Location: Hsinchu, Jipinyuan Small Hot Pot & Guguji Small Hot Pot
Travel Notes Summary: Looking at my recent 20 posts, 16 are about food—I haven't had time to write about anything else! I need to clear out my photo backlog first. Jipinyuan is on Ciyun Road, in the former location of Yachu (all-you-can-eat curry hot pot). The spot isn't great, so business seems tough. After Yachu closed, I brought friends here after playing badminton. The shop offers affordable small hot pots ranging from NT$100 to NT$120, with options like beef, lamb, seafood, sesame oil chicken, and stinky tofu hot pot. Similar in price to Sanma, but the portions feel slightly bigger. My take: decent value for money, though I worry about the business (only one table at 6 PM). As for Guguji, I tried it after a blog reader, chensj, invited me for drinks. Though not a big drinker, I enjoy socializing, so we met at this new branch in Longshan Community. It's likely a chain, with a standout feature: NT$50 small hot pots. Other pots are cheap too (NT$90 or NT$120). The broth is light, and portions aren't huge, but the place is clean and less crowded than Sanma. Turns out chensj went to college with a senior from my …