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Steamboat buffets are healthy, but only if eaten right.
Singaporeans love steamboat, despite being a Japanese or Chinese tradition. It seems like no one ever gets bored of eating them – from casual bonding sessions at a local restaurant to annual reunion dinners. Steamboat buffets are almost a staple.
What exactly is a Steamboat Buffet?
Steamboat buffet is a Chinese-style fondue that involves dipping raw ingredients consisting of raw meat, fish, and vegetables in a boiling soup base at a table. It’s sometimes referred to Chinese hot soup and exclusively christened as steamboat in Singapore and Malaysia.
How is it Cooked?
Singapore is a hot country. So, a steamboat isn’t something you’d expect to be so popular in such a place. But oh my! Don’t Singaporeans just love it.
First, the broth is brought to boil in a steamboat cooker and left to heat for the duration. The other ingredients are then added and served.
When is the Food Eaten?
Preferable, the dish should be eaten in winter, when it’s bone-chillingly cold, and everyone is craving for warming comfort food. But following its rising popularity, no one appears to have the patience to wait until it’s winter. Expect to see people indulging in the delicacy all year-round.
The Ingredients Used in Steamboat Buffets
Steamboat foods vary depending on the ingredients used. However, in most cases, these variations tend to include the following ingredients:
- Fish
- Meat
- Noodles
- Tofu
- Mushrooms
- Vegetables
- Egg
How Much Does a Singaporean Steamboat Buffet Cost?
The cheapest steamboat meal costs about S$10 and could go as high as $S50 depending on the restaurant, number of servings, and the type of steamboat ordered.
If your appetite isn’t that big, it can be a great idea to go for a steamboat meal instead of a buffet.
Why is Singaporean Steamboat Buffet Great?
Extended Meal Time: The most interesting part of eating steamboat buffet isn’t the variety of the ingredients used, but the extended mealtime. Cooking your meal at the table will leave you with plenty of time to pal up and get excited over the meal as it cooks. This often results in more satisfaction.
It Gives You Control: Organising and cooking your food at the table allows you to take full control over the amount of time you can dedicate to the whole process. It’s a fantastic choice if you’re in a large group. It’s not just a meal but a team-building activity. You can even delegate the cooking duties to different people.
Suffice it to say; if you’re visiting Singapore, then a steamboat buffet should be in your bucket list.
7 Things You Should Avoid When Eating a Steamboat Buffet in Singapore
As we said, a steamboat buffet is extremely healthy, but only if eaten right – part of which involves avoiding to make the following mistakes:
Dipping in too much Chilli Sauce and Soya
Just one tablespoon of chilli sauce or soya could increase your sodium intake by up to 1000mg and 500mg, respectively. So, you have to be very cautious when dipping any of these into your steamboat. Come to think about it: some of the ingredients are naturally salty. So, if the food tastes bland, the odds are high that it’s over-boiled.
Avoid Going for Meatballs and Processed Foods
Try to avoid meatballs and processed foods such as crabsticks, fishcakes, and sausages, and instead go for raw meat. Granted, the best meat for steamboats are the thinly sliced striploin, lean pork, fish fillets, and skinless chicken. Besides being very low on nutrients, processed foods tend to pack high amounts of nitrites.
Avoid Adding Prawn Heads
Prawn heads are juicy, and it’s true that they’ll impact the sweetness of your broth soup and make it better. However, they’re known for being high on cholesterol. For this, you might want to skip them and just add their body and tail, which contain iron and protein.
Avoid Slurping the Piping-hot Soup
It’s not just a matter of scalding your tongue. There are serious health implications associated with eating steaming hot food. In a 2010 report, high-temperature beverage consumption was found to be the primary course of oesophagus cancer.
Avoid Gobbling Everything
You’ll be tempted to gobble everything. But that’s not something we’d advise. Give your tummy enough time to send signals to the brain. The last thing you want is to continue eating when you’re full. It’s not uncommon to see someone eating three servings of the meals in a single sitting.
Avoid Drinking too Much Scum or Soup
Continuous boiling of soup isn’t as healthy as some people love to assume. If anything, the more your steamboat soup boils, the more nitrite it accumulates. You might want to scoop this scum and throw it away instead of drinking it.
