[Review] Morals Village – All-you-can-eat hot pot (Chinatown location)

Ahhhh – nothing hits the spot like a big boiling pot of broth filled with seafood, meat, veggies and whatever else your heart desires. Hot pot is one of my absolute favourite meals, and we eat it often in our household! It is often referred to as “Asian Fondue” but let’s get real here, it is WAY more than that!I attended the grand opening of Morals Village in Toronto for a media tasting event. This is the second location in the GTA, but Morals Village is a recognized name in China with over 600+ restaurant locations! Yup – SIX HUNDRED, pretty crazy, right?! I went in with an empty stomach and left feeling incredibly satisfied and as we like to say in my family after a great meal, “I’m sooo full, I can’t breathe” (from over-eating, a normal and common phrase at the Tang residence).

The space was buzzing with excitement; there was a photo booth with props, a DJ spinning tunes all night, and a giant gong for the opening ceremony! The décor was simple and elegant, with spacious seated benches, modern light fixtures and touches of Asian flair. I especially liked the light-up flower mural by the bar!

Mural by the bar

Main seating area

Let’s get down to it. The FOOD! There are 12 soup bases to choose from. I opted for the mountain cliff wild mushroom and super spicy soup base. I found the super spicy soup base just a touch too oily, but the mushroom broth was spot on – YUM! There is also a make-your-own sauce bar to complete your hot pot experience. Options include soy sauce, chili oil, satay sauce, and a personal favourite – preserved bean curd :). This can be tricky if you don’t know how to curate sauces well, which was the case with me.  Luckily, this did not deter my dining experience one bit, as the ingredients were fresh and came out in hoards!

The servers brought out an endless assortment of goodies – thinly sliced pork, beef, lamb, squid balls, golden fish balls, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, fish paste, whole (LARGE) shrimp, squid, marinated fish fillets, quail eggs, bean curd… the list goes on and on! This was a hot pot DREAM! It was evident that everything was of great quality – nothing looked or tasted like it was sitting on a counter, waiting to be eaten. All of the dishes came out beautifully presented and you could see the labour of love from the kitchen staff and management in providing a memorable meal. There is no shortage of options you can choose from, but you can opt for premium upgrades including Wagyu short rib slices, Alaskan snow crab legs, tiger shrimp, Japanese scallops, fresh oysters and abalone for an added cost. Below is a sample of what I ate:

Thinly sliced, marbled beef

From left to right: Sliced pork, an array of mushrooms/greens, and Szechuan pepper fried pork

Bean curd, qual eggs, seafood and taro!

Thinly sliced lamb – delicious!

Everyone has their own hot pot!

Fresh cuttlefish

Szechuan pepper marinated fish fillet – which soup base to choose?!

Nicely presented beef hearts

Would I come back? Absolutely! Hot pot is so dear to my heart and knowing that I now have a go-to place for my fix makes me a happy gal :).  The price is on the higher side, but I enjoyed my meal through and through. Next time you’re hankering for hot pot or if you’ve never had the pleasure of having it before, make a stop at Morals Village – your belly will thank you!

See the full menu below:
Pricing:

Adult $25.99
Children (Under 13) $13.95
Senior (Over 65) $19.95

Weekends & Holidays:
+ $2.00
+ $3/person for certified Angus short rib slice

*Disclosure: The meal was complimentary but the opinions and views expressed in the post are my own.

Until next time! 🙂