PDA

View Full Version : Review: (NEWLY OPEN): 3:30 Hot Point Fusion



TomcoPDR
03-08-2012, 12:29 AM
Not too sure what the exact name is, this place just opened up on March 3, 2012

3:30 Hot Point Fusion
4340 Macleod Trail SW
Calgary, Alberta

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1238.jpg

*In the complex where "Club Fit" (or World Health) is near Back Alley, 2 doors down from Seoul Korean BBQ and the Sheesha place.

My neighbour actually took me here during their grand opening day, without knowing it was opening day (couldn't get in)...

Seeing that my parents are visiting me for a while, thought we'd give this place a shot... Being honest, walking in, you know it's an Ikea built "contemporary" reno economically designed startup restaurant. But whatever... Neighbour came with us too.

Staff were really attentative as you walk in, someone will always say: (In Mandarin or Tawianese) "Welcome" (I don't understand it, but can still make it out)... Though I can see this could get annoying to staff and customers.

Polite, cheerful and comfident staff.

Being new to it (i.e. not sure what the food/restaurant is about; it's individual hot pot food, bubble tea house, Asian snack food): We asked one of the server girls to explain the menu (who turned out to be one of the owner sisters)... Vivian (or "ViVi") was so polite in explaining everything, suggestions, ideas, etc...

Here's where it got uncomfortable for me though, she was pretty friendly and "peppy" (like cheerful/skippy), good looking, slim body Asian girl, where she was leaning over pointing at menu items to me, that she eventually had a little bit of downblouse action going... My mom caught me peeking, so now I'm hooped, so I just quickly said: "I'll take the beef hot pot please"... but she was so well mannered that she kept on describing other menu items in the same position. Trying to keep my good boy image with my mom, just kinda said: "oh and I'll take a fresh Taro bubble tea please, NEXT" (looking at the neighbour that came with us)... Then I went back to my comfort zone seating position; organizing some "business" on the iPhone.

They've got about 8 styles of individually sized Hot Pot, for about $9 (comes with bowl of rice too)

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1241.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1239.jpg

And take notice BUBBLEMANIA; fresh Taro milk tea... I'm just hoping they'll offer late operating hours... This could be the next destination for BBT lovers in the South or Central Calgary.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1240.jpg


So Vivi (one of the two sisters owner) was really good at checking up on us and making sure everything's alright. (ok that's normal)... But then it got weird and awkward (FOR ME, IMO), where I noticed, spotting my mom seeing she's not wearing a ring... So my parents started a chit-chat session with her. (which is normal in restaurant operations)..

Then Vivi came back offering this 10% VIP card, and some coupon for snacks, hands them directly to me.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1244.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1245.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1255.jpg

She tells us (my neighbour and I) how we probably didn't get in on grand opening cuz the deal was really good, etc... It was buy 1 (hot pot), get 1 free... Then my dad made some corny joke about how: "Can we make it up with this visit? har har har arrr ahhh har"

But Vivian was a trooper, kept her cool... She's like well that's why I gave you guys these cards for next time, yea sorry can't use 'em this time tho.

Then it gets weirder still, the bill came, it was handed directly right at me... (is this some kind of test what kinda guy I am on a date or something??) Clearly the eldest at the table should always get the bill for all seniority purposes. My neighbour's such a great guy that he tried fighting to pay.

Opened up the sleeve... and somehow, the 10% discount was applied on this first visit still???
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/IMG_1253.jpg

Wtf happened there? Was it just a generous staff member? Or did Vivi had anything to do with this 10% off?

Not a bad place, owner's such a great gal... Not sure if it's all the kim chi broth talking... But could this possibly be the girl for one's heart to keep follow? Or just a great eatery for your stomach's desire?

Food: 4/5 I'm pretty sure it's somewhat, one of it's kind in Calgary... Individually sized hot pot. Though I'm sure it's all over the place in Taiwan, Asia, etc... Good food, when you're eating with a bunch of people, you don't have to worry about those who love licking their chopsticks and dipping it back into the dish... You each get your own shit... (Disclaimer: The word "pretty sure" means I have no fucking clue if it's being done in Calgary, Asia or any part of the world or not)

Great bubbletea, pretty smile from Vivi and the wide flavor selection avaliable makes you forget about the potential testiclar issues with these BBT ingredient warnings issued from varies government health agencies.

