Hai Xian Lao opens at Shaw House with exclusive Prawn Broth Soup
Hai Xian Lao 海鲜捞 opens its third and newest branch along bustling Orchard Road, right in Shaw House! For first-timers, the restaurant may sound very much like “Hai Di Lao” but it’s far from it, conceptually. Hai Xian Lao is a more low-key, casual but elegant steamboat dining restaurant without all the “food flying” performances or lavish setting. Additionally, it is notably popular for its reasonably priced yet quality ingredients, along with very unique broth choices.
We had the privilege to try one of their most recent additions to the broth menu: the Prawn broth, today, along with popular favourites Collagen and Sichuan Mala. Hai Xian Lao is also well-known for their laksa broth, but we could only choose three, so we’ll save that for next time.
The collagen broth is probably one of the female’s favourites and comes generously with the collagen chunks, which melted very quickly with increasing heat. The Sichuan Mala may look devilishly spicy, but it was surprisingly quite mild compared to other spicy Sichuan soups elsewhere. I actually found it a great broth to complement all my meats!
(The beef slices cook really fast. We loved it with the Sichuan mala broth!)
Next up, we tried the prawn broth.
Can you imagine eating steamboat that tastes like strong prawn noodle broth? We can’t, so we were very excited to try this. Turns out it did not disappoint; the prawn broth has a strong tasty flavour and the hearty richness of a prawn soup broth, just like how you’d expect it to taste. But unless you already love prawn noodle soup, you will not like this one. It’s a pretty niche broth in that sense.
We treated ourselves to pork slices/rolls, which were thinly sliced and marbled beautifully! The pork rolls cook fast and they have a tender texture, soaked with the broth’s flavour when you bite into them. The same goes for the beef slices where we had the premium wagyu beef slices, which are only available for the ala carte ordering (not included in the buffet).
This lavish tray of mushrooms is filled to the brim with king oyster mushrooms, straw mushrooms, shitake, black fungus, and many more! The vegetable basket has a variety of fresh vegetables, along with corn, winter melon slices, and pumpkin. Can’t go wrong with either.
These bamboo clams and beancurd skin rolls are fresh and absolutely delicious! It’s been really good so far. Quality, check! Variety, check! Get those beancurd rolls if you can – they soak up the soup like no one’s business and release a wave of tasty broth into your mouth!
The flower crab is presented beautifully on a bed of ice, and I was excited to try this. It’s been cut into smaller pieces so I’m able to cook without being tangled up in claws and pincers. I felt the crab could be fresher as the flesh was a little too mushy/soft for my liking. These three dishes aren’t included in the buffet, only in the ala carte menu.
Along the meal, we got thirsty – so we proceeded to order a glass of Iced Lemon Tea and a Thai Iced Milk Tea, which is priced at about $3.90 each. They are certainly refreshing but can be a little too sweet.
It’s overall a hearty meal with impressive meats, seafood, and vegetables. You’d have fun choosing the broths; and we love that they have so many broths that are also specially catered to the Singaporean: like Prawn, Sichuan, and Laksa. For the alternative to the crowded and relatively pricy hotpot out there, this is probably your best bet! The buffet goes for $35++ per pax, and you can add on the ala carte items as you wish. Happy cooking!
Hai Xian Lao 海鲜捞
350 Orchard Road, Shaw House Level 4, Singapore 238868
Tel: +65 6219 0777/9129 6625
Website: https://www.facebook.com/haixianlao/
Reservations can be made via Quandoo!
Check out Hai Xian Lao at Wilkie Edge!
Images and write up by @chowbaccas
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