The Ultimate Guide to Best Steamboat in Singapore

Singapore, despite its fiery weather, is home to many steamboat restaurants and eateries. Though it may leave us sweaty and heaty after the meal, we Singaporeans do love our steamboats, don't we? 
We have chosen the best steamboat places from the different cuisines- Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai - and put together a list of the best places to have steamboat in Singapore.

Chinese Steamboat

Hai Di Lao Hotpot (海底捞火锅）

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Must try: Mala soup, mushroom soup, seafood soup, marinated chicken slices, pork slices, handmade noodles, handmade dumplings

Bonus: Free snacks and fruits, free manicure, absolutely stunning service

#02-04 3D River Valley Road Clarke Quay Singapore

1030am- 3am daily

6337 8626

Korean Steamboat

Manbok Korean BBQ & Steamboat Buffet

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Must try: Clam soup, clams, mussels, marinated chicken breast, marinated beef, bacon streaks

Bonus: Fountain drinks and ice cream are included in the buffet

277 New Bridge Road Chinatown Singapore

11am- 11pm daily

6557 0939

Japanese Steamboat

Mara Shabu

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Must try: Kelp soup, organic vegetables, ponzu sauce

Bonus: You can buy and bring in the other wonderful items in Pasarbella!

#02-K16/17/18/19, PasarBella @ The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Road Singapore

1130am-3pm; 6pm-10pm daily

6465 1639

Thai Steamboat

Tomyum Kungfu Mookata

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Must try: Garlic chicken, marinated pork, bacon streaks, thai milk tea

Bonus: Thai cooked food are available too

16 Circular Road Singapore
1130am- 3pm; 6pm-1030pm (Mon to Fri); 6pm-1030pm (Sat-Sun)
6536 1614

There you go - our ultimate guide to the best steamboat in Singapore! Go on and sweat it all out, because they are definitely worth every once of it. Let us know if you would like to add a special steamboat to our list!

Tom Yum Kungfu Mookata at Boat Quay

Mookata is the best invention of the Thais. Mookata is the second best Thai thing that I love, the first being Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok. I totally love the shopping and food in the land of smiles! Okay, I digressed. Let's come back to Singapore, Boat Quay- we were at Tom Yum Kungfu for their mookata!

I love the feel of both the exterior and interior of Tom Yum Kungfu- retro, rustic and it made us feel like we were not in Singapore but in Thailand itself. The heat from the setting sun added on to the experience as well.

The selection for the mookata ingredients were wide and varied. On top of the mookata ingredients, Tom Yum Kungfu offers cooked food as well. We were saving space for dessert after the mookata so we settled for the regular set without the mama noodles and a mango salad.

The mango salad was flavoursome and a tad spicy - which I loved - but I would have preferred the mango to be a little harder and crunchier. I loved the cashew nuts that topped the mango salad- they were roasted to perfection and had a nice crunch. Lethal combination!

Tom Yum Kungfu serves traditional Thai beverages too. We had the Iced Thai iced tea which was creamy and not too sweet, just the way we like it. The lemongrass was a tad watered down, but it was still a blessing in the blistering heat.

Our regular set was arranged very prettily in their carousels. The portion was just right for a party of 2 to 3. The variety was nicely distributed between the BBQ and the steamboat.

Tom Yum Kungfu uses charcoal to heat up their mookata. The entire 'spaceship' was piping hot and radiating heat all around. But it is all worth it as the charcoal added such awesome flavour to the BBQ meat and created such awesome essence that slowly trickled and collected in the steamboat soup. Lip-smacking!

The mookata at Tom Yum Kungfu is worth a visit, no, make it many visits. The meat is well marinated and the soup base flavourful. Be prepared to brave the heat and the smokiness and the greasiness, but oh well, it would be very worth it! Dinner starts at 6pm but they don't take in reservations so do go down early!

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Tom Yum Kungfu Mookata

16 Circular Road Singapore
1130am- 3pm; 6pm-1030pm (Mon to Fri); 6pm-1030pm (Sat-Sun)
6536 1614
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Yum-Kungfu/121731524552605

Manbok Korean BBQ & Steamboat Buffet at Chinatown

Korean BBQ? Steamboat buffet? Put them together and you get a winning formula for throngs of Singaporean foodies. Galen and I were contemplating if we should give Manbok, a newcomer at Chinatown a try, or just to go for the tried-and-tested neighbour a few doors down along New Bridge Road. The coin flip was in favour of Manbok, and we couldn't thank lady luck enough for this incredible find.

