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!

21 on Rajah Days Hotel Halal Buffet Dinner

21 on Rajah at Days Hotel Zhongshan Park has recently attained Halal certification from MUIS. It was delightful news for us as we were looking for a seafood buffet dinner for a gathering. We had initially wanted the renown Carousel and popular Aquamarine but both were fully booked for the weekend. We decided to give this new contender to the halal buffet circle a try, and we were so glad we made the choice.

The interior of 21 on Rajah was spacious and well-lit with the full glass window. A cute mascot sits in the middle of the restaurant and the joy on her face was contagious- I felt my spirits uplifted just by looking at her.

The seats towards the inside of the restaurant were decked out in blue and white, quite like the Santorini (arh, I'll love to be there right now). The buffet pricing of 21 on Rajah was clearly spelt out on a menu on every table. And indeed, the buffet pricing at 21 on Rajah are very, very reasonable.We were there on a Saturday night, and it was priced at S$35.00++ per person.

At $35.00++ per person, we were very pleased to find that the seafood on ice included tiger prawn, green mussels, snow crab and scallop. My favourite was the tiger prawn and snow crab that were so fresh and sweet. The seafood was replenished very often.

Appetizers include a fresh salad bar which offered rocket leaves that our companion absolutely adored (which I personally would classify as 'acquired taste'). The cold salad bar scored for me. The potato salad was both creamy and crunchy- thanks to the almond that was added to the mix. The yoghurt honey mustard sauce in the chicken salad was very special and the chicken well marinated. The smoked salmon was also another of my favourite here.

If the western cold appetizers do not appeal to you, there is also a local appetizer in stall. You could mix up your own rojak with the selection of fruits, vegetables and of course fried dough. The rojak sauce was very fragrant, and the pounded roasted peanuts added an extra omph to the local salad.

The cooked food counter at 21 on Rajah also did not disappoint. Our favourite dishes included the black pepper crayfish. The black pepper sauce had the wok hei and the crayfish was very fresh. Another noteworthy dish was the roast beef. The beef was juicy and tender, and the mushroom sauce went absolutely well with the red meat.

There was also a live cooking station where the local delight laksa is cooked and served to you upon request. We liked the laksa gravy that was rich and creamy, but not too overpowering. The big tiger prawns that you see here was from the seafood on ice. Now, buffet is all about mixing and matching and finding something that you like right? There, I did it and created the most hearty laksa that I have had in a long while.

Drinks at 21 on Rajah are also included in the buffet pricing. You could have apple juice, rose syrup and lime juice to go with your food. There was also freshly brewed coffee and tea.

The desserts at 21 on Rajah included both international and local selections that were exploding in such vibrant colours. We particularly liked the ondeh ondeh that was so soft and oozed rich gula melaka. The chocolate fondue was a lovely velvet fountain. The chocolate was not too sweet, and just perfect for the condiments.

Our companions and us truly enjoyed our buffet dinner at 21 on Rajah at Days Hotel. The buffet dinner was of great value, the selection of high quality, and the service impeccable. Furthermore, the fact that this buffet is halal certified will certainly greatly enhance it as a choice pick for a gathering.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

21 on Rajah Days Hotel Zhongshan Park

1 Jalan Rajah

Days Hotel Zhongshan Park

6am to 1030am (Breakfast); 12pm-230pm (Lunch); 6pm-1030pm (dinner); 12pm-3pm (Sunday Brunch)

http://www.dayshotelsingapore.com/en/days-hotel-singapore/dining

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

Astons Steak & Salad at Centrepoint

Astons Steak & Salad is a life-saver for 80's kids who miss stuffing yourself silly with baked potatoes, potato wedges and other awesome what-nots at the free-flow salad bar of the now defunct Ponderosa. Each main course at Astons Steak & Salad comes with a salad buffet consisting of cold salads, soups, appetizers, sides, fruits, drinks, ice-cream and the list goes on!

My favourite at the cold salad section is the potato salad and the pasta salad. Both are creamy and rich, and yet not too heavy. I would mix tons of romaine lettuce in, in a bid to just be a little healthy. I just love my potato and pasta carbs.

I could never resist soups, and with 4 choices of soup (2 clear and 2 cream), I had to try them all. My favourite soup at Astons Steak & Salad would be the onion soup- sweet and peppery- very hearty and homely.

The hot salad section offers tons and tons of side dishes, including mac and cheese! The must-eat for this section at Astons Steak & Salad has got to be the sauteed mushrooms with onions. The mushrooms were well-seasoned and very juicy. I must have eaten millions of these!

The ribeye steak ($31.90) was tender and chewy, and to the liking of Galen. The baked potato had this huge slab of butter that was to the liking of me. Baked potatoes are not available at the salad bar so do order it with your mains if you're a major fan!

Astons Steak & Salad not only does their steak right, their fish was perfect too. I liked the bread crumbs batter fish dinner ($23.90) and the cajun seasoning which worked really well with the lemon and tartare sauce.

To sweeten the meal at Astons Steak & Salad are fruits and soft-serve ice cream. If you hadn't already stuffed yourself silly at the other sections of the salad buffet. Though the selection of the salad buffet at Astons Steak & Salad is wide, each dish is of excellent quality. Astons Steak & Salad is well-executed, and I hope that this expansion by the Astons group could avoid the destiny of Ponderosa.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Astons Steak & Salad

The CentrePoint #03-45 Singapore

62350556

1130am-10pm daily

www.astons.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