Steamboat Buffet |
Yanxi Palace Steamboat |
| About | Nestled at the enchanted hill, located at The Great Ballroom at Hotel RE!, Yanxi Palace Restaurant 宴喜宫火锅 offers a new premium hotpot experience. Their soup bases are made from scratch, double-boiled and simmered for hours on the stove. |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/yanxipalacesteamboat/ |
| Address |
175A Chin Swee Road, Singapore, Singapore
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| Contact | +65 8858 9711
Email : marketing@yanxipalacesteamboat.com |
| Operating Hours | 12:00 PM – 12:30 AM |
| Review 1 | “Food pricing is reasonable considering the ambience of the environment which is clean and nice. Mala soup base is awesome and food are all fresh. Service of the staffs is superb good especially Mr Danny. Would definitely come back again ” – Angie Pua |
| Review 2 | “Food nicely prepare like a piece of art. Soup boiled with finest quality ingredients. Reasonable pricing. Highly recommended.” -Elsie Law |
Steamboat Buffet |
King’s Laksa Steamboat |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://kinglaksa.com/ |
| Address | 17 Teck Chye Terrace, Singapore 545724 |
| Telephone | (65) 6287 8010 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 11.30am – 12.30am |
| Review 1 | “The Laksa steamboat here was great! Laksa soup base was flavorful and the service was great! Great thing was that they had a Eatigo discount, ingredients were fresh too! Highly recommend place to come get steamboat at late night! Would come again next time!” – Wilfred.L |
| Review 2 | “One of my top choices to head for steamboat buffet” – The Smart Local |
Steamboat Buffet |
Kingdom Food: Goro Goro |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://kingdomfood.sg/goro-goro-steamboat-korean-buffet/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 65094281 |
| Operating Hours |
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| Review 1 | “Love their selection of vegetables! The meat selection is great, but the vegetables selection is beyond many. For liver lovers, they have them as part of the buffet! Also, love the deco and layout of this branch. Lunch buffet is Super good value. We paid less than $18 each after taxes. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼Took mainly videos of this place so check out the vids. 😋” – Trotting.H |
| Review 2 | “A lot of cooked and uncooked food varieties to choose from this place. Nice ambience with good services. I prefer the collogen and bak Kut Teh souping for my steamboat.” – Ricky. S |
Steamboat Buffet |
Guofu |
| Speciality | Fat Cow Hotpot Buffet |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | http://www.guofu.sg |
| Address | 20 Cross Street, Cross Street Exchange #01-31/32/33, Singapore 048422 |
| Contact | Tel: (65) 65570906
Email: guofu.sg@gmail.com |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 11.30am – 10.30am |
| Review 1 | “My go-to place for affordable steamboat with high quality meat. The 肥牛 fatty beef is the highlight for me. Love the 微辣 mildly spicy soup. You can request for a personal pot if you dont want to share. Have to make reservations beforehand though, as it gets pretty crowded even on weekdays. Great customer service too.” – Hailey.T |
| Review 2 | “Amazing quality. Seriously! The xiaolongbao is the best I have ever had too. Definitely worth visiting and coming back to” – Ruming.T |
Steamboat Buffet |
Shabu Sai |
| Speciality | Shabushabu & Sukiyaki Buffet |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | http://asia.createrestaurants.com/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 64621557 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 11.30am – 10pm |
| Review 1 | “Wagyu beef is very good!” – Annie.W |
| Review 2 | “Our favourite shabu shabu restaurant! Price is affordable, food selection is good and fresh. The meats are also of good quality, though the beef has considerable amount of fat. The Eastpoint branch is very cosy and spacious. You can also have free water for drink. We always love to come here and enjoy our dining time while chatting. They also have variety of soup base selection. Our favourites are the soup of the month and seaweed.” – Henry.S |
| Review 3 | “Super worth it during lunch. Not too crowded.” – Michelle.L |
Steamboat Buffet |
Xiang Cao Yunnan Original Ecology Hotpot |
| Speciality | Chinese Style Buffet |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/xiangcaosingapore |
| Address | 26 Liang Seah St, Singapore 189047 |
| Telephone | (65) 6635 8243 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 12pm – 1am |
| Review 1 | “Good to go for the premium buffet package. Wagyu beef slice incloded. The tomato soup base are good” – Ee.W |
