Shi Li Fang Hot Pot @ City Square Mall

Hi Hot Pot offers a cozy dining experience with a good variety of ingredients. The highlight for me was definitely the tea — fragrant, well-brewed, and very refreshing, which paired perfectly with the meal. The overall experience was enjoyable, though there’s still a bit of room for improvement. I’d happily come back, especially for the tea.

Had dinner at Hi Pot in City Square Mall on Saturday (18 Oct). This place is actually the sister brand of the famous Hai Di Lao, so I was curious to try it. We ordered their signature 10-second beef slices which came plated in a fun roulette style which was quite eye-catching. The other meat cuts were fresh and good. We also had seafood, tofu, and sausages, all decent. Dessert-wise, the durian mochi was quite enjoyable. I liked that they have an unlimited sauces and drinks option for just $1++, which included teas, coffee, and soft drinks. I felt that it was really good value at this price point. Service was fine, the staff were attentive enough, nothing to complain about. Overall, I’d say it was an okay hotpot experience. The food quality met expectations but wasn’t mind-blowing. For the price, it’s a decent option if you want a casual hotpot without spending too much. Do sign up for their membership to get a further 15 dollars off if you've spend more than 100 dollars and above!

Decided to try out since it’s a sister company of Haidilao, based in ChatGPT, it was supposed to be a budget friendly option comparing to HDL, but I honestly couldn’t tell the price difference, if not I’m paying more since the absolute cost I’m paying for the same dishes I ordered in HDL is almost the same but the quantity is much lesser. The “collagen chicken soup” is nothing like the collagen soup in HDL, the milk mala is nothing aromatic either, no numbing flavour, overall I feel like I’m dining in a $20 hotpot place rather than the $90+ that I paid for. Not much service, terrible pot design, limited options. I honestly don’t recommend and will not visit again.

Used to patronize this place for another chain of hotpot until we chance upon this place - upon seated, we realised that this is the more affordable version of Haiidilao, under the same group. There was a promotional set for 3 people ($46.90++) known as the prosperity trio set. For a single soup pot, we opted for the mushroom soup without any additional cost. There are other options for dual-soup or specialty soup with more ingredients at an extra cost. Under this package, we could select 4 meat ingredients out of 9 - we opted for the signature gigantic 10sec beef slices, pork jowl meat, Spanish Duroc pork belly and chef secret marinated pork tongue. Next, we could select 5 classic dishes out of the 16 options - we chose golden enoki mushroom, lotus root slices, frozen tofu, lobster balls and Chinese cabbage. Next, 2 snacks out of 6 and we opted for fried beancurd skin and lady’s finger. Also, one staple food per person and we opted for a bowl of premium Wuchang rice, instant noodles and baby noodles. Lastly, Hagen Daaz ice cream per diner based on the diners in the set - there were 5 flavours to choose from. We also added pork balls and Chinese yam ala-carte. The sauces and beverages were charged at 1 dollar per person. While the options are not as much as those offered in Haidilao, it was sufficient for us. No fancy ramen show, the service were similar to those offered in Haidilao. Everything was great and they even provide containers for us to pack unfinished food items and the soup. The taste, the freshness of the meat, nothing inferior to the main restaurant. The reason for the mediocre rating was the place appeared to be lacking in staff - unoccupied areas of the place was dark. Also, no ceramic cups were available for the beverages - instead disposable paper cups were used instead. Also, we left the place without the ice cream as we have forgotten to ask for it to be served - since the flavour were chosen during ordering, I presume ice cream cannot be obtained from any self-service counter? Also, we were not being reminded that we have ice cream for dessert as part of the set menu.

We came around 5:30 pm and ordered the Nourishing Herbal Chicken Soup. The soup came with chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, corn, wolfberries, and cordyceps flowers. The soup itself was flavourful and tasty, though the chicken seems to taste different, maybe a bit dry or overcooked. We also ordered a rice bowl for S$5.90 — quite filling, especially with the added meat and enoki mushrooms. The $1 add-on for unlimited beverages and sauces was good value, but the ice jelly dessert was quite tasteless and could be improved. I don"t know why, but I was expecting ice cream 😅 Staff were attentive and checked in regularly to top up the soup. Overall, it was an okay experience — decent food and service.