ikkousha Ramen 博多一幸舎 - Best Tonkotsu Ramen?

Saw a friend posting on Facebook sometime back, claiming that this is the ‘Best Tonkotsu Ramen in Singapore’. Decided to have a try over the weekend. Ikkousha Ramen comes from Hakata-ku, Japan - Fukuoka and they specialise in a ‘thick and creamy texture of Tonkotsu pork broth, foaming with bubbles’ for their noodles. They are located in the CBD area, below the HDB estate of Tanjong Pagar Plaza, and is 5 mins walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. The restaurant can cater to about 30 customers at one time. Apparently, They do have another store situated at CHIJMES.

There are 5 main ramen served in this restaurant; ‘Special Tonkotsu’, ‘Tonkotsu’, ‘Black Tonkotsu’, ‘Shio’ and ‘God Fire’. The restaurant comes with free serving of boiled eggs, ginger, spicy takana, and drinking water. Customers can customise the texture of the noodle and saltiness of broth in your bowl of ramen.

We ordered a ‘Special Tonkotsu’ and a ‘Black Tonkotsu’ ramen. ‘Special Tonkotsu’ is similar to their ‘Tonkotsu’ ramen, and only difference is that it comes with more cha-shu and a flavored egg. Their Tonkotsu broth is rich and has a sweetness taste of pork flavour which I find perfect to my liking. They uses thin ramen. I did notice that the temperature of the ramen when served is just warm enough to eat, but I would have preferred it to be hotter. I also find the cha-shu served is a big but very thin slice. For noodles, we opted a bowl of soft and another of normal texture, and find the one with soft texture a little too soft and soggy. I also ordered for Kaedama (extra noodle), which I regretted. The Kaedama is served in a separate bowl and you need to add it to the same bowl of ramen which you ordered. Problem is, by the time you add the noodle to the bowl, the broth would have been cold and the noodle would be stick together. Kinda spoil the experience a little.

‘Black Tonkotsu’ ramen is actually their tonkotsu broth added with galic paste. Thus, it has a strong garlic flavor. The broth, as compared with tonkotsu ramen, is noticeability much thicker and has a bit of powdery taste to it. Garlic lovers may like this.

I also ordered their gyoza. Although this is not the main item in their menu, I am quite a gyoza lover and really like their gyoza as they are really flavourful and much better than many others elsewhere. I recommend to download the ‘JPassport’ application on your mobile phone. On top of giving you points on your bill, they currently have 2 promotions. First, they are giving a serving of 5 gyoza on your first visit. Second, if you visit on the day, 1 day before or 1 day after your birthday, they are giving free gyoza ‘as many as your age’!

• What I/we ate: Special Tonkotsu ramen (S$16.50), Black Tonkotsu ramen (S$14), Kaedama (S$2), Gyoza (FOC)

• Date/Time/Queue status: 15 Dec 18 (Saturday)/ 1pm/no queue

• $ damage: S$ 38.25 for 2 pax

• The Good

  • Rich and sweetness of tonkotsu broth

  • Tasty Gyoza

  • Location. Located in CBD area, 5 mins walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT

  • Free serving of hard boiled eggs and customisable ramen

• The Bad

  • This is my personal preference, but I would prefer the broth served a bit hotter.

  • I do not recommend kaedama (extra noodle).

• The Recommended

  • I have only tried their ‘Special Tonkotsu’ and 'Black Tonkotsu' ramen and I would recommend trying their ‘Special Tonkotsu’. Their major selling point is their tonkotsu broth and with ‘Special Tonkotsu’, you can savour the rich and sweetness of the broth. Do give their Gyoza a try as well. Not forgetting, download the ‘JPassport’ app to enjoy the promotion of free Gyoza.

