Hai Di Lao Hot Pot 海底捞火锅 @ Vivocity
Checking out Hai Di Lao Hot Pot 海底捞火锅 at Vivocity!
Hai Di Lao is located on Level 3 of Vivocity and from the carpark from where we were parked, there are prominent signs to guide you to the restaurant!
There is even a notice in the lift to inform the late night patrons on how to get to the restaurant between 11.45pm to 3am as the lift is not in operation during this period.
View of the entrance from the level 3 boardwalk.
Upon entering , there is a corner to entertain the kids while waiting for a table or while the parents dine.
The air-conditioned waiting area.
As we were there around 4.20pm for dinner (no reservations allowed over the weekends), we were ushered straight to a table. Phew, no waiting but that means I do not get a chance to do my nails too! 😛
View of the self-service counter from where we were seated.
We were provided with ziplock bags (with wet wipes included!) to protect our phone from the splatter and I was given a hair tie to tie up my hair! So very impressed by their thoughtfulness!
My bag was also covered up with a cloth so that it does not get dirty.
We were also provided with aprons to prevent our clothes from getting dirty.
I used it to prevent food from dropping on my lap. On hindsight, I should have just wore it! 😛
Our Buffet Beverage option of Herbal Tea, $3++ per pax.
We were also served some watermelon while we ordering our food.
Ordering was done via the ipad and the very first thing you need to do is of course, choose your soup base 汤锅.
We decided on a twin pot and had the Chicken Soup鸡汤, $14++, and Mala Soup麻辣汤 , $9++.
Some of the new items on the menu.
There is an option at the top right hand corner to toggle to English menu (if you cannot read Chinese or find it too challenging!) as the service staff showed me which made it so much easier to place the order! 😛
Menu – Seafood
Menu – Meats
Some of the items that we had wanted were sold out so hence there was not much variety in what we had.
Our twin pot of Mala and Chicken Soup being served very quickly.
Look at the oil in the mala pot!
The chicken soup looks very inviting and collagen-y. 😛
We were given some coriander in our bowl for the soup.
It really makes the soup much more fragrant and special.
The self-service counter where you can help yourself to fruits, appetisers and make your own sauces for the hot pot.
So many options to choose from!
It is chargeable at $4++ per pax. If you are lost at how to make your own sauce, there are some recipes that you can follow to make the hai di lao sauce, sesame sauce, sesame oil sauce or the seafood sauce.
Hai Di Lao Secret Recipes for sauces.
Appetisers of beancurd and peanuts that you can help yourself to.
Beancurd skin and pickled vegetables.
My self-concocted sauce with coriander, celery granules, spring onions, sesame seeds, cut chilli, vinegar, soya sauce and some sesame oil.
Our meats and seafood were served very quickly!
Sea Prawns 游水虾, $12++
There are 6 prawns in the full portion so that average out to about $2++ per prawn.
Black Pork 黑猪肉(Half Portion), $9++
US Beef Slices 美国肥牛 (Half Portion), $10++
Handmade Shrimp Cakes 手工虾饼 (Half Portion), $8++
The handmade balls are a must order in my opinion.
Handmade Fish Balls with Fish Roe 手工鱼籽鱼丸 (Half Portion), $5++
Love this!
Home Made Soft Fried Beancurd 自制豆泡(Half Portion), $5++
I had originally ordered the frozen toufu 冻豆腐 but changed to this since I thought this is something special as it is home made but we were both disappointed by it. Should have stuck to the frozen toufu which would have been able to better soak up the soup.
Fried Tofu Skin 炸豆皮 (Half Portion), $5++
Scallops (Half Portion) 扇贝, $6++
Did not look too appetising yeah? That was what I thought too till we cooked it. Read on to see how it looks like!
The black chicken in the chicken soup.
I was a little apprehensive at eating it but was glad I tried as it was sweet and tasted not too bad despite boiling in the soup for so long!
Our prawns nicely de-shelled by the service staff.
They de-shell the prawns here before we cook it which is a better idea than de-shelling it after cooking which was done at at Beauty in a Pot.
The scallops were de-shelled too.
The cooked prawns looking very appetising!
I am totally amazed by how the prawns were de-shelled! The legs were left behind but it came off easily with the head!
The cooked scallops.
People who love to eat scallop feelers will sure love this!
Another view of the scallops and how it has “fatten” up! Looking plumb and juicy as compared to how flat it looked while raw!
Hand made balls cooked in chicken soup.
vs those cooked in the mala soup.
Cross section of the fish roe handmade balls which I like! Order it to try and let me know if you like it too!
PB’s must-order item – Crispy Fish Skin 炸鱼皮(Half Portion), $4.50++
Taste good when dipped in both soup!
More meat! Our 2nd order of US Beef Slices 美国肥 (Half Portion), $10++.
This portion is very much leaner than the first portion which I had no issue with since I dunk it into my dipping sauce which means it is not so dry to eat.
Trying out the century egg congee at the self-service counter.
After the mala pot, you can give this a miss 😛
Handmade Noodles 捞面, $4 being prepared by the service staff at another table.
Look at how it is swung through the air!
Amused by how he provided his own music to dance to when pulling the noodles.
Watch out for some of the tricks up his sleeve while pulling the noodles!
Watch the video of the noodle pulling performance below:
Our noodles cooked in the chicken soup vs
those cooked in the mala soup.
Both versions are good, it just depends on whether you like it spicy or non-spicy. Just be careful when you are slurping the noodles cooked in the mala soup as it can send you into coughing fits if it went into the wrong tube! 😛
Mentos and toothpicks provided towards the end of the meal.
Helped myself to more fruits.
Tried out the sweet toufu pudding as well. PB said it tasted like Lao Ban Beancurd. 😛
Some appetisers that I took to end my meal 😛
Our total bill came up to $131.24 after 10% service charge and 7% GST. It would have been cheaper if you dine with more people as the cost of the soup base would be average out.
As we left, the area outside the restaurant was filled with tables and chairs with people waiting for a table chomping on popcorn, fruits and ice cream, courtesy of Hai Di Lao. I must say that service is really top-notch and great teamwork was exhibited by the staff! No wonder there are endless streams of people wanting to visit! If you are in Singapore, do give this a try!
Hai Di Lao Hot Pot 海底捞火锅
1 Harbourfront Walk,
Vivocity #03-09,
Singapore 098585
Tel Number: 6250 7667
Opening hours: 10.30am – 6am
Website: http://www.haidilao.com/sg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaidilaoSingapore/
To read more, go to: https://discoversg.com/2016/10/12/hai-di-lao-tips-hacks/
