By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

Ever since I spotted the four different soup bases in one pot on Instagram, I knew that we had to get it. In addition to the basic Pork Bone Broth, we also had Tomato, Mushroom, and Spicy. The tomato was the best. The pork bone was standard while the spicy was impactful, but not tongue-burning.  The mushroom was definitely full of umaminess, but probably the weakest of the bunch.

The Sauce Bar had an array of sauce and ingredient options. Snacks included spicy peanuts, pickled veggies, and edamame, oranges, grapes, and pomelo. The service was consistent; the sauce bar well-stocked and sparkling clean. The Beef Rib which was pricey, but worth it. Each medium-thick slice was buttery soft and tender. It had a great meaty taste and the even marbling of fat created a certain richness. The Sliced Lamb was also very tender. It wasn't too gamy because it wasn't too fatty.

Fresh oysters were buttery soft, appealingly briny and sweet. Loved how they were kept on ice.  Beautifully arranged, the Assorted Seafood platter was also kept on ice. There was a nice selection of shrimp, mussels, cuttlefish, basa, and scallops. Once again, the quality of the seafood was top notch. The scallops cooked up plump and sweet.

Overall, we thought the experience at Haidilao was special enough to warrant the higher prices.  The service was almost too good. However, we'll gladly take it over indifference. Food quality was high while the seating arrangement was comfortable. Definitely worth a try, just be aware that the lineup can be ridiculous during peak times.

HaiDiLao Hot Pot

5890 Number 3 Road #200, Richmond, BC  

The Good:

• Over-the-top service

• High food quality

• Comfortable experience

The Bad:

• Pricey

• Lineup is scary

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.