| Review 2 | “very nice mushroom soup. Mala and tomato soup is the combo we usually go for.” – Ng Xiao |
| Review 3 | “Very good hotpot. Four different soup bases, wife loves the Mushroom soup base. Was looking for a replacement for J-pot after it moved out from Parkway Parade and found something even better. A wide variety of sauces and condiments to choose from.” – James.G |
Steamboat Buffet |
Jinji Teochew Steamboat |
| Speciality | Teochew Traditional Steamboat |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | http://jinji-teochew-steamboat.com/ |
| Address |
176 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427447 |
| Telephone |
(65) 6348 8924
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| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun:
12:00pm – 2:30pm
5:00pm – 11:00pm
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| Review 1 | “Great tasting food, prompt service. You have the option of soup or porridge base. Ingredients are fresh. We ordered the chicken soup base and it tasted super thick and yum. Reservations are recommended. They also offer other signature dishes as well, the fried tofu was out of the world.” – Mag.E |
| Review 2 | “Good hotpot. The prawn and rice porridge mix super yummy. Love the crispy bean curd.” – Aurelia.T |
Steamboat Buffet |
Beauty In The Pot |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.paradisegp.com/brand-beauty-in-the-pot/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6235 3557 |
| Operating Hours |
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| Review 1 | “This posh steamboat restaurant is all pink. I love the interior and decoration. they have wide variety menu in a min ipad which very interactive. Service is excellent. They have very friendly and attentive crew. Will definitely come back again.” Chris.A |
| Review 2 | “A trendy restaurant in the city. Great location and atmosphere. We had a wonderful selection of dishes that we had from the set of 6 dishes which were all delicious and very well chosen. Service was outstanding. A must see when you visit Singapore! Food is incredible! Service is phenomenal! My favourite restaurant!” – Jeck. J |
| Review 3 | “best steamboat place. love the soup base so much. the ingredients are all fresh as well :)” – Jane.S |
Steamboat Buffet |
Imperial Treasure |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.imperialtreasure.com/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6836 6909 |
| Operating Hours |
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| Review 1 | “Great and healthy place to choose. Great food. Love their broth. Really good to have this on rainy days. And you can view sparkly lights outside ion lining itself. Great place to spend with family, friends, even a date. Food really fresh, none of them are factory made. Even they made their own prawn, fish, squid ball too!” – Siska.L |
| Review 2 | “Fine ingredients and soup base. Prefer their sauce too as compared to other steamboat restaurants. Spacious and comfortable environment. Service is prompt too.” – VL.K |
Steamboat Buffet |
COCA |
| Speciality | Seafood Lunch & Dinner Buffet |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://coca.com.sg |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6259 7176 |
| Operating Hours |
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| Review 1 | “Premium buffet. Fresh and high quality seafood. Value for money compared to ala carte. Highly recommended.” – Justin.L |
| Review 2 | “Marvellous steamboat. Good service. Good variety of tasty broths. Handsome spread of seafood n meat for the steaming pot.” – Wong.L |
| Review 3 | “A very good place for steamboat.. tasty soup (chicken).. fresh prawn.. and many other selections.. Nice!!” – Ah.N |
Steamboat Buffet |
Teng Sheng Korean |
| Speciality | Korean BBQ and Steamboat |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/tengshengkorean |
| Address | 604 Sembawang Rd, Sembawang Shopping Centre #02-24, Singapore 758459 |
| Telephone | (65) 6659 5155 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 10am – 10pm |
| Review 1 | “Reasonable price, nice environment, service is good, staffs friendly, variety of foods 👍👍👍” – Foo Siang |
| Review 2 | “Korean BBQ! Varieties of beef chicken pork veges fruits desserts & drinks. Friendly fast attentive cosy comfy ambience for romantic intimates and families. Free wifi. ” – Lukas.K |
Steamboat Buffet |
City Hot Pot |
| Speciality | Shabu Shabu Hot Pot |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/cityhotpotshabushabu |
| Address | 1 Raffles Place, One Raffles Place #04-28, Singapore 048616 |
| Telephone | (65) 6536 2185 |
| Operating Hours | 11.30am – 830pm |
