A lot of my friends told me i had to try Beauty in the Pot since i'm such a huge fan of steamboat. And when asked if it's better than Hai Di Lao, they all said Yes!
So most of my friends, like myself, are huge HDL fans and for a Hai Di Lao fan to say something like that, Beauty in the Pot HAD to be SOMETHING.
So i finally got to try it myself and I AM SOOO HAPPY I DID.
I just got home from dinner and since i have a bit of time now (better do it now because this month is crazy busy with the opening of the imagine interior design showroom), i decided to do a blog post on it to share this good steamboat place with ya'll!
And for the first time, there's another steamboat restaurant which can be compared to Hai Di Lao!
The Beauty Collagen Broth is made by boiling Shark Cartilage for hours AND IT IS SO GOOD I HAD LIKE 8 BOWLS OF IT. NOT KIDDING.
I wasn't a huge fan of the Spicy Pork Broth but it wasn't BAD. Just that the Beauty Collagen Broth was SO GOOD i just didn't want to waste space in my tummy on the Spicy Broth. For a person who has ALWAYS preferred a spicy soup base when having steamboat, THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT FOR ME. And i think that itself tells how good the Collagen soup base is already. Haha.
The must order items are the Crispy Beancurd Skin! I remember trying something similar before at Imperial Treasure Steamboat. So what you have to do is dip this into the boiling soup for about 3 seconds and eat it. It's chewy and absorbs the soup.
This Prawn Paste with Fish Roe is also another Must-Try! I love the Prawn Paste at HDL but this...HAS EBIKO! Which gives it a really nice texture when you bite into it.
So Beauty in the Pot V.S Hai Di Lao, which is better?
I won't say Beauty in the Pot was better...it's rather different!!! BOTH ARE EQUALLY SUPER GOOD AND I WOULD KEEP GOING BACK TO BOTH.
Food
I felt that the food at Beauty in the Pot was better but choices were pretty limited compared to HDL. The Beef and Pork at Beauty in the Pot were REALLY good!!! Not like HDL's one is bad, it's also good but i feel like the quality at BitP was better. Oh and not the mention, i love the crab sticks at Beauty in the Pot! It was the super sweet kind - like those japanese ones, not that rectangularish supermarket one. Oh please don't laugh at how i describe food. I just....am not cut out to do food blogging because i just can't find the right words. Lol. The prawn paste at Beauty in the Pot was also better than HDL's squeezed out prawn paste. But one thing cannot win HDL, the "la mian"! The HDL la man is so QQ and yums. Oh and did you know HDL's hot dog is also damn good? It's like a bit crunchy one. Haha. But ya la, it's processed food. Everytime i eat at HDL with older friends, they'd be like "yeah i guess you're really still a kid" because i love fish balls, crab sticks and hot dogs. Haha.
Soup
Well if you are a fan of spicy soup base, then HDL wins because their Ma La broth is THE BOMB. But if you prefer a non-spicy soup base, then Beauty in the Pot's Collagen soup takes the cake! Oh and well, i'm super Beauty in the Pot's soup is also much healthier....since the collagen soup has SO MANY health benefits.
Dipping Sauce Station
I preferred the choices of dipping sauces at Hai Di Lao as the choices at Beauty in the Pot was rather limited. Im a huge Hai Di Lao special sauce + extra soy bean chilli paste (if you haven't tried this, the next time you're at HDL, ask the waiter/waitress to prepare the special sauce for you!)! OHHHHH and at HDL, you can eat as much fruits as you want!! AND THE YUMMY SILKY BEAN CURD PUDDING....EAT ALL YOU WANT! That is probably something i wish Beauty in the Pot had...FREE FRUITS!!! Cus i always like to have something nice and sweet after a full meal, no matter how full i am. Such a sweet tooth...haiz.
Service
The service at HDL is much better though. People at HDL are just always SOOOO polite, attentive and smiley! I don't think there's a restaurant with such a huge number of happy working waiters and waitresses?! AT ALL THE OUTLETS (yeah, i've already been to all 3 HDL outlets in Singapore haha). I don't think the service at Beauty in the Pot was bad though but it was a little bit harder to get the attention of the staff...unlike HDL whereby there're SUPER quick to attend to you and start to refill your drinks when it's only about half-full.
Price
For 2 at HDL, i usually pay about $130 and i think i order more food at HDL. For 2 at Beauty in the Pot, i paid about $150. So i THINK HDL is a lil bit cheaper! But not a huge difference really. I heard if you go after 10pm, it's 20% off your bill!!!! Not sure if it's true but you can call to confirm?
So yup, that's my review on Beauty in the Pot, definitely a place i'd go back to over and over again. Like HDL. So it will depend if i wanted to go healthy or unhealthy that day. Haha.
Oh and unlike HDL, it's possible to make a reservation at Beauty in the Pot, which means, NO LONG HOURS OF QUEUEING!
Must try!!!!
Beauty in the Pot
Address: 11 Tanjong Katong Road, OneKM #02-21
Singapore 437157
Contact: +65 67022542
Mon - Thu: 11:00 - 01:00
Fri - Sat: 11:00 - 03:00
Sun: 11:00 - 01:00
p.s majority of the food reviews on my blog aren't sponsored...i just like to share places i had a good dining experience at. :)
p.s majority of the food reviews on my blog aren't sponsored...i just like to share places i had a good dining experience at. :)