Haidilao Hot Pot Scarborough - 海底捞火锅 — Restaurant in Toronto

Heard about this company when a location popped up in downtown Toronto. Couldn't get a reservation downtown so figured Scarborough's was just as good. Was very pleasantly surprised by the level of service and variety of items. Everyone gets an apron, which is good to prevent accidental spills and splashes. Happy to say, my clothes didn't reek of hot pot after. Clean and well thought out tables, has a water fountain at every table, this if needed, you can serve oneself. But, service was very prompt, our server came several times to fill any glass, scoop the residue from the top of the soup, and or fill the broth into a low hot pot. You are able to order visually and simply on the ipads. The server was able to explain the instructions, for those who are hotpot virgins. Able to have one, two or up to four flavours of soup. Even if you over order, there are racks to place plates and a side table. This location also has robots that bring some food that even was able to avoid the random people in the aisles. I had the mushroom soup with my four foodmates. I am told the pork bone soup is "delicious and excellent" before and after using to cook. have the option of eating the meat and bone marrow of this soup type, the server will bring gloves and a straw?...Odd, but many did drink the soup after! The server came to propose you can try the broth before to have a cleansing taste. Items are priced each, portions are enough for over two people. Vegetables were fresh and aesthetically placed on plates. Meats were well marinated. Seafood platter was beautifully set on ice, almost looked like a sushi platter. Sauce making buffet was vast and included BBQ sauce, peanuts, peanut sauce, cilantro, onions, and even bean curd sauce. Food was overall delicious and well organized. Smart design that plates are stackable so more items can be on the table. The appetizer area is a buffet style, but small amount of fruit, nuts and edamame...didn't waste my appetite on those items. Best part is service. Had a performer that looked similar to the Monkey King, that danced around and changed masked, while chinese opera played in the background for entertainment. If you order the noodles, a server comes to acrobatically pull the noodles, be careful not to move your head, so you don't get noodles in the eyes. Can be pricey if you order a lot, but allowed to take items home, which is different than any other hotpot place. Best hotpot I've had, even from a hotpot enthusiast. One criticism, chopsticks are long and some of ours were wharped. Better to go as a group of people to enjoy more variety and share. Didn't try the massage services that are available, talk about full...

Exemplary service is another distinguishing trademark, which starts right when you sit down. Things just kept coming out from drawers at the table: wet naps, hair ties for people with long hair, wipes for those wearing glasses, a plastic bag for mask wearers, and aprons to guard our clothes from any splatters. Discreet drawers also helped stow away jackets and purses to free up bench space and keep them from smelling like food. Chrysanthemum tea and a fruit plate arrived before we even ordered. It’s a frenzy of activity as soon as you arrive at the table.

Ordering is a breeze with the tableside tablet allowing diners to add things on a whim with a cart-style checkout that automatically tabulates the bill. We followed their advice and went with the four quarters soup base keeping one of them as hot water (free), which ended up being a smart choice as the water quadrant allowed us to store the soup and slotted ladles that were cumbersome and bulky to balance on plates while not in use.

The soup bases ranged from $5-$6 each with the three ringing in at $15.85. Their spicy soup base without sediment was great for my hesitant tastebuds as it allowed me to customize the numbness and spiciness levels. The less numb and standard spiciness was perfect so that I could get the heat without that slightly bitter aftertaste that comes from the Sichuan peppers, and I loved that the broth didn’t contain “sediments” that had to be picked out prior to eating.

Bowls of minced pork and diced celery arrived with the tomato soup base allowing us to create a starter soup by adding hot tomato broth into the bowl. It was a bit bland with just the tomato, in retrospect I should have gone with ¾ tomato broth and ¼ spicy broth to create a concoction that has a bit more pizazz.

A gigantic pork bone sits in the pork bone soup base, which by itself is nice and creamy. It does take up a lot of cooking area so be sure to fish out the bone and eat it before everything else arrives.

You will not go hungry at Haidilao. The $3.99 per person sauce charge sauce may seem like a rip off until you visit the station and see what it contains. There are countless number of sauces, herbs, and spices. I loved adding the finely chopped cilantro, green onions, and garlic into the sauces, but there were other interesting condiments like Chinese chive paste as well.

Head to Gastroworld for the rest of this...

Our first hot pot experience and we're glad it was here. The staff is lovely and so welcoming. They walked us through the process and by the end we felt like we're experts at hot pot. We chose four different soup bases since there were four of us. Tom yum, cauliflower mushroom in oat milk, tomato, spicy tofu and fish. Tom yum and cauliflower mushroom were the best, followed by tomato and tofu fish bases. We were told tomato is popular and that why we chose it. It was good but not as good as Tom yum and cauliflower mushroom. Tofu fish base has a lot of oil, chillies, and peppercorns. Leaves the mouth and tongue tingling. Definately an acquired taste. We ordered a bunch of veggies and proteins. The marinated beef and lamb were our favorites. Marinated chicken was not marinated and didn't have much taste. Same with seafood, they acquired the taste of the broth. The cost adds up very quick, so order small quantities and add as you go. Salad and sauce bar can be accessed for $3.99 per person, unlimited. We didn't opt for it and still enjoyed our meal.

The good thing is they allow you to pack all leftovers and take them home, whether cooked or uncooked along with the soup base. We over ordered and were glad there was no wastage. Expect to pay $40-50 a person. There are discounts available if you can eat fast and leave within an hour or hour and a half. 20%, 15% and I think 10% depending on how long you're there.

Reservations are recommended and earlier the better. We went around 6pm and were seated right away. After 7pm there was a huge line up of people waiting.

Dessert options are very limited and not recommended. We got the panda shaped one and it was very underwhelming. An ice cream cup per person is included. Chocolate sundae was our favorite, followed by vanilla.

Mid way through our meal, there was a small show put on by a staff member dressed in masks and costume. A very nice added touch of entertainment. If you order the spinach noodles, the staff put on another show dancing with the noodle and stretching it. It was also...