Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Recommended)
Address: Darul Ta'Zim, Lot G-02, G-03 & G-03A Zenish Suasana Iskandar, 82C, Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia (Located within Zenith Mall)
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ikaJRSdMrhBY4nit6
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)
三鲜火锅汤 "Three Delicacy Hot Pot" 1/4 Soup Base = RM14.00
精品肥牛 HDL Signature Beef (1 Half) = RM31.00
捞派滑牛肉 HDL Flavoured Beef (1 Half) = RM19.00
捞派秘制羊肉 HDL Style Mutton (1 Half) = RM18.00
捞派鸭血 HDL Duck Blood (1 Half) = RM8.00
猪脑花 Pork Brain (1 Portion) = RM14.00
长生菜 Iceberg Lettuce (1 Half) = RM7.00
捞派捞面 HDL Kungfu Noodles (1 Piece) = RM9.00
Service Tax (10%) = RM12.00
SST Tax (6%) = RM7.20
Grand Total = RM139.20
Background of Haidilao
Haidilao (HDL) is a Very Popular Hotpot Franchise from China that is mainly known for their Customer Service. I'll be honest, this is only my 2nd time visiting because they are very expensive here in Singapore. The one I visited was the Branch in Novena. When I say HDL is known for their Customer Service, I'm not kidding. In the Novena Branch I visited, the Top-notch Customer Service starts right at the Reception Entrance. I understand that some have Special Lounges where they give Free Pedicures or even Free Massages.
From the moment you step into a HDL Restaurant to the moment you step out of it, you feel that they go out the way to PAMPER you. Never need to request to top up drink or soup, they will automatically do it. 👍 They're so meticulous, they even have a Plastic Cover available for you to keep your Mobile Phone so it won't be stained when you eat. No joke, I feel the service even EXCEEDS Japanese Service Standard sometimes. 👍 At least that was what I felt for the HDL Singapore Novena Branch.
Customer Service Comparison between SG HDL and JB HDL
In JB HDL though, I noticed the Crowd appears to be very Young. Both Customers and Staffs are mostly Age 20-Somethings. I have not seen any Staff that look 40s or older. Perhaps because of this, I felt that the HDL here has a much more Relaxed, Youthful and Exuberant Vibe, although less focused on the Meticulous Professional Customer Service Attitude you expect from HDL.
Every Table were either Couples or Friends and I was the only Solo Diner, but no one bothered to look over to judge me. While it felt nice to enjoy a Whole HDL table all to myself, I did initially felt a little awkward as a Middle Aged Uncle amongst a mostly Very Young Customer Base. 😅 The Serving Chap assigned to my Table is a Tall Lanky Friendly Young Chap with a Honest Face. He didn't look Sleepy or Disinterested and I appreciate his willingness to serve. He topped up Soups and Drinks promptly without needing me to remind him. 👍
However, when he was serving the dishes to me, instead of facing me, he had his face turned towards and distracted by another table (probably his friends) to finish off a joke and laughing with them, while serving my dishes. 🤔 This is a Stark Contrast to a more Older China Lady assigned to my Table in the SG Novena Branch where 100% of her attention was to my Table in everything she did. You can tell the difference here between a Younger Staff and an Older more Experienced Staff. Everything the China Lady did was on Another Level of Customer Service Perfection that you must experience to believe.
If you are someone who expects 100% Customer Service Perfection Level that you expect from SG HDL, you might be disappointed by the slightly Less Professional Standard here in JB HDL. 🤔
Then again, JB HDL also has its moments of Good Customer Service. When I initially entered a Wrong Side Entrance to the place, a very Friendly HDL staff politely mentioned that I should enter from the other Main Entrance, and instead of barring me from entering this Wrong Entrance, which will cause me to go a longer way to the Main Entrance, he actually lead me thru the Restaurant in a Shortcut direct to the Correct Entrance. This is not bad tbh as he did not ignore me. 👍 Some other Eateries might not have bothered at all.
Special Note about the Timing to come here:
When I arrived at this JB HDL on 22nd October 2023 (Sunday) at 1.19am, I had expected to enter relatively quickly. Imagine my surprise when I was informed by the Reception that there was a 1 Hour Wait Time! 😳 I still took a HDL queue number, walked to Jalan Tan Hiok Nee to Explore and came back at 2.30am and that was when I waited another 10mins more before I was able to enter the HDL Restaurant.