• In conclusion

  • Food quality: 3.5/5

  • Service: 4/5

  • Price: 4/5

• Address: Apt/Blk 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-104BSingapore 081007

• Website: www.ikkousha.sg

• Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 11.30am - 10pm (Last Order 9:45pm); Sun, 11.30am - 9pm (Last Order 8:45pm)

• Tel: +65 6538-1880

Beef Sukiyaki Don Keisuke - Sukiyaki in a bowl of rice!

Located at the heart of CBD area (below Onze condominium, just beside Tanjong Pagar Plaza), I came across this restaurant by chance as I saw a long queue formed outside the restaurant during dinner hours. Curiosity got the better of me as I went back the next day to try it myself.

This restaurant is one of the string of ‘Keisuke’ brand Japanese restaurants in Singapore, with the majority of their restaurants serving Japanese Ramen. This restaurant is a new concept of serving Japanese beef sukiyaki in a ‘don’. The restaurant only offers 2 different options to choose from. One type is the Beef Sukiyaki Don, priced at S$13.90. And the other is their premium Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don, priced at S$29.90. You will have the option to add-on additional beef or rice, at an additional price; additional US Prime Beef (S$10), additional Wagyu beef (S$25), additional rice (S$2).

The US Prime Beef on the left, and Yonezawa beef on the right.

The restaurant has only 14 seats for customers, all of them are counter seats facing the ‘kitchen’. This is intentional as the chef (who wears white jacket and ties) would cook the beef of your order before you as you watch, hear and smell the sweet aroma of the sizzling beef right before your eyes. The chef would ask if you would prefer the beef being prepared well done or medium well. There are only 2 difference between these 2 types. Beef Sukiyaki don uses US Prime Beef and is served in a silver colored bowl. Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don uses Yonezawa beef from Japan and is served in a gold colored bowl. I tried the US Prime beef first and I found it surprisingly tasty and tender. Being already satisfied, I tried the Yonezawa beef next. The beef melted in my mouth! Having to taste and compare both, the difference is more prominent. I later did some research and found that Yonezawa beef is generally recognized as one of the three most famous beef brands in Japan. No wonder…

Beef Sukiyaki don

Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don

Other than these 2 differences, both of them are exactly the same. Other than beef, ingredients in the Don include Tofu, cabbage, enoki mushrooms, etc. Both of them comes with a bowl of miso soup, a half-boiled egg and sesame Tofu with wasabi. The half-boiled egg can either be used for dipping of the beef before you eat, or to pour the whole egg into your Don. Rice are cooked using Koshihikari rice, from Niigata province. Pickles are complimentary.

What we ate: Beef Sukiyaki Don, Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don, and ice green tea

• Date/Time/Queue status: 9 Oct 2018 (Tue)/ 5.10pm/ no queue

• $ damage: S$56.05 for 2 pax

• The Good

  • Located in the heart of Singapore CBD area, about 8 mins walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station.

  • New and interesting beef Sukiyaki Don concept

  • Their Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don uses Yonezawa beef from Japan, which is generally recognized as one of the three most famous beef brands in Japan.

• The Bad

  • There are a total of only 14 seats for customers at one time.

  • Price for their premium Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don (S$29.90) is a little on the high side. I can’t really say this is a ‘bad’, as paying this price to eat the top three most famous beef brands in Japan would probably be justifiable. Maybe they could add a little something special other than just the difference in beef?

• The Recommended

  • If you are going with your love ones, I definitely recommend for both of you to order different types, so you can try both and tell the difference. If it is your first time and is fine with the S$29.90 price tag, do give their premium Kiwami Wagyu Sukiyaki Don a try. It would be a good experience. If not, honestly just their beef sukiyaki don is tasty enough for me.

• In conclusion

  • Food quality: 4.5/5 (Probably the best beef don I’ve eaten)

  • Service: 4/5 (The chief was nice and even spend some time chatting with the customers)

  • Price: 3/5 (Beef Sukiyaki Don is fairly reasonable, but Kiwami Wagyu Don priced at $29.90 is a little on the high side)

• Address: 11 Kee Seng St, #01-01 Onze @, Singapore 089218

• Website: https://www.facebook.com/KeisukeTokyoSG/

• Opening hours: Daily, 11.30am - 2.30pm / 5pm - 10pm

• Tel: N.A.

