HAIL to Hai Di Lao Hot Pot

The wait was long and after tough negotiations, we argued our way down from 30 minutes to a sincere promise of 20 minutes.

We were given complimentary snacks – raisins, kumquats, shrimp chips, and sweet lemon water while we sat on stools in a little waiting area, inclusive of games and the first floor even has an area to get your nails did…but we did not (against my will).

20 minutes, on the dot, we were led to our table and given red aprons to wear (SO clutch when you eat hot pot) and piping hot towels to wipe our hands as soon as we sat down.

The self-serve sauce station was superb with an extensive variety of chili sauces, onion, garlic, Thai chili, Korean hot pepper paste, seafood and meat sauces and they even include spicy fen, congee and sweet potato. Back at our table, we were served more complimentary appetizers and unlimited amounts of chrysanthemum tea, sweet lemon water, etc. The service was quick and the staff were all surprisingly, genuinely friendly and helpful.

And the best part?  The food. The delightful combination of fresh, quality products to create your own hot pot goodness.

Portions were generous with options to order half dishes (allowing you to order more of a variety), quality of meat was good, shrimp paste was absolutely excellent (squeezed into hot pot from conveniently pre-packaged tubes), and they even have kung-fu hand-pulled noodles (it’s quite an entertaining show).

I have found my new favorite hot pot destination: Hai Di Lao.

Review of Hai Di Lao: 3 locations (Sanlitun, Haidian, Xidan):  Sanlitun address – A2 Baijiazhuang Lu, Sanlitun. West of Beijing No.80 Middle School  白家庄路甲二号 第80中学西侧    Tel: 6595-0079, 6595-2982

Best Part:

• All the complimentary treats you are given from the minute you walk in, makes you feel valued and happy
• Service is genuinely friendly and helpful despite it being a busy, crowded restaurant with line of people waiting to be seated. This is a rare find in Beijing
• You are given the option of ordering half-portioned dishes to try more of a variety
• The red aprons and hot towels were a nice touch
• Do-it-Yourself sauce station offers a superb selection of different sauces and snacks
• Food is fresh and decent quality for hot pot standards

Comments:

• I honestly have nothing but good things to say about Hai Di Lao. When you walk in to a packed out local Chinese restaurant, you generally do not expect such attention to detail and customer satisfaction combined together with genuinely friendly service.  The only time I feel this looked after is at places where you should expect it: Maison Boulud, Bei, Capital M, Hatsune, & SALT.
• Only thing is that it really was packed (crowded on all three stories) and I have a thing about space when I’m dining.  But there is good reason why the place was so packed even on a Tuesday night.  Definitely book ahead if you don’t want to wait 30 minutes (20 minutes if you are a skilled and fierce negotiator).

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 5
• Service: 9
• Overall Experience: 9