Chicken Hotpot

   
Often enticed by the distinctive aroma whenever I walked past the Chicken Hotpot in Square 2, I finally succumbed to the temptation of trying it last weekend.

We ordered the couple set (which comes with a small signature chicken hotpot, a small spicy shrimp hotpot and 2 drinks) for $33.80++. Topped with thick savory sauce, the chicken hotpot is served with pieces of chicken, capsicum, onion and chilli. Initially the sauce tastes too salty and too concentrated to be consumed on its own but as the waitress starts adding stock to dilute it, it gradually becomes a flavorful and fragrant soup that is extremely pleasing to the taste buds.

On the other hand, the spicy shrimp hotpot is topped with sweet and spicy sauce and served with large fried prawns, French fries and celery. Similarly, adding stock to the special sauce eventually produces a very mouthwatering soup.

We also saw customers ordering extra items eg instant noodle, mushrooms, vegetables etc, to add into the soup, something that we will try next time.

After service charge and GST, we paid around $42 for the dinner, inclusive of 2 plain rice not included in the couple set. Although neither cheap nor value for money, I will still recommend you to try Chicken Hotpot if you haven't, especially if you have a liking for food with strong and unique flavours. 

7.5/10

Chicken Hotpot
Novena Square 2
10 Sinaran Drive
#04-01-02A/B/C

Suki-Ya Dinner Buffet

Of the many restaurants open at the relatively new Katong 112 shopping mall, the one that caught my attention was Suki-Ya Japanese Restaurant which has hotpot buffet for lunch and dinner. Reasonably priced at $16.90 for lunch and $20.90 for dinner (additional $2 on Friday to Sunday, public holiday and eve of public holiday), my partner and I decided to try the dinner buffet to see if it is truly value for money.

Given a choice of 2 out of 3 soup bases (shabu shabu, sukiyaki and kimchi) for the hotpot, we opted for shabu shabu and kimchi. Beside a free flow of meat (beef, pork and chicken), the dinner buffet comes with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, fish and meat balls, beancurd etc. We were most impressed by the freshness of the meat especially the sliced beef which is extremely tender and tasty. It was only at the end that we realized that we had a total of 9 plates of meat between the two of us.

Having read some unpleasant reviews of other outlets of the restaurant, I must say that Suki-Ya at Katong 112 left us a very good impression. Not only is the service staff efficient and attentive, the food is delicious and worth every dollar paid. Do come down to Katong 112 with your family and try it for yourself.

8/10

Suki-Ya
Katong 112
112 East Coast Road
#03-04
Singapore 428802

Nan Hwa Chong Fish Head Steamboat

Having tried the various famous fish head steamboats in Singapore, I still like the one from Nan Hwa Chong along North Bridge Road most.


Reasonably priced at only $20, a small pomfret steamboat for two comes with satisfactory portions of fresh and tasty pomfret, vegetables and yam pieces. Filled with the concentrated sweetness of fish and the subtle aroma of herbs and spices, the mouthwatering soup is definitely the distinguishing factor for this fish head steamboat. However, please refrain from asking for a refill of the soup unless necessary as the refill is considerably diluted compared with the original.

Nan Hwa Chong fish head steamboat is certainly one of the best in Singapore. To beat the crowd which can be overwhelming during weekends, do try to reach there before 630pm.

7.5/10

Nan Hwa Chong Fish Head Steamboat Corner
814 North Bridge Road

132 Mini Steamboat

Of the many mini steamboats and hotpots that I have tried and blogged about in Singapore, the one I like most is 132 Mini Steamboat at Old Airport Road Food Centre, simply because of its irresistable herbal soup.


132 comes with a variety of mini steamboat sets ranging from chicken to pork, mutton, beef, prawn and fish, priced at only $5 inclusive of rice. Choose to enjoy your steamboat with one of the following soup bases: normal, spicy, tom yam or herbal.

My favorite combination is chicken steamboat set with herbal soup base. The chicken steamboat set comes with a generous serving of fresh sliced chicken with vegetables, meatballs, crabmeat, hotdog, vermicelli and egg. Served piping hot in a mini hotpot, the mouthwatering soup is concentrated with the distinctive aroma of ginseng and traditional herbs. Enjoy the cooked dishes by dipping them into the sweet and sour chilli sauce.

Regardless of whether you are a steamboat fan or not, $5 is certainly a worthwhile price to pay for a sumptuous mini steamboat dinner that must not be missed.

7.5/10

132 Mini Steamboat
Old Airport Road Food Centre
51 Old Airport Road
#01-132
S390051

Ah Tat Kitchen Mini Hotpot

After Marina Square and Marine Parade, my new-found fascination with mini steamboat led me to Chinatown where I discovered Ah Tat Kitchen at Smith Street Food Centre. Here I found the cheapest mini hotpot set meals (inclusive of rice at $3.80) for chicken or pork and $4.20 for seafood.


What impressed me most about Ah Tat Kitchen mini hotpot is the superior quality of the soup base. With a subtle fragrance of ginseng, the mouthwatering soup is irresistably flavorful that you can have it on its own. The chicken mini hotpot set comes with slices of chicken, hotdog, beancurd, mushrooms and vegetables.

If you are a fan of mini steamboat like me, do come down to Smith Street Food Centre to try Ah Tat Kitchen mini hotpot today.

7.5/10

Ah Tat Kitchen
Smith Street Food Centre
#02-054
335 Smith Street Singapore 050335


Update 1/8/2010 - This stall has closed down.

