I have yet to try this international hotpot chain, so was excited to be able to do so today, alongside Diana of @foodologyca and her young daughter. I caught wind of all their secret menu items and hacks, so on top of coming in to try their new Coconut Chicken Broth hotpot and other new menu items, I was excited to put the code phrases to the test; and see for myself if they actually worked.
We were seated in a table for four, constructed with hotpot in mind. Outside of the built-in heat source and in case of emergency tap to douse anything that would catch on fire, the table is also equipped with a rack to give you 3 layers of holding room. I like how the heating coils were inset within the table for safety and to avoid burns, additionally allowing for easier scooping from the pot that fit perfectly over top.
A critique would be the tissue box. Set at each table, it was nice to have a whole carton, but given how thin and small each piece was, I found myself grabbing for many and at multiples. This was more like a square I would blow my nose with. I needed something heartier for all the saucy goodness to come.
I was most excited for the help yourself sauce bar. A well stocked collection of wet sauces, dried ingredients, cold fruit, cold sides; and desserts to enjoy before, during, and after your meal.
As we were left waiting for our food (more on that below) I helped myself to their tortilla chips and salsa, salted peanuts, creamy corn salad, and marinaded seaweed to help stave off hunger.
Here I mentioned the first code phrase, “Your snacks are so delicious” and got a mini goodie bag filled with corn chips and mints. Sadly the staff told me that they were out of their regular snacks and these were a collection of the complimentary ones they leave unattended at the door, for anyone to pick up. Upon hearing that I decided to continue on with my cold sides and to save the chips and candy to go.
I also revisited the sauce bar to kill time, making my perfect condiment for my hotpot to come. I did this by combining my favourite ingredients together: peanut butter sauce, sesame oil, fermented bean curd sauce, fried chilli oil, crushed garlic, green onion, and flavoured black bean sauce. A wonderfully melt of salty and spicy, wrapped around peanut buttery goodness.
For dessert there was a grass jelly mix you could self sweeten with hua sugar or a white fungus dessert soup, on top of orange and apple slices.
When it comes time to order, you are given a pen and a sheet to check off. We were here to try their new Southeast Asian set featuring their new coconut broth. You can choose up to 4 different broths for quite the visual experience. I suggest at least ordering two, as the pots are at minimum divided into 2 quadrants, and if only having one broth, the second compartment is filled with plain water.
However, here comes hack and secret code phrase number one. You can either use their fully stocked sauce bar to create your own broth with the likes of a chunk barbecue sauce, celery granules, seafood sauce, southeast Asian chilli sauce, and coriander; to name a few.
Or better yet, tell any of the staff “Your tomato soup base is delicious” and they will give you a concentrated packet of their tomato soup base. You can either take it home to enjoy later, or in our case, open it and add it to the water side of our pot immediately. For extra flavour I even plopped in a handful of cherry tomatoes, also available complimentary at their sauce and cold snack bar.
This is also the first time I have seen of and heard of a hot pot broth featuring coconut. They call it a “trifecta in one pot”, coconut three ways brought together to create a harmonious blend of sweet, fragrant, and fresh flavours that they promise will “tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more.”
Sweet Thai aromatic coconut, fragrant Indonesian Mature Coconut, and fresh Vietnamese Mature Coconut. This new coconut broth is available starting Tuesday, August 15th and we were one of a few who got to try it earlier, three days before its official launch date.
It was at its base a chicken broth with the accent of sweet coconut, and despite the staff coming around to skim off some of the cream that floated to the top throughout the boiling, coconut was not the dominate flavour, nor did I get any of its typically creamy texture. Which is not a bad thing, as I like my savoury not sweet. You do get actual strips of young coconut meat within the soup base, and this added a nice chew and a different feel to each bite.
I really liked that the soup came with an order’s worth of chicken meat already simmer in the stock, and a side dish of light soy sauce to have it with. Here, it felt like we got a bonus dish.
The rest of our dishes were a curated mix of what is suggested to pair with the coconut broth. Like spinach and 8 second bean curd. These were the first two plates to arrive at our table, and left us waiting for the rest.