If you are thinking of coming to JB HDL as a Late Night Supper on a Weekend, be aware that you might be facing a 1 Hour (or more) wait time even if you were to come here at 1.30am. 🤔 Can you imagine how long would the wait be if you were to come on an Earlier Timing? There were noticeably lesser people in the Reception Area at 2.30am. While I cannot confirm this, I feel this might be a better time to come instead. (They close at 4.00am, Last Order at 3.30am)
Review of the Hotpot Dishes:
三鲜火锅汤 "Three Delicacy Hot Pot" 1/4 Soup Base = RM14.00
I chose this because I cannot take Spicy Mala Soup and wanted something smoother for my Tummy at 2.30am. Because i'm the only person eating, I figured I'll just choose 1 Soup Base. Here is where my Serving Chap was very nice. When he realize I just wanted 1 Soup Base, he recommended me to choose just 1/4 Section because it will also be Freeflow Soup and it is actually cheaper compared to if I choose 1 Whole pot of 1 Soup Base. So, if you are like me only wanting to choose 1 Soup Base, try this 1/4 Soup section Lifehack to save some money. 👍
As for this Soup, this is the First Time i'm trying it, and its completely Not Spicy. It's Milky and Creamy with a Nice Salted Savoury Taste that is probably boiled from Pork Bones. I can recommend this. It pairs VERY WELL with Pork Brains which I will feature later. 👍
精品肥牛 HDL Signature Beef (1 Half) = RM31.00
I'll be honest, I don't think this is worth the money. The plate looks impressive, but the actual Beef Strips are cut very small so theres not as much Beef as you think it holds. It also tastes Overly Beefy for my preference and at the price of RM31.00, I felt I could order other stuffs instead. 🤔
捞派滑牛肉 HDL Flavoured Beef (1 Half) = RM19.00
捞派秘制羊肉 HDL Style Mutton (1 Half) = RM18.00
I'll review both of these together because they actually have a Similar Taste Profile. Both of them are SUPER TENDER but strangely, that is not a good thing. You know sometimes when you taste a Meat and its too overly soft and tender that you will feel too Jelak when you eat too much of them? Thats how I felt about these 2 dishes. 🤔
Both of them also don't taste like the Original Beef and Mutton they're supposed to be. Mutton in particular has a very Sesame Peanuty China-Styled Marinade that I'm not really used to. These 2 are very subjective. Some people may love this, some people may dislike this. I don't hate them, but I don't love them either.
捞派鸭血 HDL Duck Blood (1 Half) = RM8.00
We definitely don't have this in SG HDL. Compared to Pig Blood, this has a Softer Bite Texture, although the aftertaste feels a tad more Gamier. It needs to be dipped in some sauce to be enjoyed. Interesting for a 1 time try for the Novelty, but not something I'd order again.
猪脑花 Pork Brain (1 Portion) = RM14.00
Now THIS I really like! ❤️ I have cooked Pork Brains before and there is a very Thin Layer of Membrane that you need to remove which is quite troublesome to do, and they have very cleanly pre-removed it for you. Pork Brain has a very Exquisite Texture that I would describe as a "Soft Meat Tofu". Tastes very Clean without any Piggy Taste. 👍
Even after boiling and cooking it, it is still Super Soft like a Tofu Pudding. Boiling this in the 三鲜火锅汤 "Three Delicacy Hot Pot" Soup is PERFECT! The Salted Savoury Taste of the Hot Soup accentuates and enhances the taste of this, making eating this feels Exceptionally Exquisite. Its like eating a very Atas Soup. 1 Set of this contains 2 Brains, and I wish I ordered 3 sets or more! ❤️
长生菜 Iceberg Lettuce (1 Half) = RM7.00
Nothing special about this, this is just a head of Iceberg Lettuce.
捞派捞面 HDL Kungfu Noodles (1 Piece) = RM9.00
This is actually a Live Demonstration of Noodle Stretching which they do in in the form of a Dance. The Staff will ask you if you want them to Perform and if you say yes, (why won't you if you ordered this?) they will do a little dance while stretching the Noodles. At the end of the Dance, they will cut the Noodles to the size you want and drop it in your Soup to cook into a Small Bowl.
Here is where I felt JB HDL fumbled for me.