Marine Parade Ginseng Mini Steamboat

Located in the recently renovated G8 Food Court opposite Parkway Parade Shopping Centre, this new stall has 6 different mini steamboat sets (chicken, pork, mutton, beef, prawn and fish) priced at only $5.50 each ($6 with a bowl of rice). You get to choose from 3 types of soup bases (chicken, tom yam or spicy hot).


My favorite is the chicken mini steamboat set which comes with a plate of lean tender chicken and a plate of miscellaneous ingredients eg fishball, prawn ball, crabmeat, hotdog, beancurd, egg, vermicelli, vegetables etc. The chicken soup is clear and flavorful with a subtle tinge of ginseng.

Compared with Old Hong Kong Mini Steamboat at Marine Square Food Court, the ginseng chicken soup from Marine Parade Mini Steamboat seems to be less impressive but it easily makes up for the deficit with its fantastic sambal chilli sauce which goes so well with the fresh ingredients. Bring your family down to Marine Parade and try it for yourself today.

7.5/10

Marine Parade Ginseng Mini Steamboat
G8 Food Court
5 Marine Parade Central

Old Hong Kong Seafood Mini Steamboat

Used to be well-known for its signature trolley noodle trolley noodle, Old Hong Kong at Marina Square Food Court now has mini steamboat sets at very affordable prices.

For only $6.80 inclusive of rice, you get to choose one of the following sets ie seafood, chicken, beef or pork with either ginseng chicken or tom yam soup.


When I was there last week, I decided to try the seafood mini steamboat with ginseng chicken soup. The first thing that impressed me was the flavorful soup filled with the irresistable sweetness of chicken and the distinctive fragrance of ginseng. The seafood set comes with fresh prawns, cuttlefish, fishballs, meatballs, hotdog, crabmeat, mushroom and a variety of vegetables.

If you are a fan of steamboat but not keen to indulge in the pricey buffet type, Old Hong Kong Mini Steamboat is just the ideal choice for you. Plus you get to dine in an air-conditioned restaurant which makes it even more value-for-money. When I returned a few days later to try the chicken mini steamboat, I must admit that it is just as fantastic.

7.5/10

Old Hong Kong Seafood Mini Steamboat
Marina Food Loft
Level 4
Marina Square Shopping Centre


Update 1/8/2010 - This stall has closed down.

Shi De Bao Cooked Food

In an almost deserted industrial estate in Changi North Street 1, I was surprised to find a cze char (Chinese cooked food) stall that was open on a dark and rainy Saturday night. That was more than 6 months ago when a friend brought me there for dinner. From then on, Shi De Bao Cooked Food became my favorite cze char stall in Singapore.

I tried to do a Google search for Shi De Bao Cooked Food but there was none. The exact address, which I noted on my subsequent visit, is Mil-Com Group, 11 Changi North Street 1.


Of all the delicious Chinese cuisine served, I love the pomfret fish head steamboat most. Concentrated with the irresistable sweetness of fish with a subtle tinge of herbs, the mouthwatering soup is the most flavorful of all fish head steamboat that I have tasted in Singapore. The thick slices of pomfret are extremely fresh and delightfully tasty. For only $30, the pomfret fish head steamboat can serve up to 6 persons satisfactorily.


The second dish that I recommend from Shi De Bao is the Thai style pork leg. This exquisite dish is an enormous fried pork leg with a crispy and fragrant outer layer and tender meat that is filled with a kaleidoscope of flavours, ranging from sweet and sour to salty and spicy.


The prawn paste chicken is another dish that you must definitely try. Well-marinated and expertly fried, the crispy chicken drumsticks and wings are fingerlicking good.


The delicious prawn omelette comes in generous portion scattered with fresh prawns.


The sambal kang kong is spicy and savory and goes very well with the rice.


In my opinion, Shi De Bao Cooked Food is the best cze char stall in Singapore. Despite the superior culinary standard of the dishes, the prices are however cheap and reasonable. For the sumptuous dinner above, I only paid $70 inclusive of drinks for 6 persons. If you are a cze char lover, do find your way to Changi North Street 1 and try this fantastic cze char today.

8.5/10

Shi De Bao Cooked Food
11 Changi North St 1
Mil-Com Group

Downtown East Steamboat

Welcome to Downtown East, a place where people remember for its Wild Wild Wet, Escape Theme Park and Costa Sands resort but few heard of the small Halal steamboat restaurant there. Mention the name Qiu Lian and everyone will think of the famous handmade noodles with delicious broth and special chilli but little is known about the steamboat restaurant set up by the same owner. Put the two together and you get Downtown East Steamboat. For only $16 with no service charge and no GST, you get to enjoy a Halal steamboat buffet in the comfort of an air-conditioned restaurant. Gone are the days of having to perspire profusely while cooking your steamboat or having to keep buying drinks from the drinks stall to quench your thirst, Downtown East Steamboat provides free flow ice water and lemonade.


The steamboat pot comes in two compartments, so you can choose to cook your food in both chicken soup and tom yam soup. Enjoy a wide spread of meat eg chicken, beef and mutton; seafood eg prawns, flower crabs, sliced fish and shellfish; yong tau foo and vegetables. While waiting for the soup to boil, you can help yourself to a variety of cooked food eg fried noodles, fried rice, fried chicken wings, chicken nuggets, fish fingers, tea eggs, mixed soup etc. Dip your food into the special chilli sauce, made from chilli padi, for a savory experience. Complete your wholesome dinner with ice cocktail jelly and four flavors of ice cream for dessert. So what are you waiting for? Bring your friends and family down to Downtown East Steamboat today.

7.5/10

Downtown East Steamboat
1 Pasir Ris Close Downtown East
#01-03A Singapore 519599
Tel 65844807
Closed on Mondays