Hai Di Lao

August 05, 2018 Ivan Teh - RunningMan 0 Comments

Hai Di Lao
3D River Valley Road
#02-04 Clarke Quay

313 Orchard Road
#04-23 313@Somerset

2 Jurong East Street 21
#03-01 IMM

1 Harbourfront Walk
#03-09 VivoCity

311 New Upper Changi Road
#01-13 Bedok Mall

103 Irrawaddy Road
#06-01 Royal Square

68 Orchard Road
#04-20 Plaza Singapura

33 Sengkang West Avenue
#03-36 The Seletar Mall

30 Sembawang Drive
#02-01 Sun Plaza

10 Paya Lebar Road
#03-11 Paya Lebar Quarter

2 Tampines Central 5
#02-22 Century Square

6 Raffles Boulevard
#01-19 Marina Square

http://www.haidilao.com/sg/

Hai Di Lao Meal

Excellent Premium Ala-Carte Hot Pot

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 10
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $43 per person.

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I've fond memories of excellent dining experiences at Hai Di Lao in Beijing, China, so when Hai Di Lao opened in Singapore in September 2012, I was keen to see if they maintained the same standard of excellence. They did. And, they still do, even after expanding to several outlets in the last few years.

Ambience at Hai Di Lao exudes an elegant opulence. The fittings appear luxurious in shades of black, wood, white, red, and gold, the neatly lined comfortable cushioned booths with privacy screens being warmly lit by elegant chandeliers overhead. Intricate oriental artwork adorn the walls. For those visiting on weekends, there are scheduled Chinese operatic performances that occur during peak hours for your entertainment. Befitting of a premium hot pot restaurant. In addition, they also offer free snacks and drinks while waiting, and free manicure services, as queues can stretch up to 1 - 2 hours or more.

Service at Hai Di Lao remains excellent. In fact, their service is the best component about dining here, more so than the food or ambience, which is easily replicated. The warm, friendly, engaging, and attentive service is what keeps us, and most diners, coming back time after time. It's the personalised attention that staff display, along with good product knowledge, efficiency in fulfilling orders or clearing tables, proactiveness in meeting needs, or just making diners feel really comfortable and welcome.

Food at Hai Di Lao is Chinese steamboat / hot pot cuisine, where you cook a variety of ingredients, including meat, seafood, vegetable, and staples, in a steaming bowl of soup / broth base. Quality of ingredients is above average, and more importantly, fresh. Delicious and tasty too. While portions are nicely sized for sharing between 2 - 4 people, everything is ala-carte here, there is no buffet option, so prices tend to be higher than usual. Budget about SGD $43 per person for a meal here.

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Hai Di Lao Signage

Hai Di Lao Signage

Hai Di Lao Exterior

Hai Di Lao Interior

Waiting Area

Waiting Area

Seating

Seating

Seating

Table Setting

Free Manicure Area

Breath Mints & Toothpicks

Sauce Recipes

Sampled the Soup Base Duo - Chicken & Mushroom (SGD $23) on a visit. The Soup Base Mushroom is thin with an earthy sweet herbal flavour, while the Soup Base Chicken is light with a sweet savoury salty herbal flavour. Both are good, but I prefer the chicken soup / broth.
On another occasion, we got the Soup Base Quadruple - Seafood, Tomato, Chicken, Sichuan Mala. The Soup Base Seafood is creamy with a sweet oceany flavour, the Soup Base Tomato is fragrant with a fruity vegetal sweet flavour, and the Soup Base Sichuan Mala has a sharp but short savoury peppery spicy burn that entices the palate.

Soup Base Duo - Chicken & Mushroom (SGD $23)

Soup Base Duo - Chicken & Mushroom

Soup Base Quadruple - Seafood, Tomato, Chicken, Sichuan Mala

Soup Base Mushroom

Soup Base Chicken

Soup Base Tomato

Soup Base Sichuan Mala

Soup Base Seafood

The DIY Sauce (SGD $4 per person for all sauces & desserts) allows you to customise your own dipping sauce from a range of 25 different ingredients. My personal sauce mix includes the sesame sauce, sesame seeds, bird's eye chili, spring onions, and paprika powder. Sometimes, I also add garlic, chili oil, or crushed peanuts.

DIY Sauce (SGD $4 per person for all sauces & desserts)

While water is complimentary, any other drinks and beverages, like the Winter Melon Tea (SGD $3 per person, refillable), is chargable per person.

