HOPO is a hot pot restaurant found in the corner of a small strip mall in Markham, right beside a Chatime. Don't want to pony up for AYCE? You don't even have the option here. HOPO is all about simplifying the hot pot experience. Just order pre-set individual hot pot combinations from a menu and get ready to dig into a steaming bowl of goodness.

We start our meal with popcorn chicken. The menu features several different kinds including Korean and Japanese versions of the popular dish ($8.99 each). The Korean one is sweet and spicy while the Japanese version reminds me of a meaty okonomiyaki.

The hot pots come in individual portions with the ingredients bubbling happily inside. The spicy beef soup ($12.99) is a good option for those who prefer something close to a traditional hot pot. Ours arrives with beef rolls, a quail egg and a delicious broth that has a nice kick without being overbearingly spicy.

HOPO's take on the Malaysian laksa soup ($14.99) comes chock full of ingredients like shrimp, chicken, pork balls, and enoki mushrooms. It's a dish done well with just enough coconut milk to distinguish it from the broths that come with most of the hot pot dishes available here.

Not satisfied with our bowls of soup alone, we cool our tastebuds with lychee mint soda ($4.49) and watermelon lime juice ($4.49). Both are light and refreshing and a good counterbalance to the meal.

For dessert we try the decadent sesame ice cream ($4.99). It comes resplendent with cornflakes, mini Oreo cookies, and Pocky sticks. Mmmm.

The Oreo cheesecake ($4.99) also wins us over. You can't really go wrong with something made with cookies, chocolate and Oreo crumbles.

Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. When not writing for blogTO he can usually be found tweeting here or pressing words into this blog . Photos by Hector Vasquez.