HAI DI LAO JAKARTA, GANDARIA CITY

OMGMGMGMGMG FINALLY THE RESTAURANT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TO OPEN IS FINALLY HERE!!! SO. HAPPY. GOSH. GOD. I've been waiting for months ever since seeing their logo at Mall Taman Anggrek, and apparently their first branch opened at GANDARIA CITY! It literally just opened yesterday: November 1st 2019 and I'm such a HUGE fan of this place that I just went right away! In case you didn't know, this place is one of my favorites in Singapore (knock-knock! Have you read Sindi in Sinjiapo? There you go!) for they don't only boast taste, but also the wonderful service (they literally changed my phone's screen guard. Read the full article on that link for my full testimony!)

Ok! Since I've tried the one in Singapore so I automatically compare EVERYTHING I tried here from that wonderful experience THERE. The expectation was sky high since it's my personal favorite (imagine me being too full YET still going there every single time I visit Singapore just because it's that worth it!) In SG it'll cost you around 100 SGD per person but I assure you it's worth every penny. So how about Jakarta's branch? Let's start!

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot Gandaria City is located near north lobby (main street). You'll find some Singaporeans still in charge during their opening if you're lucky, although they'll be speaking Mandarin. I SUGGEST YOU TO CALL (021-27085851) AND BOOK since it's really hyped up and remember, not only tomorrow's weekend, but it's #tanggalmuda bepqu. Capacity is quite big so you can also do a waiting list, which will still worth your wait! They also have good variety of snacks, drinks, and ice cream! YUM!

Look: nyam nyam, mie remes, snack2 micin from the good old days! AICE cream, chess, children's playground, and even phone picture printer. THIS JUST TO MAKE YOU WAIT. HOW COMFORTABLE!

Upon entering, they WILL escort you to your table. They won't let you find your own and insist that they'll see you to your table. This.

A continuation of their elevated level of service: warm towel, hair clip, apron, transparent plastic for your phone, and some sheet to cover your bag from splashing stock. Clean.

As we were waiting for our order, they delivered us some pieces of melon and sunflower seeds. Ntapzzz.

They have IDR 20k refill lemon tea and wintermelon tea, if free water didn't faze you!

Of course they'd use iPad for ordering, nothing new..

You can choose the soup between 1, 2, or 4 flavors. We picked 4 for IDR 176,000. Szechuan mala, three combinations soup (mushroom and chicken stock), mushroom (a lighter version of sukiyaki) and tomato soup. 

The rest would be salted vegetable soup and tom yum. Mala was crazy greasy and strong my tongue couldn't gulp it at all! However it's so perfect to dip everything there and eat it straight! I recommend dipping your noodle and meatballs with that Mala!

The three combination was kinda plain and tasted a bit too..MSG-ish? 

Surprisingly the good one was this tomato soup! Ask for some minced beef and this will soon taste like bolognese! So good and comforting!

There are 2 sauce stations! Although they'll charge you IDR 30k for this, but it's free flow and I agree that this many variety is worth extra appreciation!

Out of everything ordered, the oneS that blew my mind are: instant noodles, shrimp paste, bass fillet, dough fritters (cakwe, in case you're wondering!), seasoned beef, and crispy fried pork! Yes, it's non-halal ALTHOUGH it was their only pork menu! So if you're convicted, I guess just avoid that one since the soup stock should be pork free!

Babi goreng crispy 58k, deep fried with a mala-infused dough. So good!

Cakwe Goreng 30k

It's too good and they make sure you can still dip it for a few seconds while still retaining its crispiness. PERFECT!

Lao Mian Khas Haidilao 25k

Lao mian khas haidilao is a specialty because they will make it in front of us! You can request the noodle's thickness, although I personally still love the instant noodles (don't judge me!) Don't forget to DIP IT IN THE MALA SAUCE! The soup is strong alright but they serve this wonderful purpose for a bombastic umami flavor!

Kulit Tahu Minyak 25k

This one still loses by their neighbor (you'll know if you've followed me for long enough!) but still good!

Daging Sapi Bermbumbu Khas Haidilao 66k

The mala beef was just delicious. Even if you accidentally dipped it for too long, it's still TENDER. Heavenly!

Ikan Bass Fillet Tanpa Duri 48k

Sweet and tender are signs of freshness! BOOM!

Pasta Udang Khas Haidilao 68k

Just like I told you earlier... Perfect

Bell Roll 35k

It's some sort of tofu skin, but in Indonesian it's more specific: Kembang Tahu 

Jamur Enoki 35k

Daging Sapi US Angus 68k

Sapi Short Plate Premium 68k

Bakso Ikan 40k

Bakso Sapi Keju 45k

TASTE 8,75/10

SERVICE 10/10

We spent around IDR 1,3 million for all of these orders! However this is the spending for the whole table of us 4 so it's much more affordable compared to Singapore's branch that costs you around the same for one pax! We were so full and satisfied! 

Love from us 4!

ANYWAY! Opening hours are kinda unique, while you kinda expect they'd open from 10 to 10 (standart shopping mall opening hours), they at least stretch it a bit untill 11pm! More time to eat! Kinda hoping they'll soon change their opening hours to serve suppers just like in Singapore!