Yin Ji (银记肠粉店) - Best 'chee cheong fun' in Singapore!

Nowadays, it is getting more and more difficult to find nice and authentic comfort food in Singapore. If you are like me, who grew up loving rice noodle rolls (chee cheong fun), you will love Yin Ji. Located in Far East Square, it is about 5 mins walk from Telok Ayer MRT station. Apparently, they are a chain restaurant with a history of 60 years, making its name in Guanzhou and Canada.

The restaurant serves a wide variety of rice noodles rolls and congee, with some selections of noodles. The place was very clean and probably as the location is in the CBD area, it was fairly empty on the Saturday when I visited the restaurant.

Their congee is the typical cantonese congee, a bit sticky, with lots of ingredients in it. I ordered their Century Egg & Pork Congee (S$6.50) and on top of century egg and pork, it also topped with fried peanuts and sliced fried egg. The taste is a little bland to my liking and I ended up adding some pepper and soy sauce.

I also tried their dry Salted Pepper Chicken Chop Noodles (S$6.50), which was not in their standard menu. The noodle was springy and blended well with the sauce and salted pepper chicken. The texture of the chicken was a little dry though. It also came with a bowl of broth, which has a strong prawn taste to it.

Rice noodle roll is what this restaurant specializes in and it was the main reason I visited the place.  I ordered the Fried Dough Roll (S$4.50) and Char Siew Roll (S$6). They did not disappoint. The Fried Dough Roll is a dish that is not commonly found in Singapore. The chewy texture of the dough, wrapped with the silky rice noodle roll on the outside, added with the sweetness of the sauce, all adds up to a simple but complete dish. 

Char Siew Roll is what caught us by surprise. I am not a huge veg lover and conventional rice noodle rolls do not come with any veg in them. I was contemplating really hard to ask for it to be removed when I ordered. Glad that I didn't as the addition of lettuce in it added a refreshing taste and crunchy texture to it. The dish is served in one flat, broad roll of rice sheet. The Char Siew is very tender and unlike the traditional Char Siew Roll which are diced into very small pieces, these are served in big pieces. Adding the sweeten sauce, this dish blended extremely well and each mouthful packs a punch. This would be our main reason for revisiting the restaurant.

• What we ate: Century Egg & Pork Congee, Chicken Chop noodle, Fried Dough Roll, Char Siew Roll, Cold HK Milk Tea
• Date/Time/Queue status: 7 July 2018 (Saturday)/ 2pm/ no queue
• $ damage: S$25.50 for 2 pax

• The Good
  • Located in the heart of Singapore CBD area, about 5 mins walk from Telok Ayer MRT station.
  • A huge variety of tasty rice noodle roll
  • Reasonable and affordable price
  • Friendly staff
  • No sales tax and no service charges

• The Bad
  • They close fairly early; 8pm on weekdays, 4pm on Saturday and closed on Sunday.

• The Recommended
  • Rice noodle roll! Not only are they tasty, they have a wide variety. Adding lettuce in it is an interesting idea which surprisingly adds a refreshing taste and crunchy texture to it. I am already looking forward to my next visit and planning what to eat.

• In conclusion
  • Food quality: 4.5/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Price: 4/5

• Address: 133 Amoy Street, Far East Square, #01-01, Singapore 049962
• Website: https://www.facebook.com/YinJi-Singapore-397730760648514/
• Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 11am - 8pm; Sat, 10am - 4pm; Sun, Closed
• Tel: +65 6443 3875

GoroGoro Steamboat & Korean Buffet - Value for money steamboat buffet

I was shopping in Orchard area one day and randomly found this restaurant. Goro Goro steamboat is situated at Orchard Gateway@Emerald, which is at the heart of Singapore's main shopping district. You have to take a lift up to level 4 via the lift beside Crate & Barrel. Considering it is situated at such a prime location, I was surprised that the restaurant is really huge and can cater to more than 200 customers.

