatang options.
I also found that the differences in soup bases was not well explained, not only by signage but also by the staff working there when I asked. In the end we chose two separate base options, one of which was pre-seasoned and one of which was similar but without a mix of seasonings, leading to a more choose your own adventure. We found that both options were overall less tasty and less enjoyable than the standard mixture of condiments and bases from, for example, Yang Guo Fu Malatang.
Whether or not this reflects poorly on this particular restaurant or poorly on our basic westernised palates remains to be answered, but our experience here wasn’t something that would lead me to come back.
At least you can tell from the photos that the place looked quite clean and well maintained.
Princess J Ma La Tang (Jiao Gong Cooked Malatang) 焦功煮麻辣烫 Shop 9 27/31 Belmore St, Burwood NSW 2134
Chungking Malatang in Burwood, not to be confused for Chungking the formal sit down restaurant, has a few things going for it.
While I don’t have any photos of the fridges and freezers of base ingredients that one has to choose from (amateur move from me), I did feel like Chungking offered a wider than average selection, almost equal to a larger Yang Guo Fu Malatang outlet like the one in Kingsford. One specific innovation that caught my eye at Chungking was the use of not only fridges but freezers to hold ingredients, particularly the raw meat rolls, in order to maintain their freshness for longer. This approach really does make sense if you think about it – these meats generally come frozen regardless – and I’m quite surprised that I’m yet to run into another restaurant that does this. It sure beats watching staff smell the meat at Number 1 Malatang in Kingsford (now permanently closed).
The second thing that’s a bit different about Chungking is the availability of premium ingredients for a premium price – mostly seafoods like scallops and salmon – that occupy a separate fridge in plates akin to those at a sushi restaurant. Though I didn’t partake myself, this does add a bit of a high brow quality to this store.
We enjoyed both the standard spicy malatang as well as the preserved vegetable soup base. There’s no point really in commenting on the bowls themselves outside of the soup, as we essentially just got what w liked. Unlimited coriander garnish was on offer, which is excellent.
On a subsequent visit I had my meal stir-fried. It was alright, a bit spicier and saltier than I would have wanted, and with a degree of strictness of minimum portions even though my partner had ordered a huge wet one (pictured below).
THOUGHTS Chungking Malatang in Burwood is a pretty strong contender for best Malatang in Burwood, especially as the Yang Guo Fu near the plaza has made way for a different company. Chungking’s extensive opening hours (closing for dine-in at 11:30PM most nights) and frozen meat fridge might just give it the edge over its nearby competitor Zhangliang.
Contrary to what would be suggested by its name, Master Hot Pot is actually not a hotpot restaurant – it’s as malatang restaurant, and one of the only restaurants vaguely in the local area that opens late enough to go to after finishing work at 9:30PM.
The selection of meats, vegetables, tofu, seafood, and seafood based products at Master Hot Pot is broad. Patrons have the option of boiled or stir fried, with different bases to choose from as well. Seasoning is left up to the individual, with a station of condiments and sprinkles to be hand applied. There is therefore no blaming the restaurant if your bowl doesn’t taste exactly as you like.
There is a reasonable array of both non-alcoholic (think ITOEN ice green tea) and alcoholic (soju and beer) drinks to suit the local Asian populace.
Perhaps the most special thing about Master Hot Pot is that they are open until 2AM in the morning. They’re one of the only stores in the area to do so, and so when we visited at 11PM they were jam packed with local Asians of all descriptions having their late night dinner. Despite this, the restaurateurs manage to keep the facility clean and well kempt, as well as keep up with the mass of orders at a reasonable pace.
Tucked behind a corner and invisible from the main road, No. 1 Malatown in Mascot is not somewhere you end up accidentally. Sharing a very similar name to the decidedly disgusting but similar in concept No.1 Malatang restaurant chain, No. 1 Malatown’s Mascot store provides most of your ma la tang staples as well as the unusual addition of hot kitchen-cooked a la carte dishes.
The No.1 Malatown store in Mascot is a large store with two separate dining areas. The front room is dominated by the fridge, regularly restocked with frozen meats, fish balls, greens, and noodles, as well as a drinks table featuring two types of citrus infused water, cutlery and crockery.
