HAIDILAO
HOT POT
For those who aren’t up to date with the ins and outs of the food world, hot pot is a concept that originated from the dynasties of China thousands of years ago. It’s pretty self-explanatory, a pot of bubbling water mixed with whatever soup base you desire bubbles away before you, patiently waiting for whatever ingredients you have chosen to bathe within its glory. Haidilao is a global franchise that does just this, but with 10/10 service with every experience. From the minute you arrive, after waiting for your table with complementary snacks and drinks, you are handed an array of necessities. An apron, a hair elastic, a bowl of fruit and an iPad. Once a simple click of whatever soup base is selected, its only a matter of seconds before its in front of you while waiters and robots begin delivering the mass of ingredients you can order. Every experience without fail has been incredible, you should definitely see for yourself.
MY RECS
Visit upon visit I’ve always opted for their Sichuan spicy hot pot soup base, a broth so spicy yet so addictive that it typically took me 3 days to recover from the burn. Upon deliberation into how viable this soup base would be as my go-to in the long term, I took it down a notch with their spicy milk hot pot soup base. And I aced it with that one, it still has the satisfying numbness that comes from the bold Sichuan spice but with this one, its a little more subtle with the milky base. Not to worry if you can’t handle your spice! Their tomato soup base, beef bone broth soup base and their Thai tom yum soup base are also bubbling with milder but still delicious flavours.
Ingredients wise, the choices are endless. To the point where a picky eater would struggle NOT to find something to dunk within their hot pot after scrolling through the depths of the iPad. Their handmade noodles are a must order, so bouncy and thick and the perfect staple (pay a little extra to have the noodles hand-pulled in front of you in the form of a dance!). Pak choy is also a go-to, their leaves are always fresh and wilt so perfectly beneath the broth. Meats wise, they offer a wide range of selection, from beef slices to lamb brains. You can take a wild guess on where I fall within this spectrum. Nevertheless less their beef slices and lamb flaps are always delicious! They also have an ever-changing selection of fancier meats so if you are there when they have their prime snow marbled wagyu, it is a MUST order.
Now I’ve only touched the surface of what they serve with my recommendations but you best believe there is so much more on offer. With service so impressive it could please the grumpiest of diners, an ingredients list that no picky eater could complain about and a quality of taste that will have you finding every which way to not feel full, Haidilao does it all and always as a 10/10 experience.
SOMETHING A LIL EXTRA
If you join their loyalty program/app (for free) you get access to the occasional discount/deal.
OPENING HOURS:
Darling Square:
Monday to Sunday: 12pm to 1am
Chatswood:
Monday to Sunday: 12pm to 11pm
