Could 7-Eleven's Hot Pot Beat the Korean Ramyeon Craze?

(SPOT.ph) Brrr, folks! With the chill creeping in, our bellies are bound to yearn for a warm hug in a bowl. Enter 7-Eleven's Hot Pot Bowl—a convenience store creation that could either be the next Korean ramyeon craze or just a fleeting fling with our taste buds. Released in time for cooler weather, this grab-and-go hot pot meal promised a belly full of soup and noods just enough to get you drowsy and aching for a nap. Well, we happened to chance upon this at our nearest 7-Eleven store one night and we knew we just had to try it out. Time to see if 7-Eleven's Hot Pot Bowl could be the next soupy craze to hit the Metro.

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Here's what we think of 7-Eleven's returning Hot Pot Bowl:

First Impressions

Seeing a hot pot bar in a convenience store was quite a surprise. NGL, we got a bit confused the first time we saw it. We thought it was just another dumpling offering like the usual siomai or siopao, but after checking the Internet and asking the friendly cashier, we found out that the Hot Pot Bowl is actually a returning 7-Eleven product. 

It seemed simple enough. You're hungry for soup? Grab a bowl; add your choice of P39-toppings like odeng, dumplings, tofu; ladle in the soup; add noodles or an egg, and then slurp your way to a full belly. 

It's a lot like the Korean convenience store ramyeon craze that's hitting the Metro lately, except this one is a bit more convenient (or so we thought.) No fancy cooking machines. No sauces to mix up. It's literally grab-and-go.

First Slurp

But as soon as we got settled and ready to dive in, we started seeing it for what it was—a little bit sus. The broth looked slightly anemic, almost like you're just stirring in hot water.

The toppings are a tad too wrinkly, which says a lot about how long they've been in the water, overcooked to god knows what. Basically, we were questioning the entire order before we even had our first slurp. But one thing we kept repeating to ourselves is to manage our expectations. We were, after all, having instant hot pot in a convenience store, starting at P39.

The first slurp was a monumental step. It took a lot of internal pep talk to get rid of our initial bias. After much hullabaloo, the first slurp left us wanting more—not in a good way. It was on the blander side; if you're used to the MSG-laden broths of instant ramyeon, imagine having an extremely watered-down version of that. Granted, it's the same water where the toppings have been cooking in, so there's a little bit of flavor in there but TBH, what's a girl gotta do to get some salt, MSG, and a little dried veg in this? The toppings weren't anything special too.  They're your run-of-the-mill instant balls you can get from the grocery. You definitely get what you paid for. 

Where to get 7-Eleven's Hot Pot Bowl

You can't just waltz into any branch to try this. As of writing, only 20 confirmed 7-Eleven branches have this offering and all happen to be in Metro Manila. We've noticed that the branches carrying it tend to be in business districts, town centers, or hospitals, i.e., places that see a lot of foot traffic, particularly at night. It's smart, considering the product doesn't have a long shelf life, unlike most convenience store finds.

Not to worry, though, as this is a returning product, we're keeping our fingers crossed that they are just testing out the market for now. Here's to hoping we see this product in more branches come 2024.

Final Verdict

Would we buy this again? This one's a bit tough because on the day we chanced upon the 7-Eleven Hot Pot bowl, we weren't craving it, nor was it particularly hot pot weather. It just happened to be there, and the novelty of having hot pot in a convenience store was really what sold it to us. After that first slurp, we're not really sure if we would seek it out.

Don't get us wrong, if we were hungry and it was there, sure. Starting as low as P39, it's a good way to fill the belly, but the fact that not all branches have it and that you have to go to specific branches just to get your fill is kind of turning us off. It's not that good in our book to merit a special trip just to get it. 

Could it beat the Korean ramyeon craze sweeping the Metro today? Well, taste-wise, it's a bit on the bland side. It's really watered down but it does benefit a little bit from being the same water where all the toppings are simmering in. Plus, having a variety of tusok-tusok toppings that could add flavor and texture to the eating experience is also similar to the convenience store ramyeon experience. It's watered-down instant ramen. But, the leg up Korean ramyeon has over the 7-Eleven hot pot? Ramyeon is available everywhere with a variety of fresh toppings, but 7-Eleven's Hot Pot is not. So yeah, maybe a second try when it's actually more convenient, 'til then, it was okay for a chance experience.

See a list of 7-Eleven Branches with the Hot Pot Bowl. For more information, visit 7-Eleven Philippines' Facebook page.

Also read: 10 Places to Sate Your Korean Ramyeon Cravings

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