The legendary hot pot establishment, Hai Di Lao, hasn’t invaded Malaysia yet. But our neighbor country, Singapore, can now experience Hai Di Lao with four outlets including its new outlet in VivoCity! I’m sure many Malaysians visit Singapore to experience the famous hot pot. So how to take your Hai Di Lao experience to greater heights? Check out these 10 tips that are guaranteed to work!
1. Avoid peak meal time
Want to avoid long queues and spend a lot of time eating? You need to arrive early. You can come before 5pm, and call before you head down to beat the queue. Anytime from 10pm is a good choice too, the crowd would be gone by that time and Hai Di Lao is open until 6am. But be sure to call before you head down, so that your table will be ready by 10pm.
P.S.: Hai Di Lao recommends calling to book one week in advance for dinner and 3 days in advance for lunch, from Mondays to Thursdays. And it’s recommended to book three weeks before from Fridays to Sundays. Reservations are not allowed on public holidays and on the eve of public holidays. But depending on queue, they may allow reservations after 8-9pm.
2. Become a member
How to become a member? Just ask and accept the membership. Simple. No rules on minimum spending or minimum number of times you dine. Once you are already a member, every time you dine there, you can get points you can use to redeem gifts with no extra charge. Every $1 you spend is equivalent to 1 point. Awesome, isn’t it?
3.1. Request for thick soup base
Remember to request for thick soup base during refills. Don’t pour everything once they hand you a bowl of thick soup. Adjust how thick and tasty you want your soup to be.
3.2. 4 soup bases
Hai Di Lao offers 4 soup bases at the same price or cheaper, compared to 1 or 2 soup bases.
4. Grab your chance to get a free manicure!
Hai Di Lao staff will give you a manicure card you can use to redeem a free manicure on your next visit – whether you dine in or drop by just to have a manicure. That’s totally fab! But again, you need to call to book your manicure slot in advance to avoid manicure queue. The manicure reservation service is available only from Mondays to Thursdays. Then the regular queues for manicure services continue from Fridays to Sundays
5. You can bring outside drinks
Unlike any other restaurants that don’t allow outside drinks to their place, Hai Di Lao doesn’t have such rule against outside drinks. In fact, they will open your bottle and serve it to you with no extra charge!
6. Individual Mini Pot
Hai Di Lao offers individual hot pots so people who do not want to eat beef unlike their friends, can enjoy dining. And, the queue is shorter for individual hot pots. It is also perfect for those who don’t want to share soup.
7. Free Dishes
Heads up, puzzle geeks! Hai Di Lao rewards those who can finish the Rubik’s cube and you’ll get a free $6 dish of your choice. You can also try the paper crane challenge. For every 30 paper cranes you fold, you’ll get a free $6 dish of your choice. Don’t know how to fold the cranes? Don’t worry, the staff will teach you how!
8. Free snacks
Since long queues are expected, Hai Di Lao provides free snacks for customers while waiting. AWESOME.
9. Birthday Treat
Here’s what’s more exciting: you and your friends will get a free fruit platter if any of you dine at Hai Di Lao on your birthdays. Hai Di Lao also offers a free platter of longetivity buns to senior citizens on their birthday. And guess what? That’s just an addition to the small gift that Hai Di Lao will give to the birthday guest, and the birthday songs in three different languages!
10. Free phone screen protectors
This one will really make you fall in love with Hai Di Lao (if you haven’t fallen in love with it yet with all those great treats!). Hai Di Lao offers free phone screen protectors (TEMPERED GLASS, ladies and gents!) to keep your mobile phone screens shiny. The staff will help you apply it. The screen protectors are only available for iPhone 6, 6 plus, and 7.
Locations:
Hai Di Lao (Clarke Quay)
3D River Valley Road, #02-04, Singapore 179023
Contact number: +65 6337 8626
Hours: 10.30am – 6.00am
Hai Di Lao (313@Somerset)
313 Orchard Road, #04-23/24, 313@Somerset, Singapore 238895
Contact number: +65 6835 7227
Hours: 10.30am – 6.00am
Hai Di Lao (IMM)
2 Jurong East Street 21, #03-01, IMM, Singapore 609601
Contact number: +65 6896 4111
Hours: 10.30 am – 4.00am
Hai Di Lao (VivoCity)
1 Harbourfront Walk, #03-09, VivoCity, Singapore 098585
Contact numbers: +65 6250 7557 (for reservations) +65 6250 7667 (for enquiries)
Hours: 10.30am – 6am
Website: http://www.haidilao.com/sg/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HaidilaoSingapore
