Rarely is the occasion where one walks into an establishment and both patrons and employees have genuine smiles.

On this particular encounter, it was experienced as a solo diner, and a first timer to this location (although I’d experienced Haidilao, and an abundance of hotpot elsewhere, including in China).

I was kindly guided through the menu selection, encouraged to register for the Haidilao membership (where diners can earn redeemable rewards and additional savings). There was a brief moment where we came up against some registration issues (with the verification code not being accepted, but it transpired that this was likely to do with special characters in the password).

Even as a solo diner, all the passing waiters and waitresses acknowledged my presence (a key detail which is often missed in comparative establishments), and soon after, a companion (the “Hi” mascot), was soon brought to the table, much to my pleasure and the joy of many of the children (and adults!) of families who were passing by to their tables.

The hotpot, is conveniently divided into 4 segments, allowing patrons to choose up to 4 or double down on their favourite broths. For this assessment, the pork bone broth and pork bone/chicken were chosen as base flavours.

The food was to exacting standards of Haidilao’s global reputation, with each bite seemingly more favourable as the broth marinated. A nice gesture of the server was to offer a small bowl to taste the soup as it warmed up ready for the dipping ceremony.

To top it all off, an ice-cream (a local staple, called Chapman’s was free), the perfect ending to a case of overindulging to help the stomach settle.

10/10 and next time I’ll be sure to bring more friends.