Winter Melon Tea (SGD $3 per person, refillable)

For ingredients, my personal favourites include the Raw Sliced Fish (SGD $8.50 half portion), the Raw Marinated Beef (SGD $16 full portion), the Raw Pork & Corn Meat Balls (SGD $4 half portion), and the Raw Fish Balls With Roe (SGD $4 half portion).

Raw Mushrooms - Shiitake, Straw, King Trumpet, Golden (SGD $9 half portion)

Raw Corn (SGD $3 half portion)

Raw Spinach (SGD $6 full portion)

Raw Lettuce (SGD $6 full portion)

Raw Pumpkin (SGD $3 half portion)

Raw Sliced Fish (SGD $8.50 half portion)

Raw Pork Belly (SGD $15 full portion)

Raw Black Pork (SGD $19 full portion)

Raw U.S. Beef Slices (SGD $22 ful portion)

Raw Marinated Beef (SGD $16 full portion)

Raw Pig's Intestines (SGD $6.50 half portion)

Raw Salmon Cheese Sausage (SGD $5 half portion)

Raw Luncheon Meat (SGD $4 half portion)

Raw Hand Made Shrimp Cakes (SGD $8 half portion)

Raw Hand Made Cuttlefish Cakes (SGD $7 half portion)

Raw Pork Meat Balls (SGD $6 half portion)

Raw Pork & Corn Meat Balls (SGD $4 half portion)

Raw Fish Balls With Roe (SGD $4 half portion)

Staff will offer to assist in cooking and serving, though you can also do it yourself. While it's ala-carte, the sharing portions are sufficient enough, and will fill you up quickly.

Cooked Mushrooms - Shiitake, King Trumpet, Shrimp Cake, Cuttlefish Cake, Pork Meat Ball, Pork & Corn Meat Ball

Cooked Spinach, Sliced Fish, Marinated Beef, Luncheon Meat

Cooked Fish Ball With Roe, Pig's Intestine, Salmon Cheese Sausage

Cooked Fish Ball With Roe Inside

Cooked Mushrooms - Straw, Black Pork, Hand Pulled Noodles

Cooked Corn

Dessert Watermelon (SGD $4 per person for all sauces & desserts)

Dessert Lime Sorbet

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Update Sep-2020: Returned to visit everyone's favourite premium hotpot steamboat restaurant, Hai Di Lao. It's no surprise they've grown over the years in Singapore, with their consistently excellent ambience, service, and food, making the boss of Hai Di Lao the richest person in Singapore this year. Even the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic doesn't seem to have dampened business at Hai Di Lao, as it still draws crowds, with waiting times of up to 1 hour or more during peak meal periods.

The Beer Heineken (SGD $12) is a popular Dutch brand of pale lager beer, brewed by the company of the same name. It has a light straw golden colour, with aromas and tastes of hops, barley malt, wheat, and steel. The body is thin, lively, and watery, with a delicate grainy sweet bitter flavour, with almost no aftertaste, and a dry finish. Inoffensive and drinkable, this is an entry-level, beginner's brew.

Beer Heineken (SGD $12)

Got the Spicy Beef Tallow Soup Base & Three Delicacy Soup Base (SGD $23) dual soup base on this visit. The Spicy Beef Tallow Soup Base is spiced with Szechuan / Sichuan peppercorn and chili, resulting in a bright fragrant spicy savoury salty numbing flavour. The Three Delicacy Soup Base has a mild earthy sweet flavour, with a medium milky creamy texture that is so enticing. Staff helped serve the Three Delicacy Soup With Spring Onions to start, and it was lovely.

Spicy Beef Tallow Soup Base & Three Delicacy Soup Base (SGD $23)

Three Delicacy Soup With Spring Onions

Served with the soup order, the Fish Ball Cooked (SGD $Complimentary) was bouncy with a light chew. The fish ball holds mild sweet savoury flavour, but being complimentary, there's only 1 per person. The Fish Ball With Roe Cooked (SGD $6 Half Portion) was as excellent as always, with its light bouncy texture, releasing the sweet briny salty filling of fish roe within in a juicy burst. Can be messy, so take up staff's offer of a dining bib if ordering the fish ball with roe.

