Xun Wei Hotpot 寻味火锅 - Steamboat buffet for less than $20+ per pax!

• Operating Days: Daily
• Operating Time: 11 AM to 1 AM
• Address: 28 Liang Seah Street, S 189049
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Liang Seah Street, also known as the steamboat street (well, at least to me), has many steamboat restaurants and other eateries along the same stretch. It was a cold and gloomy evening and here we are, standing at the street deciding which steamboat restaurant to try. We were attracted by the projector that screened the shop name “寻味” on the ground, and that’s how we came to know about this restaurant and decided to give it a try.

This is the shop front of the restaurant. Nothing fanciful from the look outside.

We tried very hard to get the attention of the waiter (who happened to be also the one handling payment, clearing plates and attending requests) to find us a seat. The paper menu was passed to us almost instantly after we settle down.

As you can see, there are not much variety of food choices on the menu (especially for the types of meat) as compared to the more atas steamboat restaurant out there. However, it was quite alright for us, given the amount we need to pay for each pax (I will be covering that later).

The beef slices were fresh and thin, and personally, we think it went very well with the mala soup base! The portion given was very generous as well.

The whole table of goodness just for the two of us (of course it is free flow, you can order as many times as you want)!

We were told that just for the two of us, we can order up to 4 soup bases. We ordered the tomato, chicken, seafood and of course the mala soup base. Each soup base has its own uniqueness and you will definitely be spoilt for choices. One downside is that the waiter did not tell us the soup are chargeable (excluding the buffet price). We were charged for $8 for the soup base, which is still pretty reasonable.

They have also condiments corner for you to mix your sauce for the steamboat. We went on a weekday at about 10pm and some of the sauce had run out. 

For the price of $19.80+ on a weekday and $23.80+ on a weekend, 寻味 maintained their low prices at Liang Seah Street to remain competitive. With the price paid and the type of food served, it is worth visiting them if you are craving for a steamboat affair with your buddies after a long day work. Just to add on, 寻味 has free flow ice cream just like Haidilao as well, and it is probably the only steamboat restaurant along the stretch that has this. Do share with us your experience with them after you visit!

Tian Wai Tian 天外天 - Fish Head Steamboat + Zi Char

Operating Days: Daily

Operating Time: 5 PM to 11 PM

Address: 1383 Serangoon Road, S 328254

Tian Wai Tian has been around for decades and most Singaporeans will not find this name unfamiliar. Famous for Fishhead Steamboat, this place is constantly filled up by patrons during their operation hours despite its ulu location.

Situated at the corner beside rows of shop houses, you will definitely not miss this place as it is one of the very few eateries along that stretch.

No other stalls are open during dinner time, and all customers you see sitting down are solely the patrons of Tian Wai Tan.

Rows of tables were spreaded out along the five-foot way to cater to the number of patrons during dinner time.  Most of the tables were still occupied when we left the place.

We ordered a large pomfret steamboat ($45) and it was served to us 20 Minutes after. The large pot served was filled with Chinese cabbage, Chinese Spinach, and fried yam. The portion of the fish slices given was appropriate as well.

There were abundant of great taste from all the ingredients in this big pot! This teochew style fish head steamboat served in each pot was cooked and kept warm using the traditional charcoal method. The cloudy soup will definitely make you want more each time you taste it. 

We ordered a medium Furong Egg ($10) as well. It was crispy at the side and this egg dish is of course something that can’t go wrong. 

Next dish came was the Tofu Prawn. A highly raved “must try” dish, this dish is as unique as it sounds (in a good way). We never thought chili crab sauce could go so well with egg tofu and prawn!  The chili crab sauce goes very well with white rice as well.

The garlic Kai Lan here was really good! Every strend of Kai Lan on this plate were filled with garlic taste, and not forgetting the “wok hei” taste! If you are a fan of garlic, you will definitely like this.

Hei Zhor (Prawn Roll) is another dish you commonly see on almost every table at Tian Wai Tian. The skin was crispy with generous amount of ingredients wrapped inside. Many have also raved about the generous amount of chestnut bits in each piece of prawn roll, however, we have eaten better prawn roll at other places. It was pretty normal to us.