Not bad for 4 ppl, for $46 (with a discount tho)

Service 4.5/5 At the begining stage, most restaurants give it their best.

Ambience 2.5/5 As much as I love to, I find this fair... It's an Ikea built reno... (NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, I'm allow give my points based on my opinion)... Plus (this isn't their fault), when you walk towards the bathroom corridor, it feels like the floor is sloping to one side a bit (towards the kitchen side), like a walking in a hallway of a docked cruiseship... Plus garage floor paint (STILL VERY CLEAN, nonetheless)

Accord_tunerx
03-08-2012, 12:52 AM
now i am craving hot pot....

gqmw
03-08-2012, 01:22 AM
gotta try now...

GQBalla
03-08-2012, 01:30 AM
got to try this place

TomcoPDR
03-08-2012, 01:37 AM
^^ Can you guys see if ViVi is just as friendly to y'all???

Let me know if you wanna borrow my 10% card.

max_boost
03-08-2012, 01:42 AM
Interesting. Will have to check it out.

R-Audi
03-08-2012, 09:12 AM
Ha ha ha... Just remember Tom, its in her best interest to be nice to you! (But not that nice.. creep!)

lilmira
03-08-2012, 09:24 AM
Jerry Seinfeld: Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at it, it's too risky. You get a sense of it then you look away.

That's close to my work. I'll check it out with my shades on.

n1zm0
03-08-2012, 09:37 AM
individual hot pot, sold.

i'll try it with the old man before we goto the car show next week.

do you know if you can choose to get noodles instead of rice with no extra charge?

yoda124
03-08-2012, 09:38 AM
my wife's sister lucked out.She went there on 1/2 price opening night with 5 family members.Total bill was $52.She gave Vivian $100 and got back $90:) Gave Vivian a $10 tip and she was so giddy:rofl:

rage2
03-08-2012, 09:58 AM
Tom you're a dirty old man. :rofl:

LadyLuck
03-08-2012, 10:55 AM
Tom you always have to read into everything, don't you? :rofl: :rofl:

baygirl
03-08-2012, 11:05 AM
Seriously Thomas, you have a talent for story telling...


Originally posted by TomcoPDR

My mom caught me peeking, so now I'm hooped,


I would've thought you would be a master at peeking without getting caught...

littledan
03-08-2012, 11:27 AM
lol, your mom probably expected you to be peeking, and was hoping you would otherwise she'd be wondering about your orientation LOL :poosie:

TomcoPDR
03-08-2012, 03:48 PM
Originally posted by R-Audi


Originally posted by lilmira


Originally posted by rage2


Originally posted by LadyLuck


Originally posted by baygirl


Originally posted by littledan


Mind you, there's always lost in translation through word-text description than actually being there in person.

It was more of an "easy eye roll" from the menu sheet, to the area where she was talking.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/eyeroll.jpg


Totally not a full out Hellloooooooooo Nurse, hubba hubba.
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/nurse.jpg

98type_r
03-08-2012, 04:06 PM
Is this the same people as the 3:30 bubble tea place in Chinatown next to Visions?

Graham_A_M
03-08-2012, 04:26 PM
OMFG that hot & Sour soup looks delicious. Thanks Tom, I am now sold.
:thumbsup:

For $45 for ALL that food, why not. Ill go there this week end and offer a "cracka" perspective on it. ;)

EDIT: Just came back from that actually, quite a spur of the moment thing.

Man Tom, you have a great way of promoting places. That place sucked. Food was okay; but their menu has really nothing other then Hot & Sour soup. We were starving, so :(
After that I went to grab a burger since that wasn't overly filling

The Bubble tea was great, but thats really about it.
Overall the place was very very noisy. They have the bubble tea machines RIGHT beside the tables, so there was this (almost jack-hammer like) racket fairly consistently. It was quite noisy for a restaurant. It must be an asian thing to be cool with that level of noise, but it was fast getting annoying.
The ambiance was interesting. Quite hard to get settled down in there, and be laid back. Hard to explain but it had an odd vibe to it.

The "Food" was okay, but I was expecting a lot better considering that the "Hot & sour soup" is their specialty. Quite disappointed as that was all they had. For an Asian restaurant I shouldn't be too surprised they dont serve any alcohol, but man a beer would have hit the spot.