The interior of Manbok is modern, clean and sleek. The seats are comfortable; the table is at an appropriate height; the airvent is silent but powerful; the air-conditioning cooling. This was very unlike the experience at 2D1N at Tanjong Pagar where you get grease-coated tables and chairs, and at the end of the meal, a grease-coated you. Manbok was pleasant, very pleasant.

Manbok made Galen and I very happy with its selection of meat for the BBQ. The meat was thawed, no icings or huge chunks still frozen together. There was a wide variety of meat in various marinate. And most importantly, Manbok serves chicken breast- our absolute favourite. To top it off, the chicken breast is marinated with spices that include rosemary and dill. Such fine delight!

Everything sizzled delectably on the grill, that is heated by fire and charcoal. Now, how many Korean BBQ restaurants these days has not taken the shortcut or the cost-cut? The charcoal heated BBQ grill at Manbok greatly enhanced the taste of the meat. The chicken breast was juicy and tender, and not a hint of dryness or hardness. The bacon was bursting with flavour, with a tinge of smokiness. Now, this is exactly the way BBQ should be!

Manbok also serves ingredients for its clam soup steamboat. The clams were an absolute love- sweet and juicy and there are tons more of clams at the buffet table for us to add to the soup. There were also authentic Korean dumplings (mandu) and rice cakes (ddeokbok). Manbok is not certainly not compromising on the variety of its offerings, and the quality of them.

We loved the clam soup so much - it was literally bursting with flavour and freshness. These were just two pots of the many many pots of soup that we had that night. Absolutely heavenly.

There is also a selection of fruits and salads to lighten things up; and also a soda fountain and small tubs of ice-cream to satisfy your sweet tooth after the meal. Everything is well taken care of at Manbok, and everything is done at top-notch quality.

Lady luck led us to this hidden gem off the stretch of shophouses along New Bridge Road at Chinatown and we have never been lucky enough. Manbok Korean BBQ and Steamboat Buffet is our new found fave, and we would prefer this over the numerous Korean BBQ nestled among the shophouses at Tanjong Pagar, anytime. Manbok at Chinatown is indeed like a million blessings for us.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

만복 Manbok Korean BBQ & Steamboat Buffet

277 New Bridge Road Chinatown Singapore

11am- 11pm daily

6557 0939

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot at Clarke Quay (海底捞火锅)

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot (海底捞火锅) is the epitome of good service and quality food. Hailing from Si Chuan, China, it boasts an entire fleet of passionate and attentive service crew, and the finest ingredients and soup base for hot pot. The besties have been hearing about Hai Di Lao from me ever since my internship days in Shanghai, and ever since Hai Di Lao opened a branch in Singapore. Now, the besties may just be sussing me for getting them hooked.

Hai Di Lao is located amidst the myriad of restuarants and pubs at Clarke Quay and is a wonderful addition to this vibrant scene. It is located on the 2nd storey of the stretch of shophouse housing Hooters, and right above Renn Thai. It is a piece of hidden heaven up there.

You'll be warmly greeted by their service staff and many hungry people once the lift door opens. You must make a reservation (which is really very strongly recommended), or you'll be handed a queue number and the wait could be up to an hour. But fret not, lots of entertainment for you to enjoy while waiting.

There is a snack station at the waiting area and you could have (to your heart's content) drinks like herbal tea, sour plum juice and soyabean milk; fruits like longan, oranges, melons; snacks like popcorn and banana chips. Free of charge, and free flow.

Apart from board games, there is also manicure services to keep you occupied. The service is likened to an express manicure, and nail art is available upon request. Again, free of charge.

We left our names at the manicure counter as our table was promptly ready for us. Ordering of food is done on an Ipad. The system is simple and really easy to use. The portions at Hai Di Lao is rather huge, and it is a good thing that they allow orders in halves, just click '+0.5'. This allowed us to try a variety of the ingredients.

We went for the famous mala soup, and the seafood broth. There were already prawns, clams, mussels and fishballs in the seafood soup. Sauces and condiments were free-flow and charged at $4 per person, and the Hai Di Lao special sauce (in red) is not to be missed. It is a good explosion of sourness and spiciness, and goes really well with everything.

To start off the meal, we were first served a bowl of the seafood soup before any other ingredient is added inside. The soup was really rich and sweet. I'm usually not a fan of clear, non-spicy soup, but the one at Hai Di Lao always wins me over. The besties agreed (fervently) with me too.

Items that you must order at Hai Di Lao are the chives and pork dumpling, fish paste, sliced beef, and sliced chicken. I am not a carnivorous on usual days, but Hai Di Lao does their meat really right. Juicy and tender no matter how bad a cook I may be.

You must also order a portion of ramen. The ramen master will come to your table and make the ramen fresh, literally right in front of your eyes. He does his thing with the ramen- the ramen coming so close, yet not touching our faces or any of the furniture or decorations around. The ramen is bouncy and tangy, and is best in the mala soup.