The selection of ingredients at No. 1 Malatown is perhaps a bit reduced compared to its competitors, however this did mean that I was forced to try different ingredients that I’ve traditionally avoided, like spam. It’s worth a mention that I witnessed the fridges being restocked with frozen meat during my visit. The vegetables and other ingredients were quite fresh.
No. 1 Malatown offers a selection of either bone broth or tomato broth for traditional wet malantag, or dry spicy or non-spicy cooking techniques for stir fry. The bone broth is the spicy “mala” version, however does come with a bit of creamy bone broth flavour. There is no option to have spicy malatang without bone flavour.
I generally enjoyed my bowl of malatang. It’s always nice to try different takes on the same concept. The selection of tofu, something that is a bit of a malatang staple for me, was pretty narrow. There was no fresh silken tofu, only frozen tofu slices which had quite a strange , fish-ball like consistency when cooked. Despite this, the meal was pretty good.
No. 1 Malatown is unique in that it offers other a la carte options alongside its core malatang offering. The lamb skewers are OK, not great. I can’t really explain or express why, but they’re just not as good as what you’d get at a restaurant or stall that dedicates itself to this art.
There is a small board within the restaurant that explains bonus offers for certain purchase amounts. These include things like bonus drinks, bonus wings, bonus skewers for certain amounts of spend. The staff in the store make no effort to mention these bonuses or point out to the sign, so you are shit out of luck if you don’t notice it yourself. It was only while I was getting myself some water, some time after I had ordered, that I noticed the bonus board and asked for my chicken wings. A bit of a strange way to do business, if you ask me.
The chicken wings were actually pretty good, and I’m glad I was able to try them. They were moist inside and appropriately crispy on the outside.
VERDICT No.1 Malatown is good, but probably not even the best malatang place in Mascot. While their a la carte sides are not bad, it’s clear that they’re not the restaurant’s true focus. The presence of a hidden bonus board put a bit of a bad taste in my mouth – they would’ve absolutely let me leave without my free chicken wings. I did also run into some other first timers whilst I was at No. 1 Malatown – an anaesthetic nurse from RPA with whom I had a brief but passionate discussion about the benefits of the Vygon arterial leadercath. At the end of the day I think Long Men Zhu is probably better, cleaner feeling, and certainly where I would take someone for malatang in Mascot over this place.
3.75/5 – Quarter mark lost for unwelcoming business practices.
So fresh! So clean! After having an awful time the previous week at No.1 Malatang in Kingsford, we went just 190 metres up the road to Yang Guo Fu Malatang. The difference was immense.
Malatang, for the uninitiated, is basically a form of hot pot where you choose your own raw ingredients, pay for it by weight, and have them boiled for you in a soupy and generally spicy broth. There are a number of vegetables, meats (lamb, beef, chicken, pork), tofu, mushrooms, quail eggs, and seafood on offer, so it’s quite easy to build yourself a bowl that suits your own preference.
We’ve had malatang from Yang Guo Fu in Hurstville, Burwood and Eastwood before and have generally enjoyed it. The ingredients have always been fresh, the soup tasty, and we’ve kind of made their our go-to. Keeping in mind the general good quality of YGF MLT, their Kingsford location was even better.
Yang Guo Fu in Kingsford is a larger location than its more suburban counterparts. There was ample distance between tables, and it didn’t feel as claustrophobic as some of those other restaurants do.
The ingredients were very fresh, even as we were making some of the last orders for the night. We also got the option of several different broths, which isn’t available at some of the smaller YGF Malatang stores. Unlike some of the other stores, the responsibility of saucing our meals was put on ourselves via a self sauce station. This was nerve-wracking (what if I put in the wrong ratio of ingredients!) but ultimately paid off.
A special mention needs to go to theses housemade meatballs. I haven’t seen these at any of their other stores. Their texture and taste are quite good, and I would recommend you try them. They also had ham hock, also a good and rare feature.
One weakness of Yang Guo Fu Kingsford is that they are connected to a bubble tea shop called Hey Fresh, which I have briefly written about before. Hey Fresh tends to underperform, but the restaurant staff voiced no objections to us bringing in Beautea from down the road.
I would definitely recommend Yang Guo Fu Malatang Kingsford for any malatang or hot pot lovers. They really elevate the standard.
Yang Guo Fu Ma La Tang Kingsford 520/522, Anzac Parade, Kingsford, NSW +61401035858
