Dai Tao Lala Pot (Mount Austin, JB)

One thing that had similar caught on with those heading into Johor Bahru from Singapore would be that of a Lala Pot eatery that served up Lala soup in hotpot format in a claypot. Originally hailing from Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, the folks of Dai Tao Lala Pot had opened an outlet in Mount Austin, Johor Bahru — this had led to the opening of a competing stall that is located just a few doors away from their Mount Austin location, and with the exposure of such a dish to more folks from Singapore considering its new location at Johor Bahru, there is also one similar establishment that has opened its doors in Ubi in Singapore as well. Got the opportunity to visit their Mount Austin outlet during a recent visit to Johor Bahru; Dai Tao Lala Pot can possibly be described as an establishment that primarily serves up claypot hotpot, but is possibly best known for their soup base with Sha Bai Lala added. Patrons can actually get to pick between two different soup bases; the Dai Tao Signature Soup and the Pork Stomach Soup with White Peppercorns Soup that both already comes with Sha Bai Lala, though additional servings of Sha Bai Lala would be considered chargeable add-ons. Patrons can also order servings of meat, vegetables etc. to add into their hotpot; there is also a limited selection of ready-to-eat side dishes that one can order as well.

The preparation of the dish was already a spectacle by its own — the servers will first bring out the stove (heated by charcoal) and claypot to the table. The entire pot then gets lit on fire after the pouring of Shaoxing Wine; the entire deal setting off in flames in quite a dramatic scene while the server wok-fries all the elements such as the Sha Bai Clams, ginger, garlic and chili padi. This is then followed by the pouring in of the Dai Tao Signature Soup before letting the soup boil in the claypot with the lid closed. All the servings of vegetables and meats to go into the Lala Pot will be brought to the table once the soup is ready to be enjoyed. Considering all of the elements that are added into the soup and how everything has been wok-fried with fire before the addition of soup, the soup was actually immensely flavourful — it doesn’t present itself as being too bland or watered down; the flavours were really on-point without being too saltish or rich, while there was a inherent hint of briny notes from the Sha Bai Lala as well as the usage of Shaoxing Wine in the soup. This matched up really well with the slight garlicky note, as well as the slightly fiery punch of spiciness from the chili padi and also from the ginger added. We aren’t a fan of soupy things usually, though we found ourselves enjoying the soup of the hotpot here that we kept going for more. Cooking the soup with the various ingredients offered helped to intensify the flavours even further, and patrons can actually opt for whatever that they believe would help to enhance the flavours of the broth based on what they have to offer — gives the patrons some sort of flexibility of choice as well. Definitely had quite the experience when dining at Dai Tao Lala Pot — queues are insane especially when peak dining times hits on weekends, though we would say it is worth the experience!