This is not going to be your 'atas' (high class) restaurant, but neither is it average in any way. In short, this restaurant has 4 strong selling points; 'Location', 'Variety', 'Quality' and 'Price'. Essentially, everything which you are looking for in a buffet restaurant.

They offer a huge variety of both steamboat ingredients and cooked Korean food buffet. I did not do a count, but I estimated easily more than 70 different variety of steamboat and Korean food, probably one of the widest spread of buffet I have been to. This is on top of the relatively high quality of the food offered. Once an item was finished, I saw that it gets replenished very quickly by the staff. For steamboats, it offers 6 broths (Mala, Collagen, Tomyam, Ginseng, Tomato, and Vege), and you can select up to a combination of 3 different broths. I opted for Mala, Collagen, and Tom Yum on that day. Tom Yum and collagen were ok, but Mala was way too saltish for my liking. I ended up only eating Collagen and Tom Yum the whole night.

A whole line of cooked Korean dishes

Selection of steamboat ingredients

Vegetable for steamboat areas

Drinks corner

Condiments

It is free for children below the height of 90cm. Children, students and senior citizens (above the age of 60) get discounted price. For weekday lunch, dining is limited to 90mins. For the rest of the timing, for a group of 3 pax and below, you are limited to 90mins of dining time, whereas for 4 pax and above, you get 120mins. A $20 will be charged for every 100g of food wastage. Buffet counter closes at 10pm for dinner. Canned soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and ice-cream desserts are available at additional cost. I did not know this at the time when I visited the restaurant but there are often promotions on their facebook page which entitles you to discount when you 'Like' and 'Share' their post.

Price list taken from Goro Goro facebook page

• • What we ate: Standard dinner buffet with Mala, Collagen, and Tom Yum for our steamboat broths.
  • Date/Time/Queue status: 24 Oct 17 (Tuesday)/ 8.10pm/no queue
  • $ damage: S$100.50 for 3 pax

• The Good
  • Located in the heart of Singapore shopping district at Orchard Road, about 5 mins walk from Somerset MRT station.
  • Huge variety, and good quality of steamboat ingredients and cooked Korean Food. 
  • Reasonable and affordable price
  • Friendly staff
• The Bad
  • The broths for their steamboat is not something to shout about. I personally wouldn't recommend their Mala broth which was way too saltish. Collagen and Tom Yum were ok. This is a buffet, so it probably would not be fair to compare with our 'Hai Di Lao' standard.
• The Recommended
  • Their Korean Soy fried chicken was really nice. In fact, most of their cooked Korean dishes were very tasty. Same goes for their steamboat ingredients. Especially their steamboat meat category (dolly fish, beef and pork), not your average low quality and stingy ingredients from other buffets.
• In conclusion
  • Food quality: 4/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Price: 5/5 

• Address: Orchard Gateway@Emerald, 218 Orchard Road, #04-01, Singapore 238851
• Website: https://www.facebook.com/GoroGoro.Asia/
• Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 11:30am–3pm, 5–10:30pm
• Tel: +65 6385 7854

Tokyo Chopped Salad - Best salad I've eaten

This is the best salad I've ever eaten. Since I discover this restaurant, I have probably patronized them more than 10 times now, at least once weekly and I can see myself continuing eating it on a regular basis. Apparently, they are the 1st CHOPPED salad brand in Singapore and their dressings are specially crafted by award winning Chef Teppei Yamashita.