This is the medium size Hae Chor, with about 16 pieces, just enough for the 8 of us.

Tian Wai Tian offers one of the better teochew style fish head steamboat in Singapore. They have also several outlets around the island, which makes it easier for people to visit. For the Serangoon outlet, you may not receive too much attention from the waiter as it is pretty much a self service eating house. Soup here is refillable, but you will need to go to their kitchen to get it yourself. Ready for order? You have to queue up at the cashier area to order and the only payment they accept here is cash.

It is pretty much a decent and a no frill place suitable for small group dining. If you want to dine in with a big group (more than 4), we would suggest you go there earlier as the number of big tables they provide are limited.

Song Kee Kway Teow Noodle Soup 松記粿條湯 - Fishball Noodle open till Midnight.

Operating Days: Daily

Operating Time: 10.30 AM to 12 AM

Address: 75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5, #01-20, S 310075 

Toa Payoh Lorong 5 hawker centre is a place for supper, with only a few stalls that starts their business in the morning. Song Kee Kway Teow Noodle soup is one of the very few stalls that start their business early.

Having been around for decades, many regulars will come by this stall in for their fish ball noodles.

I am amazed by how they are able to have the fish ball machines in a small stall. Do have a look when you are queuing up for their food.

I ordered my usual dry version of Mee Pok noodles. It came with 7 fish balls, priced at $4. They have the $3.50 portion as well which is suitable for someone who is not feeling too hungry.

The owner was very generous with the amount of pork lard and spring onions given in every bowl. It is not the “healthier choice” of course, but I like the way how the noodles were not too dry overall. Each mouthful were filled with the fragrance from the pork lard, which might be too rich for some depending on individual’s taste. In addition, the Chilli here is very worth mentioning as well. It was paired very well with the ketchup included. It will be better if the noodle can be served slightly harder as I felt it was a little over cooked in my opinion.

The Fish balls were bouncy and fresh. Every bite taken has had good texture and it makes you want to eat more.

What I like about Song Kee is the type of seasoning used for its noodle. It has lots of pork lard bits and fried shallots, which goes very well with the chilli base, giving a nice combination overall and definitely makes a fulfilling dinner / supper. 

Steamov Shi Shang Lao 食尚撈旋转小火锅 - Conveyor belt concept steamboat restaurant!

• Operating Days: Daily
• Operating Time: 11 AM to 4 AM
• Address: 325 New Bridge Road, S 088760
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A newly opened restaurant in September 2017, Shi Shang Lao 食尚撈 is a conveyer belt concept hotpot restaurant in Singapore.

Located near Outram Park MRT, it is conveniently located at Chinatown area. Shi Shang Lao’s interior looks like a grand room with a long table where diners can sit around, facing the conveyor belt in the middle. You can simply pick up the skewered ingredients you want. On the other side, they have tables catered to bigger groups of four & above. 

On a side note, you can rent a portable power bank to charge your phone at only $1!

We love how the conveyer belt has many fresh steamboat items on it. It is something not commonly found in Singapore and it is one of the main reasons we were there to try. They have also a big chiller where they would usually place the cut fruits in it. Fresh fruits such as dragon fruit, honeydew, rockmelon and watermelon are constantly replaced to ensure its freshness.

In the restaurant, you can choose to sit at the tables or counter seats, which both have their own conveyor belt at the sides.

So once you’ve settled down, a staff will ask for your preferred soup choice. Everyone gets their own individual pot of soup, so you don’t have to share the soup with your friends if you didn’t like their choice.

The 10 types of soup include the Extra Spicy Pot, Fragrance Pot, Herbal Pot, Triple Taste Pot, Spicy Pot, Tomato Pot, Herbal Duck Pot, Mushroom Pot, Sour Vege Fish Pot and Mushroom and Black Chicken Pot. 

All the drinks are displayed on the shelf above the conveyer belt, so grab the drink you want and ask the service staff for a glass of ice. The drinks are priced starting from $1.20. 

So for food, basic ingredients include hotdogs, crabsticks and fishballs on the wooden satay skewer are priced at $1 each, while premium ingredients with a flat wooden skewer are priced at $3 each.