I arrived at their Broadway location promptly at 10:50am for my 11am reservation, which is also when then open for the weekend. And despite being one of the first to be seated, we were left looking around the room at everyone else being served. One hour later I thought to inquire if our meal was coming, as our broth was left boiling and had begun evaporating, and we only got a basket of baby spinach and 8 second bean curd. The staff who passed by suggested we started with that, but for the full hot pot experience I wanted everything to eat in conjunction with it. And typically you put the vegetable in last, as it often changes the entire flavour of the soup.
Eventually the manager came by to reassure me that we were the only ones getting the above mentioned tasting feast today, hence the delay. Whereas looking around, that did not appear to be the case. Although sensing that our anxious impatient manner was due in part to a child being in the party, they offered a couple of complimentary dishes for her. This was in order for her to not go hungry. If you have ever dined with a young child you know the time they are willing to sit still is fleeting, and after playing on her mom’s iPad and iphone for close to 80 minutes she was done.
She did not want the egg pudding the staff brought for her or the fried buns with condense milk. But luckily non-food items seemed to quell her. The staff gifted her with a mini Rubix cube, which may have been a little too advanced for a preschooler. But she did love the soft fleecy blanket they brought for her after.
If you too are dining at Haidilao and find yourself with a fussy toddler you can use secret code number three. Get a toy by saying, “Little Fairy is here for hot pot”. Today’s toy was a puzzle shaped like a corn, similar to the concept of the Rubix cube in its goal to shift and align colours, but this too was a little too advanced for our petite diner.
I digress, the message here is how intuitive the staff was and how great they were at managing the experience. “Little Fairy” was happy, and we would get the rest of our meal shortly after we called out the over 60 minute wait for raw ingredients.
Most impressive is their Ultimate Surf ‘n’ Turf Platter. Served in a conch shell shaped bowl this is a gathering of Abalone, Oysters, Squid, Tiger Prawns, and Short Ribs. Here, another hack is that the staff will peel the prawns for you, if you request the complimentary service. They remove it from the platter and later bring it back sans shell, head still attached. This is a great service for those, like me, avoid ordering shrimp just because we hate the tedious work of having to peel shell from body.
I love a good ball in my hot pot and the Handmade Beef Tendon Balls were a nice option and much softer than other basic balls I have had in the past.
The Shrimp Paste Wrapped in Bamboo Fungus was a new one. As Diana put it, “they look like blunts”. This one you have to watch in the pot, for if left too long the thin skin layer separates from the tube of shrimp paste, and the tip dotted with fish roe disappears into the broth.
I won’t go into detail describing each item, as is the case with all hot pot, the flavour partially lies in the ingredient itself and the soup it is boiled in, but mostly with the sauce you create. But I did note how fresh and tasty it all was cooked up in either broths.
I highly recommend ordering one of their new drinks below as they do make for a great palate refresher, amongst all the punchy flavours above.
Naturally, the creamy matcha coconut ran parallel with the coconut broth, but with more caffeine and the faint hint of matcha. I liked how it was bottled in a clear plastic can with pop top.
I preferred the Fresh Orange Probiotic Drink with Butterfly Pea Flower. Served in layers of purple and orange, you stir up to change its colour and blend the drink into a refreshing and creamy concoction. Served in a large glass with a spout, but no additional glasses I was not sure if this was a serving for one or the entire table.
For dessert and another way to clean your palate look to their new Peachy Delight lce Mousse. A wonderfully fun presentation with pink sugar dusted in their logo, and a frozen peach rosette with real chunks of peach embedded within.
They also give out mini cups of ice cream in classic flavours like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry; if you are looking for more complimentary sweets to end on.
Worth noting is there are two more secret code phrases and I spoke them both, but the staff said they ran out and had nothing available to replace either. “Do I look happy” turned in to sad, because there was nothing to offer. And although it was birthday the week prior, and I said “It’s my birthday” they had nothing to offer. If you are reading this, and decide to try these two phrases, hopefully you get a better return.
In conclusion, I like the excitement their secret phrase words has created for them. And appreciate the ability to use hacks to further the dining experience. This and all the freebies, and the staff’s care for the child in our group, certainly added to the overall experience. As for the food itself, I liked the idea of the menu, but for a first taste of the chain, I wish I stuck to their staples and got a better look and idea of what has made them the international phenomenon they are today.
HaiDiLao Hotpot West Broadway
3204 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2H4
604-336-2588
haidilao-inc.com
