Mabu Generation is a destination for hot pot, sizzling plates and way more. They put modern twists on Taiwanese cuisine while keeping the environment relaxed and fun.

Seating is mostly booths, which gives a feeling of intimacy and naturally makes you feel more comfortable and want to stay longer. It’s not the Ritz, but added touches throughout this place give the decor a little more weight.

You can go with an app of boiled shrimp, mussels or clams with house spicy sauce or a combo of all three for $13.99, a bit messy but nicely spicy and served with crunchy fries.

The house special hot soup with instant noodles ($16.99) is spicy and comes appropriately loaded with nappa, cabbage, enoki, chive, tomato, iced tofu, pork meat balls, clam, quail egg, pork blood cake, pork intestine, spam, and of course rolls of raw thinly sliced beef.

Cheese pork ribs ($16.99) are something I was maybe a little too gung-ho about trying (you can actually almost see me burning myself here, I probably should have asked for some help) but the payoff in taste was worth it, a cheesy, interactive, meaty experience.

Grilled sliced beef with salmon roe ($13.99) comes from the house special don (or rice bowl) section of the menu.

This one delivered a little less on presentation compared to the menu and beef, egg and roe is perhaps a bit of an unfamiliar, salty, gooey combination to me, though you do get a giant pile of roe for your buck if you love the stuff.

Hokkaido molten cream cheese tarts ($11.99) come in a pair and deliver on a molten, runny filling within a hard crust, though expect them to be more warm than lava-hot.

A unique raindrop cake ($8.99) is made of lychee syrup frozen in a mold with sakura blossoms inside, and essentially tastes as such, served with a powdery, earthy crumble.

Milk snow shakes ($7.49) are designed in layers and come in flavours like mango with fresh mango and sago, sago with fresh strawberry and soy bean jelly, and brown sugar milk tea with grass jelly.

All $9.99 cocktails clock in at 1.5 ounces, the Blue Mountains Beauty made with gin, blue curacao, grenadine, and ice blended with lemon syrup that should be stirred into the drink, finished off with a sugar rim.

Situated in First Markham Place amongst a giant number of fast casual and Asian restaurants, Mabu Generation stands out with its giant range of options and high-ceilinged, darkened interior.