They also offer seafood including prawns and salmon fillets. All the seafood we tried was fresh without the fishy taste.

We started with the Chicken Rolls which was out of the conveyor belt menu. Priced at $8, we were surprised it came with a big portion, with a total of 18 rolls piled on the plate. The chicken was fresh and lean, giving good texture.

First soup we tried was the Herbal Duck Pot. It has a little herbal duck taste and it was a little too bland for our liking. However, the taste will slowly get intensified in time after cooking with the steamboat ingredients.

We also tried one of the top recommended soups too - Tomato Pot. It is similar in taste to Haidilao's version but they are on a lighter and diluted version, which is also not a bad choice as it makes a better soup base for the steamboat ingredients as the soup will not overpower the original taste of the food.

Similar to most of the hotpot places, they have a self-serve condiment station with a wide range of home-made sauces for you to choose.

There were a lot more ingredients that we were not able to try because of the wide variety of choices here. We spent a total of $50+ for 2 pax, which is pretty much affordable for a good supper meal. And oh did I mention they are open until 4am daily as well?

Steamov is a modern steamboat concept which makes another good supper place if you are around Chinatown area. With so many steamboat places currently, Steamov distinguishes itself from providing a wide range of food, displaying on the conveyor belt. It is a no frill dining concept suitable for anyone who wants to have a cheaper alternative steamboat affairs with your family or friends.

Damiao Hot Pot 大妙火锅 - Steamboat in Clarke Quay

• Operating Days: Daily
• Operating Time: 11.30 AM to 4 PM
• Address: 3C River Valley Road, #01-11, The Cannery, S 179022
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Being a hot pot lover, we have decided to try the highly raved Damiao hotpot 大妙火锅 as many were saying it is more premium and comparable to Haidilao hotpot 海底捞.

We were there at 6:30pm on a weekday and we have no problem finding a table for two.

At Damiao, they have the daily special Sichuan Cultural Show at 7:30pm. Their performance include Sichuan Opera 变脸 and Tea Art Performance. It’s actually one of the highlights here to wait for if you are dining around this timing.

It has a mini platform for their performers.

Similar to Hai Di Lao, they have an area for various types of sauce. However, the variety of the sauce is limited. Each pax will be charged at $3 for the sauce.

The type of soup base you can choose at Da Miao. We took the traditional yuan yang soup pot.

You can customized your soup base to the level of spiciness you want. We requested for less spiciness and less salt for our pot.

We ordered a 1/2 plate pork collar. It was indeed fresh and nice and we decided to order 1 full plate later.

We have heard so much about the fried muah chee at Da Miao and so we decided to order it immediately after we sat down. At first we were unsure what is this called, and we looked through the iPad for quite some time before we finally found it.

You are suppose to dip inside the sweet black sauce, before you mix it together with the crushed peanut with sugar. It is fried to a perfection — crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. We quite like this fried muah chee, however, maybe because we were already having an expectation before we tasted it, we felt that it is decently nice— but slightly below our expectation.

We’ve noticed this cute little can of sesame oil from Da Miao and we decided to give it a try. It taste just exactly like sesame oil — which was different from what we expected (because of its packaging so we were kind of giving high expectation on it as well).

We ordered the 炸醬面 as our staple. It tasted like beef with noodle and the level of saltiness was just right. The portion of the minced meat given was not stingy.

Our full portion of pork collar! It was thinly sliced and very fresh, and it is good enough on its own after cooked without pairing with any sauce! They have pork belly too but we preferred lesser fat this we went for this.

After waiting for about 1 hour, the face changing performances is finally here! Other than the lighted platform, the performer will walk towards the entrance to perform as well. The whole face changing performance lasted for about 15 - 20 minutes. Something different and considered an eye opening performance to us as we do not have a chance to sit so close to the performer.

After another 15 minutes later, the tea appreciation performance started. We realized that it was the same person from the face changing performance. Really very talented.

