If you ever feel cold & extremely hungry lingering the streets of Chinatown at the wee hours (e.g. 4-5am), fret not! Because I will be introducing to you just that safe haven your stomach need: Mala Steamboat buffet @ Chao Tian Men Steamboat Restaurant!
A slice of Chong Qing (China) just flew into Singapore and settled in the heart of Chinatown!
Don’t get too excited with the spread as shown below because this is not ALL! They have more than 60 over fresh food items to choose ranging from household delicacies e.g. Luncheon meat, prawns, fish, fish balls to…..
…to even the least commonly seen ones locally e.g. duck tongue, cow intestines, homemade dumplings and in-house specialty meatballs ! I would say almost anything that move in the sea and land excluding humans,insects & pets are included in their menu.
What’s the point of having quantity yet no quality you may say?
So the good news is even their quality are good & fresh! One of the quick test I usually do in a restaurant is to observe their prawns! The texture of meat is firm & succulent after it’s cooked and the peeling was easy-peasy unlike those whose shells will stick to its meat!
Furthermore, both M & I did not end up spending the rest of our night in the toilet! PASS!
How about their meat ingredients? They are well-freezed to prevent it from spoiling! I would also like to compliment that they did a good pick on their beef & pork selection.
Firstly, I can still see the marbling(fat) of the beef is still white and creamy; there isn’t any yellow spots which might signify the drop in its quality.
Secondly, the meat is still bright reddish in color when it was served. For any avid beef lover, they will know that if beef left in the open will be oxidized and turn brownish red just like how an apple would turn brown in the open!
With the preliminary surface checks completed, we tried it after it was cooked! True enough, the taste was just as promising!
Even for their pork, look at how the clearly distinct the layers of fat & lean meat are!
Chao Tian Men Steamboat Restaurant serves up to 6 different types of soup bases namely the ‘Hot Spicy Soup’, ‘Chong Qing Hot Spicy Soup’, ‘Chicken Soup’, ‘Mushroom Soup’, ‘Pig Bone Soup’, ‘Preserved Fish Soup’ & ‘Tom Yam Soup’. All ready to fit any taste buds that walk through the front door!
For diners who prefers a spicier challenge, I dare you to go ahead and knock yourself out with the ‘Chong Qing Ma La Soup Base’! Don’t say I didn’t warn you of its level of spiciness!
The steamboat also comes with a divider such that you can try two different soup bases at one go. So good news for those who are afraid that the super spicy Ma La Soup Base will prove too much of a challenge, you can always fall back onto the less spicy soup bases. For a secondary choice, personally I would recommend the Mushroom soup base. Absolutely enjoy the aroma and thickness of the soup, so much so it is obvious they have warmed it with mushroom for a long time.
Even their dipping sauce variety is just as wide! Let your creativity run wild as you do mix and match to fit you & your friends’ taste buds!
To end off this scrumptious meal, there are also a wide selection of dessert and snacks. Some of their must trys would be the ‘Fried bun with condensed milk’ and ‘Sticky Rice’!
For such a generous selection of ingredients, dipping sauces & dessert, you must be wondering if the receipt is going to end up as long and wide. Rest assured, the pricing here is reasonable as shown below:
Steamboat Buffet Prices
Lunch: $17.80 (Monday to Sun, 1130am – 4pm)
Dinner: $22.80+ (Monday to Thurs, 5.30pm – 5am) and $25.80+ (Fri to Sun and Public Holiday, 5.30pm – 5am)
For dining enquiries and reservations, please call 62208812.
Chao Tian Men Mala Steamboat @ Chinatown