Each service staff is dedicated to 3 tables and with that kind of ratio, you'll get really personal and attentive service. We were given hot towels to freshen up, hair ties to tie up our hair, and zip lock bags to protect our phones. Our plates and bowls were changed frequently, we never see the bottom of our glasses and the staff even offered to peel the prawn shells for us! We were truly pampered the entire time we were there.

Fruits and beancurd were available to sweeten our tooth after the hearty hotpot meal. The beancurd is absolutely tasty- it is comparable to Lao Ban, and is available free-flow. Really yummy!

We got a call from the manicure counter right after our meal- such perfect timing. We requested for nail art and the manicurist promptly agreed, and we spend the next 2 hours or so there, getting ourselves pampered even more.

Hai Di Lao is on the pricey side, but of course you cannot compare it to the run of the mill hotpot restaturants along Liang Seah Street. Hai Di Lao belongs to a different league altogether. Go ahead and treat yourself- your tummy and your nails at this fine hotpot place.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Hai Di Lao Hotpot (海底捞火锅)

#02-04 3D River Valley Road Clarke Quay Singapore

1030am- 3am daily

63378626

www.haidilao.com/sg/‎

Mara Shabu at Pasarbella Grandstand

Pasarbella is a quaint farmer’s market at Grandstand, the former Turf City. Pasarbella is nothing like the typical wet market that ‘pasar’ reminds you of; but is all the things beautiful just like a ‘bella’. The place could be a little inaccessible if you do not drive, but there are shuttle buses from Clementi MRT, Toa Payoh MRT and Bukit Timah Centre.

We ran and ran to take the MRT after work one day, and then ran and ran to the pick-up point at Clementi MRT because we did not want to miss the shuttle bus which comes only hourly. We were like mad men running through the peak hour crowd, and if anyone were to stop and ask us what we are running for, we would be really embarassed to say “Steamboat buffet”. But steamboat buffet is probably like the only thing that would make us run in our working attire- court shoes and all.

The shuttlebus dropped us off at the Westpoint entrance. Mara shabu is at the left corner of the far end if you enter Pasarbella here. It is a cosy setting at Mara Shabu, especially at the booth seats which are good for a party of two to four. For large groups, there is the long table at the centre of the restaurant. Mara Shabu has this cute mascot which is everywhere in the restaurant- points for brand image and consistency.

Mara Shabu offers 3 types of soup: Mara, Suki Yaki and Shabu Shabu. I like my steamboat soup spicy, and Galen likes it seafoody, so we settled for Mara and Shabu Shabu.

The Mara soup came with tons of spices in the red, fiery broth. It was like a fireworks celebration in that half of the pot. In contrast, the Shabu Shabu soup had only a piece of dark green kelp inside the clear soup. It was like a zen monastery. This pot is perhaps the most telling difference between the Chinese and Japanese culture, if you were to zoom it down to the soup broth each uses.

The vegetables at Mara Shabu are organic- there were many holes in the leafy vegetables especially, and Galen took that as strong cues that the vegetables were indeed pesticide-free. There was a huge variety of greens, and they were crisp and fresh. There was also a huge selection of seafood and meat- there’s something for everyone! The best dish at Mara Shabu has got to be its beef slices- the thinness and the proportion of meat to fat is perfect!

Galen and I usually don’t go for the sauces at steamboat restaurants- we prefer to retain the original taste of the food. However, the sauces at Mara Shabu were so awesome that we went for second servings of it! There were recommended concoctions at the sauce bar, and recipe for each. The recommended sauce for the Shabu Shabu soup was the ponzu sauce, and boy, they were right! The sour soy vinegar-based sauce went really well with the light and clear soup. Another recommendation is the homemade Mara Shabu sauce that was a perfect complement to the Mara soup, and especially good for the thin beef slices. A must-try!

These was the first of the many rounds we had that evening, outlasting every table at the steamboat buffet restaurant (as usual). Mara Shabu is a great place for a couple or family dinner for its cosy booth seats and wide variety of fresh ingredients; and also a good place for a friends or colleagues gathering for its spacious centre table and its vicinity to good wines and craft beers at Pasarbella. It is definitely a good alternative to the numerous steamboat restaurants at Liang Seah St in Bugis. Remember that the last shuttle bus service to Clementi MRT or Ang Mo Kio MRT leaves the Grandstand at 11pm.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Mara Shabu

 #02-K16/17/18/19, PasarBella @ The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Road Singapore

64651639

1130am-3pm; 6pm-10pm daily

https://www.facebook.com/MaraShabu