Da Miao Hotpot provides a solid place for fresh food and nice ambience for gathering, and its good for business lunch / dinner with clients as it is spacious. Though the service from the staffs were good, we still prefer the service we get from Haidilao as the staff there is more attentive to little details of their customer, from giving you an apron, a ziplock bag for your handphone to even hair ties for ladies before sitting down. The condiment corner at Haidilao has much more variety as well. Unlike Haidilao, It took us a while for the waiter at Da Miao to realize that we needed their help to add on our order, as the iPad menu needs the password of the staff. It is something that Da Miao can consider removing if they want their customer to have a seamless dining experience.

Yi Jia Seafood 億家海鮮 - Restaurant at a quiet corner for good Seafood!

• Operating Days: Daily
• Operating Time: According to their locations
• Address: Multiple Locations
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In Singapore, there is a zi char stall named Yi Jia Village Seafood Restaurant, and just across the custom in Johor Bahru, they have a similar restaurant called the Yi Jia Seafood restaurant 億家海鮮. Currently, they are 4 restaurants outlets in Johor Bahru. Each of them has their own unique decoration. We went to this new restaurant at Permas Jaya.

The restaurant is just a 20 mins drive from the custom, located in a quiet neighbourhood block. Plenty of parking lots available (which are shared among other restaurants along the stretch) and most importantly, did I forget to mention that parking is free?

The exterior of the restaurant looks new and good. When we were there at dinner time, there was quite a bit of crowd and we were a little worried that we have to wait for some time for our food to be served. We were lucky that the waitress saw us and quickly allocate a table to us in less than a minute. 

People who came after we had to wait for a bit before they were seated.

Their "aquarium" displaying different types of live seafood.

The menu was presented to us almost immediately after we were seated.

This company has won many prestigious awards as indicated on the menu.

The Yi Jia Crispy Chicken 扁扁鸡 seemed to be a famous choice around other tables and so we decided to order a small portion to try it.

A must order dish if you are eating at a seafood is, of course, the crabs! They have 3 types of cooking using crab - Golden Egg Yolk, Honey Sauce or Otak. We went for Golden Egg Yolk as recommended by the waitress.

They have different operating hours at each outlet, be sure to check the timing if you are heading down.

First came was their signature dish, the crisp flattened chicken, 扁扁鸡. It is quite a unique dish as we did not see any similar dishes before in other restaurants.

The taste of the chicken was not bad in our opinion, however, the portion is considered small even for just 2 people. It cost 9 RM for this 8 small pieces of chicken.

Next is pork ribs 排骨王 (15 RM), this is one dish that does not appeal to me as the skin of the pork ribs presented were too soft. The meat was also too hard to my liking. It would be better if the chef can pre-fry the pork ribs to brown at the side, before mixing them together with the usual sweet and sour sauce. The overall taste was normal.

Next was potato leaves with sambal sauce (10 RM). I like how their sambal sauce, not as oily as others with mild sambal taste did not overpower the original taste of the potato leaves, preserving the crunchiness on the stem. One of the recommended dishes here.

Next came was the Fuyong fried egg 芙蓉蛋 (8 RM). Difficult not to love, it is one of the most popular dishes commonly found in a typical Chinese restaurant in both Malaysia and Singapore. The egg here was mixed with ingredients such as char siew, shrimps and plenty of spring onions, and pan-fried to golden brown, on the whole, ending with a crispy side around. Definitely, one of the best dishes to go with rice.

The finale, golden egg yolk crab came after a short wait. Priced at 1kg for 120 RM, the price was reasonable and worth the money. Most importantly, the meat was sweet, tender and very fresh!

Unlike the usual dry salted egg crab dishes, we were quite surprised to see the generous portion of salted egg yolk sauce given! We even scooped the sauce onto our plain rice! We like the sauce so much that we decided to order mantou 馒头 (fried buns) just to soak up all the sauces of the dish and ate it. Really a must order when you are here!

The price isn't the cheapest you could get in JB, but at least it's a decent eating environment with quality food. And they accept credit card payment as well if you have not enough cash on hand.

If you are a lover of seafood, you should try out Yi Jia seafood as the seafood they serve there is of a higher quality as compared to the usual zi char stalls in JB. Though they are not the cheapest you can find, it is still worth visiting if you are around the Permas Jaya area.