Dai Tao Lala Pot — Restaurant in Johor

On our recent weekend getaway my fiancée came across this restaurant through rave recommendations online. I must say it live up to the reviews.

We arrived at around 5:40pm on a Saturday afternoon and there were around 20pax in line. This place opens at 5pm and the reviews mentioned that there is already lines form as early as 4:45pm. Needless to say the first round of diners are seated. We stood inline that doesn't seem to move. Some gave up at around 6pm when there seems to be little progress. However at around 6:10pm some vehicles left the parking lots around the restaurant and the staff quickly setup tables and chairs at the empty lots. To our surprise we were seated by around 6:30pm right next to the counter in-doors.

We quickly reviewed the menu and placed our order. We had the Lala Hotpot with Patin Fillet, 油麦 vegetables, King Oyster Mushroom, Potato slices, Tofu, 炸腐竹, Pork Shoulder slices, 猪肚. They have a small sauce bar that you can mix your own simple sauce. Red and Green Chilli (Thai-style) were not too spicy and make good condiments. There are bottles of Chinese Rice wine 花雕酒for you to add to your pot. Don't worry about adding that to the flavor as the alcohol will burn away in no time while you enjoy your food.

Shortly after the order is placed, the pot and food shows up. A staff will come by to setup your hot pot and it's a spectacle how the flame catches on the rice wine that sets the pot blazed. The pot is then covered for the clams (Lala) to cook. No hard no fuss and you are left alone to enjoy your food and drinks.

One thing to note is that the staff there are mostly Burmese and this is one of the few restaurants that will setup a chair for you to put your bag(s) on. Also while you are queuing for a seat you may use one of their chairs that they have stacked up outside to rest your tired legs.

The soup is so tasty from the lala and the ingredients that you cook. You may ask the staff to add more soup as you dine. You will know why there's a queue forming before the restaurant is open. While eating I was sharing with my fiancée about strategy for our next visit.. yes.. it's that good! I thought unless we came early for first seating otherwise we are left to chance on how fast we will get a seat. What if we come at around 8pm, there should be a good turnaround of people leaving after the meal. Alas when we left at around 8pm there's a line of about 15-20 people queuing for their seat.

So.. will we come back. Hell yeah.. we will for sure. We will work the rest of our itinerary around this meal...

I heard this place is like the pioneer of lala pot and there's still a hype at this place after so long. I happened to be around so decided to try this place with a friend. Came on a weekend evening at 430pm before the shop opens at 5pm. There was already a long queue and we got the menu and started thinking of what we wanted to order. Soon it was 5pm and the shop opened on time and the queue started moving as the staff started to seat the customers. We were lucky though we were queuing quite far away still managed to be the first batch of customers to dine. We quickly handed over our order and the claypot came out pretty quickly. It was very theatrical to see the preparation of the soup in front of you and the flames could be pretty big so be cautious at your own table or those around you. Think we over ordered but we managed to finish everything after a struggle. Tried the lala claypot before elsewhere so we decided to order more not knowing the portion of food here is slightly bigger. Have to say the soup was pretty good only for the first round, got more and more diluted as more soup is added. So don't try to order to much and try to keep it to max 1 or 2 refills. I find the food portion quite decent, each plate is probably suitable for 3 pax so for 2 should cut down the items and even more if you are planning to order rice or noodles. The item which I was disappointed was probably the saito fishball. Think they added too much flour to it the fishball was quite tough. The item I liked the most had to be the bursting ball. It's quite interesting there are 2 different textures of meat, the meatball outside with the juicy minced meat inside. Ordered quite a lot but the bill was still rather reasonable, a bit on the higher side but still justified with the quality of the soup and ingredients. Not bad can give a try if you are around the area, but maybe not worth if you are queueing further than the Earpro shop. Also a bit of ventilation problem inside the shop, felt hot and stuffy so better option is to sit outdoors if the...

If you're looking for a unique hot pot experience, Dai Tao Lala Pot is worth visiting. This hot pot joint offers a customisable dining experience that stands out. The show's star at Dai Tao Lala Pot is undoubtedly the lala soup. With two options available, I highly recommend splurging on the higher-priced one—it's an investment in a memorable dining experience. The broth is rich and flavourful, providing the perfect base for the variety of ingredients you get to choose. Speaking of ingredients, the vegetable selection might be a challenge, but the Tang O is a standout choice. Its freshness and crisp texture elevate the overall quality of the hot pot. For meat lovers, sliced pork is a safer bet compared to the slightly oily alternative. The mutton, while decent, tends to be on the tough side, so please be sure to proceed with caution if you prefer more tender meat. A word of advice: arrive early to secure your spot! We made the mistake of showing up around 9 pm, and popular items like beef were already sold out. It's a testament to the restaurant's popularity, but it can be disappointing if you miss out on your preferred choices. Condiment enthusiasts will appreciate the simplicity of the offerings, with the option to load up on your favourites. What sets Dai Tao Lala Pot apart is the unexpected addition of Chinese wine (Hua Diao Jiu) among the condiments. Adding it to your soup or condiments can elevate the flavours to new heights, creating a truly heavenly experience. However, not everything is perfect. The soy sauce provided could be of better quality, so it's advisable to skip...