Another day in Wuhan and another amazing food adventure! This time we head to the Optics Valley on the east side of Wuhan, visit a stunning European themed shopping street and end the day with a feast at one of the world’s most famous hotpot restaurants – Haidilao.
The East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, or ‘Optics Valley’, is one of the largest high-tech development zones in China and has been so named because of it’s concentration of high technology related to optics and photonics. Today, it includes research institutions, universities and numerous high-tech companies, making it one of the most important science and technology zones in China and part of China’s broader efforts to promote innovation and technological advancement.
Our accommodation was conveniently located close to Optics Valley. We decided to take a leisurely stroll around the Optics Valley Malls and dine at Haidilao, one of China’s famous hotpot restaurant chains. Surprisingly, we stumbled upon something completely unexpected. A European-style shopping street, adorned with stunning architecture that seamlessly blends different European eras, took us by surprise. This enchanting street is divided into different themes – a Spanish, Italian, German and French part. Scattered throughout are many fascinating structures, including cathedrals, towers, bridges and townhouses. Amidst this eclectic mix, you’ll find a variety of shops and vendors, such as a Huawei store housed in a cathedral. Adding to the surreal scene is a skyline dominated by Chinese-style skyscrapers and apartment blocks. It was a truly bizarre yet fascinating experience for me.
Inside Optics Valley, just before entering the Spanish-themed street, an escalator leads to a spacious food court. Nestled inside is one of the Haidilao outlets. With more than 1,300 outlets in Greater China and about 100 units scattered internationally (including Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, the UK and the US), Haidilao has gained widespread popularity.
So what makes Haidilao so popular and different from many other hotpot restaurants? I would attribute its standout status to three main reasons:
- Exceptional customer service: While China is known for its friendly and capable staff, Haidilao takes hospitality to another level. This includes offering complimentary snacks and drinks while waiting, providing aprons and plastic gloves to protect customers’ clothing, and providing attentive table service.
- High quality ingredients: Haidilao is known for its commitment to using fresh, high-quality ingredients. Customers can choose from a wide variety of broths, meats, vegetables and sauces, allowing them to personalize their hotpot experience.
- Dining as an Experience: Haidilao offers a unique and immersive dining experience with additional services such as manicures, birthday parties and noodle shows. Of particular note are the noodle pulling performances, a traditional Chinese culinary art form. Skilled chefs, often referred to as ‘noodle masters’, put on captivating demonstrations to create long, thin noodles. Accompanied by acrobatic moves, spins and twirls, this entertaining process often invites customers to participate, adding an interactive and engaging dimension to the overall dining experience.
When eating hotpot, there are a few decisions to be made (take a look at a menu from a Haidilao store as an example). Firstly, which soup base or broth do you want to dip your food in? What dishes/ingredients would you like to cook? What kind of dipping sauce do you like? As these decisions can be a bit overwhelming, especially for less experienced hotpot eaters, we will give you a little guide on how to make the most of your personal hotpot experience by going through each of these questions and explaining how we decided (see also our visit to a hotpot restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany).
Soup base / broth: Haidilao typically offers a few spicy soup bases such as Classic Spicy Base – the all-rounder – made with beef tallon and Sichuan pepper, or Sichuan Spicy Base with vegetable oil, recommended for cooking crispy and chewy animal ingredients (e.g. intestines), or Sour and Spicy with pickled cabbage, recommended in combination with fish. If you prefer things a little milder, you can choose a classic Tomato Soup Base, especially recommended with fresh fish, or Mushroom Soup Base, recommended for cooking vegetables and mushrooms. If you are already familiar with hotpot and want to try something new, you can try the Three Delicacies Soup Base, made from bone broth, or the Pork Tripe and Chicken Base, recommended for all kinds of vegetables. You can also combine bases, which means you have two separate half pots with two different soup bases.
We value the ability to switch between soups and enjoy a variety. We chose the combination of Classic Mushroom and Classic Spicy. This combination is a local favorite. It includes a refreshing, milder broth as well as the popular Ma La (in Mandarin 麻辣) – a hot and numbing spice made from Sichuan peppercorns and chili. The broth is delicious and the Ma La adds a spicy kick. Our soups feature tender meat in the spicy broth and crunchy vegetables in the mild mushroom broth, making it the perfect combination for any taste preference.
The dishes and ingredients: Haidilao has a wide variety of dishes to choose from. There are meats, seafood, meatballs, vegetables & mushrooms, beans/flour products and Haidilao signature dishes.
- Meat: Like any serious hotpot restaurant, Haidilao offers a variety of thin slices of meat, including fatty slices of beef, lamb and pork, as well as some other delicacies such as lamb brain or blood tofu.
- Seafood: Prawns, mussels, octopus rolls and more – if you love seafood, you won’t miss out.
- Meatballs / Smashed pastes: These include beef or pork meatballs, but also seafood, namely shrimp balls, fish tofu and crab sticks.
- Vegetables / Mushrooms: Haidilao offers many vegetable dishes – spinach, cabbage, radish, potatoes, lotus or enoki mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, etc.
- Beans / Flour products: especially tofu in all variations (tofu skin, tofu pudding, frozen tofu, etc.)
- Haidilao signature dishes: Haidilao style noodles (a must if you want to enjoy the noodle-pulling performance), special lamb, beef tripe, boneless basa fish fillet, etc.
We chose the tender and fragrant Kobe Beef, Haidilao-Style House Special Lamb, Duck Stomach, Frog Legs, Grass Carp (with few fish bones), beans, some local Chinese vegetables and the Haidilao-Style Noodles for an unforgettable noodle pulling performance 🙂
If you choose the mushroom or pickled cabbage base, we recommend ordering some fish. If you choose a spicy base, be careful with vegetables as they will absorb all the spices.
The dipping sauce: Before you start your meal, you will come across a bar with various sauces, spices and other ingredients. I like to call this the ‘sauce buffet’. Similar to other hotpot restaurants, this is the place where you can create your own dipping sauce. The basic elements include a sesame sauce, which gives the dip a savoury flavour and a creamy texture. Combine it with garlic, chopped chives and coriander for a refreshing touch, and add a touch of chilli for an extra spicy kick – voila, you’ve got the base. The possibilities are endless, so feel free to experiment and explore the different spices, herbs and flavours that beckon. If your creation doesn’t quite hit the mark, don’t worry – you can always refine it or retry. Remember, it’s a sauce buffet and the fun is in the creative journey.
When all the preparations are complete and the base ist boiling, the feast can begin. Start by placing the slices of beef on one of the large spoons or ladles and dip them into the soup base for about 10 seconds. This brief immersion will cook the meat to perfection while maintaining its juiciness. Once cooked, dip the beef in the sauce of your choice and enjoy the moment.
Then add the remaining ingredients one at a time into the Broth. Feel free to choose the order in which to proceed. Frogs’ legs, fish and seafood require a little more time due to their thicker cuts. If you have any questions, the staff are always friendly and helpful. Most importantly, take your time and enjoy the hotpot to savor all the ingredients.
Haidilao is not just a hotpot restaurant; it’s an unforgettable journey of sizzling flavors and joyful moments. The ingredients are of high quality, and the noodle presentations are extraordinary. Have you visited a Haidilao restaurant? Please share your experience with us.
In the meantime, we are eagerly anticipating the day when Haidilao opens in Frankfurt. Hopefully …