Fish Ball Cooked (SGD $Complimentary)

Fish Ball With Roe Cooked (SGD $6 Half Portion)

Fish Ball With Roe Cooked

The Assorted Vegetable Platter Raw (SGD $10 Half Portion) is perfect for the undecided, with a fresh, healthy medley of crisp crunchy vegetables; including crown daisy, spinach, cabbage, black fungus / wood ear fungus, golden mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. All these lend lovely vegetal earthy sweet flavour.

Assorted Vegetable Platter Raw (SGD $10 Half Portion)

Assorted Vegetable Platter Cooked

The Crispy Dough Pancake (SGD $6 Whole Portion) is essentially Plain Prata / Roti Prata. This Indian style flatbread pancake is crisp and flaky, with a buttery sweet savoury flavour. Pairs especially well with spicy soup / broth base, not unlike dipping it in curry.

Crispy Dough Pancake (SGD $6 Whole Portion)

The Pork Luncheon Meat Raw (SGD $5.50 Half Portion) features thick cut slices of pork luncheon meat / spam, that turn soft and tender when cooked. The Pork Luncheon Meat Cooked Original has a mild savoury salty flavour, while the Pork Luncheon Meat Cooked Spicy has a deeper herbal spicy flavour.

Pork Luncheon Meat Raw (SGD $5.50 Half Portion)

Pork Luncheon Meat Cooked Original

Pork Luncheon Meat Cooked Spicy

So rare to have good quality Black Pork Slices Raw (SGD $12 Half Portion) in Singapore. The Black Pork Slices Cooked have a light tender moist meaty chew to texture. The Black Pork Slices Cooked Original has a delicate savoury sweet flavour, while the Black Pork Slices Cooked Spicy holds savoury spicy flavour.

Black Pork Slices Raw (SGD $12 Half Portion)

Black Pork Slices Cooked

Black Pork Slices Cooked Original

Black Pork Slices Cooked Spicy

The Pork Jowl Raw (SGD $8 Half Portion), also known as Pork Cheek, cooks nicely, having a crunchy juicy bite to texture. The Pork Jowl Cooked Original has a light meaty sweet savoury salty flavour, while the Pork Jowl Cooked Spicy has a meaty sweet salty herbal spicy flavour.

Pork Jowl Raw (SGD $8 Half Portion)

Pork Jowl Cooked Original

Pork Jowl Cooked Spicy

The House Special Marinade Beef Slices Raw (SGD $9 Half Potion) features thick tender chewy slices of beef, marinated with a house special blend of herbs and spices. The result is the House Special Marinade Beef Slices Cooked Original is naturally flavourful with bold meaty savoury spice notes, while the House Special Marinade Beef Slices Cooked Spicy has robust meaty spicy notes that linger on.

House Special Marinade Beef Slices Raw (SGD $9 Half Potion)

House Special Marinade Beef Slices Cooked Original

House Special Marinade Beef Slices Cooked Spicy

The Frozen Tofu Beancurd Raw (SGD $4 Half Portion) picks up the soup / broth that it's immersed in beautifully, thanks to its spongy pourous texture. The Frozen Tofu Beancurd Cooked Original has mild grainy sweet flavour, while the Frozen Tofu Beancurd Cooked Spicy has deep salty savoury herbal spicy flavour.

Frozen Tofu Beancurd Raw (SGD $4 Half Portion)

Frozen Tofu Beancurd Cooked Original & Spicy

Frozen Tofu Beancurd Cooked Spicy & Original

The Fried Tofu Skin Raw (SGD $6.50 Half Portion) is crisp and crunchy, but turns soft when dipped in the soup / broth, meaning it should be quickly removed. The Fried Tofu Skin Cooked Original has an oily grainy sweet savoury flavour, while the Fried Tofu Skin Cooked Spicy has a oily savoury spicy flavour.

Fried Tofu Skin Raw (SGD $6.50 Half Portion)

Fried Tofu Skin Cooked Original

Fried Tofu Skin Cooked Spicy

The dessert changes daily, on this visit, we had the Warm White Fungus Soup With Wolfberries (SGD $Complimentary). The soup is thick and syrup-like, with bright honey sweet herbal flavour, complementing the slippery crunchy white fungus and soft wolfberries / goji berries.

Warm White Fungus Soup With Wolfberries (SGD $Complimentary)

The Watermelon & Guava (SGD $Complimentary) slices are served at the start of the meal, but you can also request for it at the end of your meal. The watermelon is juicy with a bright fruity sweet refreshing flavour, while the crunchy guava has a mild earthy fruity sweet sour flavour.