By Paige Robinson
I went to London in December to visit some friends, and I had kindly been invited to try out Da Long Yi, a hotpot restaurant on Oxford Street. I’ve never tried hotpot cuisine before and was excited to get the full experience, from choosing the broths to cooking everything at the table myself.
On arriving, I found the interior to be bright and characterful, with authentic-feeling décor, paintings and furnishings that leaned into that Sichuan teahouse style. I spoke with Kris Yang, Master Franchisee for the UK, said: “The atmosphere is warm, vibrant Sichuan teahouse vibes – red tones, buzzing but comfortable, with attentive service and a well-stocked sauce bar,” which matched exactly how the space felt, even during a quieter daytime visit with soft ambient music playing in the background.
I was impressed with the service from the start. My friend who came along with me, has a peanut allergy and the staff were accommodating, talking us through which soups, meats and sauces were suitable and offering alternatives where needed. Kris said they “want guests to feel looked after, whether they’re plant-based, halal or just nervous about spice,” and that care definitely came through in how they handled dietary needs at the table.
There was a wide range of food choices on offer at Da Long Yi, so there is definitely something for everyone. Ordering is done via an iPad, with pages of meats, fish, vegetables and sides such as rice and noodles, and it was fun scrolling through and deciding what to try. I was feeling bold and initially wanted two spicy soups, but we were steered towards a half-and-half set-up with something less fiery alongside, and I’m glad because we struggled even with just one hot soup.
When asked about what makes Da Long Yi’s spicy broth so special, Kris said: “Our signature spicy broth is slow-simmered with beef tallow, Sichuan peppercorns and over 20 aromatics. Fragrant first, then numbing-spicy. Balanced rather than simply hot.”
We went for the volcano beef, pork, steak, dumplings, potato slices, noodles and egg fried rice, and the meats tasted fresh and full of flavour in amongst the different soups and sauces. I liked being able to control how well-cooked everything was, and was easy to work once I got the hang of it. When asked on the most popular ingredients for the hotpot, Kris said: “Sliced tender beef, Volcano Beef, handmade prawn paste, beef tripe, fresh-cut hanging tender, pork belly, duck blood, lotus root, potato, enoki, tofu puffs and hand-pulled/wide noodles are always popular.”
Cooking it all in one pot helped marry the flavours together nicely. We were able to take our time with the food, chatting as we went, nothing went cold and we could keep topping up with more meat and vegetables along the way. I particularly enjoyed the sauce station: being able to build your own mix of flavours and also the addition of prawn crackers too. When asked on how to describe Da Long Yi to someone who has never tried hotpot, Kris said: “It’s a lively, interactive feast… It’s social, fun and fully customisable,” and that summed up the rhythm of the meal perfectly.
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To finish, we each had an iced matcha dessert drink with jelly at the bottom, which gave it more of a dessert-like edge than a standard drink and made for a light, refreshing end to the meal. Overall, Da Long Yi is well worth a visit if you’re on Oxford Street, as it offers something a bit different within Asian dining and turns the meal into more of an experience than a straightforward sit-down dinner. With its customisable broths, interactive cooking and sociable pace, it’s a relaxed, engaging way to eat with friends or family and an easy recommendation for anyone curious about trying hotpot for the first time.
For more information or to reserve a table, please visit: www.dalongyi.uk