All the salads served in this restaurant are chopped and mixed such that you can easily eat them just by using a spoon. Every mouth you take would be well mixed. They have 6 signature salads, which are crafted by Award-winning chef Teppei Yamashita. Mentai Teriyaki Chicken Salad (S$13.80), Premium beef Tataki Salad (S$14.80), Pork Shabu-Shabu Salad (S$12.50), Corocoro Shrimp Tofu Salad (S$12.80), Healthy Avocado Mushroom Salad (S$11.50), Kaisen Salad (S$16).

Out of the 6, I have tried 4 (Teriyaki Chicken, Premium beef, Pork Shabu-Shabu and Kaisen). I have to say all 4 are very nice, and I have at many times struggled to decide which to pick. Probably my personal favorite is the Pork Shabu-Shabu which goes surprising well with the salad. The idea of beef in my bowl of salad did appeal strange to me at first but their Premium beef was exceptionally tender. They do have a DIY list where you can customise a combination of 1 protein, 4 toppings, and 1 dressing in your salad. I highly recommend this, especially if there are some items which you do not like in their standard signature salads. After trying afew different types, 'Seaweed seasame' is my default go-to dressing.

They do have loyalty cards to customers which provide rewards on every 3th visits (3rd visit entitles you a free drink, 6th visit entitles you a free additional protein, 9th visit entitles you S$5 discount). 

• What I/we ate: Mentai Teriyaki Chicken Salad, Premium beef Tataki Salad, Pork Shabu-Shabu Salad, Kaisen Salad
• Date/Time/Queue status: Frequently, at least once a week for lunch/ 12pm/ usually no queue
• $ damage: Each ranging from S$12.50 to S$18.50

• The Good
  • Loyalty card
  • Chopped salad that can conveniently eating with spoon
  • The taste. This is the nicest salad I've ever eaten
• The Bad
  • Abit pricy
  • Limited seats.
• The Recommended
  • Personal favorite is to DIY with the Pork Shabu-Shabu and Seaweed sesame dressing. I would also recommend their Premium beef, which is surprisingly tender.
• In conclusion
  • Food quality: 5/5 (Best salad I have eaten)
  • Service: 4/5 (Friendly staffs who will even help with advice for your salad)
  • Price: 3/5 (Alittle pricy)

• Address: 9 Raffles Boulevard #01-102, Millenia Walk, Singapore
• Website: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TokyoChoppedSaladMW
• Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 11am - 9pm
• Tel: +65 6266 0152

Kaisen + Pork Shabu-Shaba Salad

Premium beef Tataki Salad

Loyalty Card

Ramen Nagi - tonkotsu ramen chain from Fukuoka

I visited this restaurant on its 3rd day of opening. This is a ramen franchise from Fukuoka, Japan. Their menu consist of the brand's four "king" signature tonkotsu-based (pork bone based) flavours: traditional Butao King (tonkotsu pork broth, $13.90); Spicy Red King (blend of garlic, chilli oil and cayenne, $15.90); Black King (blackened garlic and squid ink, $15.90); and Green King (basil and olive oil in tonkotsu broth topped with grated parmesan, $15.90). You get to customize your bowl of ramen by selecting the richness of the broth, the amount of garlic, the firmness of the ramen, level of spice (from 0 to 10), whether you want pork shoulder or pork belly etc. 

We ordered the 'Butao King' and 'Spicy Red King' ramen. When it comes to ramen, tonkotsu ramen is my favorite soup base and having stayed in Japan for a period of time, I have high expectation when it comes to ramen. 'Ichiran ramen' from Japan, and 'Keisuke ramen' from Singapore are probably the best tonkotsu ramen I've eaten so far.

In conclusion, 'Ramen Nagi' is nice. Though not as nice as 'Ichiran ramen' and 'Keisuke ramen', but it is one of the nicest I tried in Singapore. Their tonkotsu broth is rich in flavor and the noodle they use is 'hosomen' (thin noodle), which is the type of noodle I like best. Having the option to customise your ramen is a plus. By default, their Spicy Red King comes at a spice level 3. I love spicy food and level 3 to me is already quite spicy.

