Sunday, December 9, 2012

Teochew Traditional Steamboat Restaurant (锦记海鲜火锅) @ Joo Chiat

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I love to eat steamboat because it is a joy to be eating with a group of people together with lots of varieties on the table. I have passed by Teochew Traditional Steamboat Restaurant at Joo Chiat on several occasions and the restaurant is always crowded. However I have not visited the restaurant until recently with a group of HungryGoWhere foodies.

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Dipping Sauces

Two types of dipping sauces are served here. My favourite is the combination of soy sauce, chopped red chilli, spring onions and fried garlic dipping sauce. For those looking for a more fiery kick, the bright orange chilli sauce will sure break one into a sweat.

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The steamboat here is ala carte style. The owner a Teochew himself believes the importance of freshness and authenticity of the ingredients determines the quality of the dishes. Only one choice of soup base here that is boiled over 5 hours using chicken bone, shark bone and other high quality secret ingredients resulting in a natural sweet taste.

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Homemade Fish Balls 4.5/5

The restaurant freshly hand made their own Fish Balls ($5) daily. The fish balls were very bouncy and springy.

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Fish Kway Teow 4.2/5

Made with fish paste, the Fish Kway Teow ($5) was firm in texture and came with a delectable bite.

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Spinach Fish Paste Noodle 3.8/5

I applauded the creativity of the chendol like Spinach Fish Paste Noodle. I understand it is a new creation by the restaurant. Although the texture was very enjoyable, I find it a bit too small in size to enjoy it to the fullest. It felt like the taste got lost among the more flavourful ingredients and soup.

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Chef's Recipe Squid Ball 4.8/5

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Similar to the fish paste, the Chef's Recipe Squid Ball ($8) totally won me over. This is a must try. Unlike fish paste, the squid paste had a robust and springy texture. Bite size chestnut in the squid paste was an added texture enjoyment.

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Top Rated Fish Maw 4.8/5

The superior Top Rated Fish Maw ($38) was imported from the best grade in Indonesia. The fish maw does not have the fishy taste, soft and firm absorbing the sweetness of the soup.

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Prawn Wanton  4/5

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Pork Dumpling 4/5

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Fried Dou Gen 4/5

The steamboat menu offers a huge selections of ingredients such as Prawn Wanton ($6), Pork Dumpling ($5) and Fried Dou Gen ($4). All were quality ingredients with delish and generous fillings.

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Japanese Crab Stick 4.2/5

The Japanese Crab Stick ($5) is unlike the low quality imitation crab stick who can get at supermarket. I have to admit these were the closest to the real thing I have ever tasted.

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Fresh Sea Prawn 4.5/5

The Fresh Sea Prawn (market price) was big and succulent. These deep sea prawns had a firm and crunchy texture with a nice sweetness to it.

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Silver Promfret 4.5/5

What is Teochew steamboat without the promfret. The Silver Promfret (market price) was really fresh. This is also my prefer fish for steamboat as it has very little scales. Cooking it in the steamboat gave the soup the extra natural sweetness.

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USA Prime Beef and Pork Belly 4.2/5

If you are a meaty person, the restaurant also offers different types of meat imported from USA and Brazil. The USA Prime Beef ($10) and Pork Belly ($8) will be a good addition to the steamboat feast with its premium quality.

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Pork Knuckle 4/5

Besides the traditional Teochew Steamboat, the restaurant offers a range of speciality dishes created by the chef. The Pork Knuckle ($30/$35) was one of the popular dishes at the restaurant. The pork knuckle has a nice crackling skin and the meat was not too fat.

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Golden Prawns 4.5/5

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Golden Prawns

An appropriate name for the Golden Prawns ($20/$30) which was fried to a nice golden colour. Having tried butter prawns and cereal prawns, the golden garlic prawns is my new found love. The garlic taste was not overpowering and the prawn was fresh and crunchy.

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Teochew Style Sea Cucumber 4.2/5

The Teochew Style Sea Cucumber ($30/$35/$40) stuffed with minced meat and mushroom filling was very well executed. The sea cucumber was firm but yet soft in texture with a nice balance of flavours and textures.

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Yam Paste with Gingko Nut 2.5/5

Wrapping up the dinner was the classic Teochew Orh Nee or Yam Paste ($15/$25). I was looking forward to it since it is one of my favourite desserts and it is prepared by a Teochew restaurant. The yam paste was unfortunately on the dry side and did not have a smooth texture. I had a tough time finishing it, felling short of my expectation.

The restaurant promises Money Back Guarantee if the food is not good. Although the price maybe a bit on the high side for steamboat, the restaurant promises fresh and premium ingredients. In addition, the cooked dishes were top notch too.


Teochew Traditional Steamboat Restaurant (锦记海鲜火锅)
176 Joo Chiat Road
#01-01
Singapore 427447
Tel: +65 63488924
Nearest MRT: Paya Lebar (CC Line, EW Line), Dakota (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 230pm, 5pm - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Paya Lebar MRT station. Head south towards Geylang Serai Malay Village. Cross Geylang/Changi Road and continue onto Joo Chiat Road. Turn left into Joo Chiat Place. Journey time about 20 minutes.

2) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Walk to Bus Stop at Blk 99 (Stop ID 81181). Take Bus 33 towards Bedok Bus Interchange. Alight 5 stops later. Cut across the carpark and walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes.

1 comment:

  1. Food is pricey. Quote one price for pomfret and brought out revise up to S$50 for small one. No thanks I get black pepper crab for that price. The soup base is good, although there is definitely MSG.

    None of that would have detracted much from the experience except for the fact that they charged us S$8 for 2 appetizers. It turned out those are the two tiny saucers (fish floss in one and pees and tiny prawns in the other) they brought out with the dipping sauce when you first come in. We did not even touch them.

    Feel cheated. If run good business and sell good food, then no need play tricks. Can bring out, but let customers know. I guess they have incentive to be sneaky. From their perspective, sneak in appetizers with free sauce, no one would ask. Then put it on the bottom of receipt, no one would see. Seems like change but S$8 per customer with at least 50 customers a day and open every day. That's S$146,000 annually.

    Will not be coming back.

    So beware and tell them to take back if you don't want.

    ReplyDelete