When I ordered this, there was a notice of "Service Delay" which means the Staffs are busy and I might get mine a little later. 15 mins later when I asked my Serving Chap, his reply was for me to wait. 30mins later I still didn't get this served to me, and when I saw a Supervisor looking Chap walking by, I asked for when is mine going to be served, only was it served to me. 🤔 So it actually took 45 mins for me to actually get them to serve this to me. I get that there was a notice of "Service Delay" but waiting 45mins for this is abit too much. I have a feeling they probably forgot my order or something? 🤔
When the guy eventually came to my table to perform. He was so awkward in his Dance Movements that it felt abit cringe. But seeing that he is a very Young Chap, I didn't really mind that much. At least he tried his best (I probably wouldn't have done any better tbh) 😅 and he was nice enough to say to pardon him if his dance wasn't up to standard. If you want to see how good this "Noodle Dance" can be, go Youtube and search "HDL Noodle Dance", some of these performances look absolutely amazing!
1) JB HDL is much more affordable compared to SG HDL due to our SG Currency to help Tank. 👍
2) Above Average Customer Service compared to Most Other Eateries, there are Multiple Moments of Good Customer Service in action. 👍
3) Some Items unique to JB HDL are not available in SG HDL. (Eg: Duck Blood) 👍
4) JB HDL Condiments Section is Free of Charge. 👍 I think Condiments Section in SG HDL need to pay extra? Plain Water is also Free of Charge. I could be wrong, but I remember that Plain Water costs Money in SG HDL.
5) Plenty of Free Gifts given without even being asked. 👍 I was given a Free Goodie Bag of Snacks before I left, and my Serving Chap even asked if I wanted a Toy to bring back as a Souvenir hahaha. 😅
I don't think I ever had this in SG HDL and I think you need to ask for it.
JB HDL Bad Points:
1) As good as the Customer Service is, JB HDL simply cannot match SG HDL Higher Level of Professional Customer Service. 🤔
2) JB HDL Reception Area is abit Messy with Rubbish not being cleaned up. 🤔 I hardly ever see the Reception Area dirty in SG HDL. The Free Snacks they give at the Reception area are some Cheap Packets of Keropok. A little nitpicking but I thought it would be more presentable if they served Peanuts or other Snacks on a Plate instead of Cheap Keropok Packs. 🤔
3) Even at 1.19am it was still a 1 Hour Wait on a Weekend. So even if you want to impromptu last minute late night go eat HDL in JB, you need to factor this potential Wait Time too. 🤔
4) Waiting for 45mins for my Kungfu Noodles was abit much even for a Service Delay. I think they simply forgot my order? 🤔
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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts
If you are a Regular HDL Customer and compare price between SG HDL and JB HDL, obviously there is no fight. JB HDL is definitely much more affordable due to SG Currency to help tank. 👍 Never in my life have I imagine I would someday eat a Sub-S$50 HDL. RM139.20 (S$40.50) No wonder Singaporeans all like to rush in to JB to eat HDL. 😅
That said, although it is affordable, you must factor in any Taxi Costs if you are going in/out at a Late Night when Buses have ceased their Service. Depending how near or far you stay from the Checkpoints, that Affordable HDL may start to feel not that worthwhile if you factor in Travelling Time, Queue Time and/or Effort to Cross Immigration Custom. 🤔
The Noticeable Difference in Customer Service between SG HDL and JB HDL is quite obvious. In SG HDL, the customer service really sometimes exceed even Japanese Level of Customer Service, while in JB HDL although still friendly, is noticeably lacking in some areas. 🤔 As HDL's Main Attraction is Customer Service, to me, JB HDL is unable to get my Top Score. Don't get me wrong, I can definitely still recommend it, its certainly much more affordable and I love the Youthful Friendlier Vibe, and there are dishes that I can only eat here and not in SG HDL. its just not at the Professional Service Level that I expect from a HDL. 🤔
Because of this Lowered Customer Service Level, this makes JB HDL feel like another Hotpot comparable to a Similar Priced Hotpot (if using Currency Conversion) in Singapore. (Eg: S$40.50 I paid for JB HDL vs a Similarly Priced Non-HDL Hotpot in Singapore) If we consider it this way, is there really a strong compelling reason to take the time and effort to cross Immigration Custom to go eat at JB HDL? Something to think about. 🤔
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