Environment wise, I feel their seats are a little close to one another. (below photo for reference). They have an open concept kitchen and at the time of my visit, there was a kitchen staff who did so much shouting that it kinda affected my eating experience a little.

• What I/we ate: Butao King ramen, Spicy Red King ramen
• Date/Time/Queue status: 14 Oct 17 (Saturday)/ 3pm/no queue
• $ damage: S$ 32.80 for 2 pax

• The Good
  • The option for individuals to customise their bowl of ramen
  • Rich tonkotsu broth
  • 4 interesting varieties of ramen
• The Bad
  • Seats a little close to one another
  • Maybe it is due to their new opening, a little chaotic of the staff as there was some shouting in the kitchen and too many staffs walking around in the restaurant. I would have like to enjoy my meal more peacefully.
  • Not really a bad point, but if you are not a big fan of tonkotsu broth, you will find their ramen abit salty
• The Recommended
  • I have only tried their 'Butao King' and 'Spicy Red King' ramen and I would recommend both. If you like tonkotsu broth, I recommend 'Butao King'. If you prefer spicy broth more, go for 'Spicy Red King'. Personally, I am a die-hard tonkotsu fan and prefer the 'Butao King', but either of them would not go wrong.
• In conclusion
  • Food quality: 4/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Price: 3/5

• Address: Suntec City Tower II #01-512/513, Singapore 038989
• Website: https://www.facebook.com/RamenNagiSingapore
• Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 11am - 10pm (This is their official hours but I was told they may inject a break time between 3pm - 4pm in future)
• Tel: +65 6821 1601

'Butao King' ramen

'Spicy Red King' ramen

You gets to customize your bowl of ramen

Chicken Pot - Chinatown Point Branch

My 2nd time visiting this restaurant. They are a franchise concept originating from Shanghai and currently have 4 outlets in Singapore. Apparently they have won some culinary awards and features in Shanghai.

I have only tried their chicken pot, which is also their most popular dish. They also have beef, prawns and fish pots as well. You get to choose between 3 spicy levels for your pot (non-spicy, Mild Spicy, Spicy). When the pot is served, you have to wait for it to be cooked and boiled using a solid fuel canister.

One of the main selling point is, you get to choose from a variety of add-on ingredients into the pot (each at a reasonable price ranging from S$1.80, S$2.80, S$3.80). The ingredients ranges from instant noodles, luncheon meat, cabbages, abalone slices etc. I did a rough count and counted more than 30 different varieties available.

• • What I ate: Large Chicken Pot, 4 add-on plates (luncheon meat, cabbage, tau pok and instant noodles), 2 rice, 2 drinks
  • Date/Time/Queue status: 11 Oct 17 (Wednesday)/ 7pm/no queue
  • $ damage: S$34.40 for 2 pax (After Fave promotion). If without the promotion, cost would be around S$50.

• The Good
  • In addition to the chicken pot, there are a variety of add-on ingredients which you can choose. This adds a whole new dimension of enjoying the pot.
  • The chicken pot comes in 3 different variations (non-spicy, Mild Spicy, Spicy), catering to different group of people.
  • The broth of the chicken pot is flavourful and even after toping up 4 rounds of soup, the taste is still very nice.
• The Bad
  • The chicken pot is cooked using solid fuel. Chances are, it will burn out before you finish your meal. Not too big of a problem as you can always ask the waiter who will gladly make the replacement for you. However using solid fuel will produce a mild burning smell. To the person seated facing it, he will smell this if he gets close.
• The Recommended
  • I have tried their chicken pot twice in 2 months and I can definitely see myself going back again. I had a sample taste of their new Chicken Pork Tripe (猪肚鸡锅) and it is very nice as well.
• In conclusion
  • Food quality: 3.5/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Price: 4/5

• Address: 133 New Bridge Road, #01-44 Chinatown Point
• Website: http://www.chickenhotpot.com.sg
• Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 12pm - 10pm
• Tel: +65 6443 0978

