Author:  Jennifer Cheong, MBA Office

Along Liang Seah Street & Beach Road (opposite Bugis Junction), one can find rows and rows of steamboat or hotpot restaurants.  Hot pot or steamboat is a style of cooking  common in various place in Asia, where various types of meat, vegetables,seafood  and other Ingredients are boiled in a single pot or sometimes with dividers such as the picture below- the soup stock comes in a variety of flavors as well. The restaurants will be bustling with people of all ages and are especially popular with youth group outings because they are extremely affordable and eat-all-you-can style.

Steamboat is a traditional fare that the Singaporean Chinese especially enjoy during Chinese New Year season.  However, one can always enjoy steamboat all year round with the attractive selection of soup bases and food selections from these restaurants.  The added good feeling about steamboat is  you are cooking it yourselves-!  Here are some basic information for those of you who is a first-timer in a Singapore steamboat affair:

1. Steamboat is usually a group affair.  It is not unusual to find big groups chatting happily over the hot pot while waiting for their meat & vegetables in the soup to be cooked.  The pot is shared among your group and everyone cooks their food in the same pot.
2. Do not be shocked when the waiter piles plates of raw meat and vegetables on your table right beside your boiling hot pot.  You are supposed to cook these in the hot pot yourself.  Definitely not a nice experience for those who are especially particular about hygiene or cleanliness.
3. Typically, you are allowed to choose two types of soup bases.  Depending on the restaurant, you may choose from the normal chicken, pork or duck broth or the spicy Tom Yum, Szechuan or Ma-la soup.
4. Then pick your meat and vegetable items which can range from pork, chicken, beef, lamb, seafood (prawns, crabs, shellfish) to tofu, mushrooms and fresh local vegetables.
5. Once the food arrives and your soup is boiling, start adding the raw items into your soup to be cooked.  Typically, it is done in rounds where you add all the items, scoop them out once cooked and add in the next round of items to cook.

So head down to Liang Seah Street for an experience of the Singaporean steamboat for your next group outing.  It might just be an oddly hot, steamy experience for you!  A good starting point will be Xian De Lai, located at 18 Liang Seah Street (Tel: +65 6336 7505 for reservations).  And yes, the more people you see queeing up, the better is the restaurant- so better call them to reserve a place.  And enjoy this wonderfully nice experience.