9 April 2023
Cass turns 15 today! This girl has come a long way to where she is today. Cass’ journey has not been easy from day 1, as she’s born with a rare congenital disorder in her urinary tract but she has persevered through countless hurdles along her way. I credit her strength, resilience and stubbornness to her unwavering determination, optimism, and unbreakable spirit.
Hubs surprised both the birthday girl and me with a hotpot dinner at Haidilao Hot Pot @ Bangsar Village 3 today, just the three of us – hubs, Cass and me. Alycia and Sherilyn are in Ipoh with my parents and the mil is currently in Hong Kong.
As we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by the friendly staff who welcomed us and led us to our table. The ambiance of the restaurant was warm and inviting, with cozy seating arrangements and tasteful decor. The menu offered a wide selection of hotpot ingredients, including meat, seafood, vegetables, and noodles, all of which were fresh and of high quality. While patrons wait for their tables, packet snacks, titbits and drinks are available in abundance at the entrance of the restaurant for patrons to munch.
Our dining experience began with a selection of dipping sauces and condiments, including peanut sauce, sesame sauce, and spicy sauce and a wide selection of condiments such as spring onions, parsley, chopped raw garlic, fried minced beef, etc, These sauces added an extra dimension of flavor to our yummy meal and were the perfect accompaniment to the hotpot ingredients.
As we waited for our hotpot to arrive, we enjoyed a variety of appetizers, such as wakame seaweed and fried peanuts. For the two choices of soup for our hotpot, hubs chose golden fish maw soup (RM47) and peppery pig stomach + chicken soup (RM20).
Part way through the meal was show-time for us (and for every table as well). A noodle performer came to our table and showcased his skill in the art of noodle-making while dancing. A minute into throwing the flying noodles, a part of the dough touched the floor and the performer quickly went into the kitchen and brought out a new wedge of dough and started the performance again. After the noodles were churned out by hand, the staff gently placed them into our hotpot of two variety of soups.
What really came as a big surprise to Cass and me was when the Haidilao staff came out with a slice of birthday cake, along with a birthday banner and lo and behold, sang ‘Happy Birthday’, vociferously with clappings and all!
Cass who doesn’t like to be in the limelight, have her photos taken, or people singing birthday song to her in public was gobsmacked, stunned, embarrassed, and yet happy all at once 🤣
The delicious food, exceptional service, warm atmosphere and loads of freebies made for a perfect evening of enjoyment and birthday celebration.
To cap off the meal, we were given complimentary chilled Roselle drinks, which was very refreshing and soothing for the throat after a hot meal.
Luckily we went early as when we left the restaurant, there was a long queue outside.
Then we went to Sports Direct @ Bangsar Village 3 for Cass to get her birthday pressie from her dad, which is a hoodie sweater for her to wear at the skating rink.
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