Solid fuel canister to cook the pot

Jpot Hotpot (珍宝火锅) - Vivo City branch

I have visited Jpot restaurant more than 10 times, and I've been to both the branches at Vivo City and Tampines. Jpot is a steamboat restaurant under the Jumbo group. This steamboat restaurant is considered 'Singapore style' as it serves a variety of local broth such as Bak Kut Teh, Laska, Silky Porridge, Chill Carb, Tom Yum, Herbal, Vegetarian, Fish Head, etc. Which also means you will not find the usual Mala (麻辣) broth there.

Each person gets to choose their own pot and there is even a sign put up saying sharing is not allowed. It has a good variety food which are very fresh, with some selection for cooked food. It has a good spread of condiment as well. Soft drinks are available on a 'all you can drink' basis by paying a flat fee of S$ 3.80.

• What I ate: Bak Kut Teh broth, marinated chicken, iberico pork collar, fried paste beancurd skin, luncheon meat, fish paste tofu, chinese cabbage, spinach beancurd, instant noodle
• Date/Time/Queue status: 7 Oct 2017 (Saturday)/ 3.30pm/ lots of empty seats
• $ damage: S$ 63.80 for 2 pax (After 15% discount which at the date of my visit, was given to all Citibank credit card holders)

The Good

• Steamboat that is cater to local Singapore taste
• Freshness of food
• Good variety of food
• Free internet wifi

The Bad

• Not really much of bad points that I can think of. The theme of this restaurant is a 'Singapore hotpot' after all, so for Mala (麻辣) lovers like myself, saying that they do not offer Mala (麻辣) broth would probably be a little unfair.

The Recommended

• Bak Kut Teh broth would not disappoint. Iberico pork and spinach beancurd are both very nice as well, which I ordered often. 

In conclusion

This is a nice steamboat restaurant which has offers a good variety of broth and food. This is something very different from the other steamboat restaurants. For the food, environment and service which they offer, I think the price is reasonable.

• Food quality: 4/5
• Service: 4/5
• Price: 4/5

• Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-53 VivoCity Singapore 098585
• Website: https://www.jpot.com.sg
• Opening hours: Mondays - Fridays: 12pm – 3pm, 5.30pm – 11pm; Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays : 11.30am – 11pm
• Tel: +65 6273 3536

A good selection of local broth for your pot

A flat cost of S$3.80 for free flow of soft drinks

Condiments

A pork rib included in the Bak Kut Tei broth

126 Dim Sum Wen Dao Shi (揾到食) - Sims Avenue

126 or Wen Dao Shi (揾到食), literally means 'found food to eat' in Cantonese. This place started selling dum sum way back in 1985. It opens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it has another branch at Serangoon Road in Singapore. I and a couple of friends came here on a Sunday morning and it was full-house. By the time we left around noon time, there was a long queue formed waiting to be served. 

I was shocked by the thickness of the menu. This place has the largest variety of dim sum I have ever seen (I roughly counted about 140 different types). Just by porridge itself, it serves 19 different types of porridges. This is on top of the special ala-carte 'Zi Char' menu served during lunch (11.30am-2.30pm) and dinner (5.30pm-8pm) time. Taste-wise, I would say it is fairly average. Not your usual frozen super-market dim sum, but also not something to shout about. One point to note though, despite their huge variety of dum sum, they only serve canned drinks and do not serve hot beverages (No brewed milo, cofee, tea etc). Their dim sum is priced fairly reasonable, I would say it will cost within S$15 per pax. 