It was nice to try something new for a change, but I definitely wont be back. $50 later for two people, and we both left almost as hungry as when we came in. :rolleyes:

I dont have high hopes for that place staying around for too long.

DC328is
03-09-2012, 04:35 AM
sounds like the girls got to ya ;)

1barA4
03-09-2012, 11:10 AM
Originally posted by DC328is
sounds like the girls got to ya ;)

Who hasn't been mystified by a pair of titties? For a moment I liked Loungeburger, but that's only because the firebush's tats were right in my face every time she was at our table.

flipstah
03-11-2012, 05:21 PM
Snap! A new place to try out. Thanks for the heads up!

I'm taking the famjam here this weekend. :drool:

TomcoPDR
03-11-2012, 10:40 PM
Originally posted by Graham_A_M


What? I don't know man, well I did warn about the setup... But I can't see why it was $52 for 2... and why didn't you order some appetizers?

Have you compared this to Bubblemania tho???

Well, all we can do is tally up the reviews and see... I guess you can always do the AYCE Korean BBQ next door though, that is always yummy... Just hate how they don't turn the exhaust on.

But in the mean time, I don't always give all places good reviews... Like Ikea for instance, THAT was disgusting... either you're surrounded by rich snobby people too cheap to buy real furniture, or dealing with trashy ppl trying to act all high class and elegant.

Well, I know... it's a love it or hate it place... Last time I was there, only thing I bought was their disgusting salmon lunch, dry and tasteless... Ended up assembling that in my stomach, turning it into a big brown choo-choo train once it got home.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/ikea.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/Tomcompany/Past%20repairs/Random/ikea2.jpg

nj2Type-S
03-12-2012, 12:19 PM
me after reading TomcoPDR's review: :drool:
me after reading Graham_A_M's review: :dunno:

lol, we need more reviews!

i'll have to give this place a try this week. i passed by it over the weekend but never really caught my interest. thanks for the reviews, guys.

:rofl: @ your mom catching you looking. awesome.

flipstah
03-12-2012, 12:31 PM
You always go to IKEA for the ice cream and the Svedish Metbawlz, jaa?

buh_buh
03-12-2012, 12:49 PM
I was there last night for hot pot, I'm not a fan.
The food portions are not great, only 3 sauces to choose from, and you have to eat it with rice. I thought the service was crap (not sure if they even spoke English), and though it was loud, it didn't bother me that much.

I'll stick to the cultural center for hotpot. All you can eat buffet style is better value/variety.

Speed_69
03-12-2012, 12:54 PM
I went here on Friday.

Got there at 9pm and that's when the individual hot pot ends so I didn't get to try it out. Was pretty dissapointed as that is the main reason I was going there.

Tried their bubble tea and thought it was pretty good! Had a couple of their other food dishes and as mentioned above, portions suck! Ordered their chicken wing and fries, smallest portion of fries I've ever seen in my life!!

My friend went on Saturday to try the hot pot and his whole group was not impressed. Said they will not be going back for that.

s2k_boi
03-12-2012, 06:01 PM
Sorry Tom. I have to agree that the service sucked.

We went on Thursday to try it out. It took forever before we were even seated or served (had to flag down the waitress to order and it took a few tries), and it took over an hour before we got our food. Even the drinks took 45mins, they didn't bring water (as we had to ask for it), the list could go on. Granted the waitress was running around as they probably didn't have enough staff for dinner rush. I saw other tables just as annoyed, as we witness a table that sat down and got food before a few other tables that were had arrived way earlier and ordered before them too (it look like they knew the owners - none the less that pissed of a table enough that they made a big stink about it).

The food I would say is ok. I don't think we will be going bad as we almost got up and left cause we were so hungry and annoyed.

TomcoPDR
03-12-2012, 09:42 PM
:cry: this place must had went downhill in between my review and your individual visits.

Let's wait for Max_Boost's experience, the king of food, drinking, clubbing and fine dining.

Graham_A_M
03-12-2012, 09:43 PM
You know Tom I guess that place has its Merits, but like what was mentioned the food & drinks took FOREVER to arrive. I found ordering using their write-on style menu quite foolish. Ideally they should take the drink orders and get those going rather then having to wait for the food to be ordered later (like I say using the same write-on menu), THEN bring them both out almost at the same time.