• What I ate: BBQ Pock Chee Cheong Fun (叉烧肠粉)，Steamed Yam Cake (蒸芋头糕)，Paper Wrapped Fried Chicken (纸包鸡)，Scallop Siew Mai (带子烧卖)，Glutinous Chicken Rice (糯米鸡)，Pork Ribs (排骨)，Baby Corn with Butter Bun (流沙包)，Century Egg & Minced Pork Porridge (皮蛋粥) 
• Date/Time/Queue status: 1 Oct 2017 (Sunday)/ 10.30am/ We took the last available seat
• $ damage: S$37.90 for 3 pax

The Good

• Price is reasonable. 
• Huge variety of dim sum available

The Bad

• Average food quality
• No brewed drinks (only canned beverages)

The Recommended

• Century Egg & Minced Pork Porridge (皮蛋粥) is about the only thing I would recommend from the food I've ordered. Avoid their Wrapped Fried Chicken (纸包鸡) and Baby Corn with Butter Bun (流沙包) at all cost!

In conclusion

Due to its huge variety of dum sum, opening 24/7, casual setting and reasonable price point, this is a good place to hang out for couples, family or friends. But if quality is what you are looking for, there are much better choices in Singapore, but of course, they also do come at a more expensive price tag.

• Food quality: 2.5/5 (I would give it a 4.5/5 for variety)
• Service: 3/5
• Price: 4/5
• Address: 126 Sims Avenue, Singapore 387449
• Website: http://126.com.sg/
• Opening hours: (Daily) 24 hours
• Tel: +65 6746 4757 / +65 6745 4869

Our order of BBQ Pock Chee Cheong Fun (叉烧肠粉)，Steamed Yam Cake (蒸芋头糕)，Paper Wrapped Fried Chicken (纸包鸡)，Scallop Siew Mai (带子烧卖)，Pork Ribs (排骨) 

Century Egg & Minced Pork Porridge (皮蛋粥)

Their porridge menu

Their Beverage menu

Steamov (食尚捞) - Conveyor Belt Hotpot

Located in the vicinity of Chinatown, the location of this steamboat restaurant is just outside one of the exit to Outram MRT station (Exit H). The concept is an interesting one, a conveyor belt steamboat restaurant. This is not a buffet style steamboat. Just like the conveyor belt sushi restaurant, you pick what you want to eat from the conveyor belt and the amount you pay is calculated at the end of your meal by counting the number of 'sticks' of food you take from the conveyor belt. Each person gets their individual pot and there are up to 10 different soup bases to choose from. The condiments available is fairly standard, not a huge spread as compared to many other steamboat restaurants.

• What I ate: Spicy Pot (麻辣), Fragrant Spicy Pot (香辣)
• Date/Time/Queue status: 30 Sept 2017 (Saturday)/ 3pm/ No queue
• $ damage: S$32.20 for 2 pax (After 25% discount from their new opening promotion)

The Good

• Location is extremely accessible
• Price is very reasonable. 
• Interesting concept. You will keep looking at the conveyor belt with anticipation, as the random selection of food passes you.

The Bad

• Understaff? Takes fairly long for the staff to respond to you. Saw one of the customers complained that they waited more than 20mins for their pot to be served.
• Not for big group. As there are limited seats and probably difficult to arrange everyone to be sitting together.
• Questionable freshness of the food, since the raw food keeps circulating on the conveyor belt.
• Although conveyor belt is interesting, it also mean you need to wait patiently for the food to come to you.
• One of the few (if not the only one) steamboat restaurant which does not serve rice.

The Recommended

• Both Spicy Pot (麻辣), Fragrant Spicy Pot (香辣) are pretty nice. To me, instant noodle goes very well with it.

In conclusion

Interesting and fun concept, with very reasonable price tag for your wallet. But if quality is what you are looking for, there are much better choice of steamboat restaurants in Singapore. After eating it for the 2nd time in 2 weeks, I do not fancy eating it again anytime soon. 

• Food quality: 3/5
• Service: 3.5/5
• Price: 4/5

• Address: 325 New Bridge Road, Thye Shan Mansion, Singapore 088760
• Opening hours: (Daily) 11am – 4am
• Tel: 9380 3883