They weren't understaffed either but the service was awful, then after waiting probably 20+ mins for our bill I got tired and went to stand by the cash register hoping they would get the hint. Even though they knew I was there with a wallet in hand, they just shuffled past a few times, finally after all that they helped me after a good 5+ min of waiting there like a tool. :rolleyes:

You're right the waitresses were cute and quite adorable, but that definitely isn't reason enough to warrant a return trip. Thankfully there are a lot better places then that worth going to. :nut:

TomcoPDR
03-12-2012, 09:56 PM
Ok ok, head across the street to Macleod Sushi... nerdy Chinese dude servers... but licensed and AYCE.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/334599/review-macleod-sushi-bbq-inc-/

lilmira
03-12-2012, 10:46 PM
So it is titties in your face or dude in your face eh?

Blue
03-13-2012, 08:40 PM
Went there yesterday night with my girlfriend. We had pretty good service especially this one hot Asian :) maybe you guys had different servers haha

RX_EVOLV
03-13-2012, 10:54 PM
Went there a few days ago for lunch.

Menu 2/5
Very limited selection on food since they ONLY have hotpot and bubble tea before 2:30. If you don't like any of their 6 hot pots then you are SOL.

Service 4/5

The two girls there were pretty good and were on top of things. Mind you they only had like 3 tables.

Food 3.5/5

Hot pot was decent. Neat that they are individual sizes but nothing too special about them. Lots of meat though in my spicy beef hotpot.

Value 4/5

$8.99 for the hotpot including a drink and rice. Not bad! I added Udon for an extra $1 and was completely full at the end.

Ambiance 2/5
It's very dark and boring in there. Like others have mentioned they have this bubble tea machine that sounds like a jackhammer when it's on. Pretty annoying.

Conclusion:
Probably won't be going back for the food but the bubble tea selection looks interesting enough that I might go back to try a few of them out. My pudding milk tea was pretty good.

max_boost
03-24-2012, 04:41 PM
Went here yesterday and it's definitely one of those Asian hangouts. Cute fob servers, I found the hot pot a bit spicy but taste pretty good. I had my usual green apple green tea cold, some Taiwanese chicken appetizer and a delicious banana waffle thick toast with chocolate ice cream for dessert. :drool: It's a nice alternative to Bubblemania.

I give this place 3.5/5

TomcoPDR
03-24-2012, 06:10 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
Cute fob servers

Got pics to prove?

max_boost
03-24-2012, 09:30 PM
Originally posted by TomcoPDR


Got pics to prove?

Rule #1: Don't ever question me. :thumbsup: :rofl:

n1zm0
03-24-2012, 11:52 PM
So is this place Taiwanese run or Hk cafe style? Want to know if I should get my pops to speak hokkien or Cantonese to order when we visit. :D

flipstah
03-25-2012, 08:46 AM
Are they open late like Bubbles?

The_Rural_Juror
03-25-2012, 09:12 AM
Originally posted by n1zm0
So is this place Taiwanese run or Hk cafe style? Want to know if I should get my pops to speak hokkien or Cantonese to order when we visit. :D

Engrish is a safe bet.

TomcoPDR
03-25-2012, 11:37 AM
Originally posted by flipstah
Are they open late like Bubbles?

Weekends till 2am

The_Rural_Juror
03-25-2012, 11:39 AM
Hmmm...something doesn't look right here.

spikerS
03-26-2012, 09:54 AM
sorry Tom, I know you love the place, but I was less than impressed when you took me there.

Granted, Vivi loves to bend right over the table, flashing everyone, which is nice, but with all the mistakes and stuff, I don't think I will be going back.

Bubble tea was good though!

baygirl
03-26-2012, 10:16 AM
Originally posted by spikers
sorry Tom, I know you love the place, but I was less than impressed when you took me there.


I hope you were nice enough to put out for him if he bought you dinner,even if you didn't really enjoy the meal...

bleu
04-03-2012, 04:42 PM
I went here yesterday and it looks nice inside, but didn't end up staying as there wasn't much on the menu that I would've enjoyed. I will try back soon for the bubble teas though, since it is closer to where I live.