| Review | “This is the best hot pot I’ve tried in Singapore! The soups are very good. I love the Herbal Chicken soup. Flavourful and sweet. The best part is ALL their ingredients are high quality and fresh. Highly recommended! Service quality is also good. Staff are attentive and friendly without being intrusive. Very nice chill environment, no queues and no stress. One of the best kept secrets!!” – Dorriane.Y |
Steamboat Buffet |
Hai Xian Lao |
| Speciality | Premium Steamboat Dining |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/haixianlao |
| Address | 8 Wilkie Rd, Wilkie Edge #01-21, Singapore 228095 |
| Telephone | (65) 65096194 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 11am – 5am |
| Review 1 | “Cooked food was really great, huge range of choices. I had the laksa and tomato base this time, both were delicious. Raw meat were also top quality. Superb service from the restaurant staff as well! Definitely one of the most underrated hotpot restaurants out there!” – Zhun.H |
| Review 2 | “This is really my style of steamboat dining…..place is Cosy and comfortable and the food Variety is a wide Spread! Will definitely recomand friends and people to visit this place for steamboat….” – Frankie.H |
Steamboat Buffet |
Long Qing |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/LongQingsteamboat/ |
| Address |
18 Hong Kong Street, Singapore 059661
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| Telephone | (65) 6533 1618 |
| Operating Hours | Mon: Closed
Tues & Sun: 6pm – 11pm Wed-Sat: |
| Review 1 | “Hands Down Best Hotpot in Singapore for me. Been coming for years and always consistently quality ingredients & taste. Very friendly service and restaurant setting. Highly recommend.” – C.N |
| Review 2 | “Top quality. Freshest ingredients. Love the mushroom soup base. And the best part is – no MSG!” – Galvin.Y |
| Review 3 | “It is the best hotpot place that uses no MSG in Singapore. My favourite is the mildest form of Mala and the mushroom broth base. The crispy beancurd skin and dumplings are absolutely great with these two broths.” – Sohil.M |
Steamboat Buffet |
Aroy Mak Mookata |
| Speciality | Thai BBQ Steamboat |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/aroymakmookata |
| Address |
476 Macpherson Road, Singapore 368191
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| Telephone | (65) 9052 0555 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 5pm – 1am |
| Review 1 | “This is THE place I go to if I’m ever craving mookata because of the authentic sauces, and the friendly service! Plus, they have thai milk tea towers at 8 bucks! SUPER AWESOME! also, I love the thai sausages! Filled with authentic thai spices, just like the super tasty chilli sauces! Coconut and pandan ice cream is the dessert and it is super flavorful!” – Shermaine.T |
| Review 2 | “Great value, great selection of marinated pork, and fairly good quality, a very sensible choice for mookata dinner” – Glenn.C |
Steamboat Buffet |
Shang Pin Hot Pot |
| Speciality | Customizable Mao Ci |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/shangpinhotpot |
| Address |
6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square #02-102, Singapore 039594
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| Telephone | (65) 65657666 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 11.30am – 11.30pm |
| Review 1 | “My best Hotpot restaurant so far! Price is reasonable and service is superb. Restaurant atmosphere is also very good. Will definitely come back again. Strongly recommended to call to reserve yr seats to avoid waiting.” – James.S |
| Review 2 | “The soup base is deliciously prepared, together with the signature cold tofu and lean pork meat. It is the best Combination that you can have and must order for the treat. Tomatoes soup is a must order.” – Nathan.Z |
| Review 3 | “Good service and nice selection. Complimentary fruits are do sweet” – Patricia.L |
Steamboat Buffet |
Suki-Ya |
| Speciality | Sukiyaki & Shabu Shabu Hotpot |
| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | http://suki-ya.com.sg/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone |
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| feedback@createries.com | |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 11.30am – 9pm |
| Review 1 | “Great for lunch. Lots of variety and very affordably priced with the lunch promotion!” – Fiona.W |
| Review 2 | “Good service and decent quality of food with a nice selection of sides!” – Terence.S |
Steamboat Buffet |
Zong Hua Steamboat |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Mon-Thurs: $19.90/adult $10.90/childFri-Sun & PH: $20.90/adult $11.90/adult |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/Zhong-Hua-Steamboat |
| Address | 95 Beach Rd, Singapore 189699 |
| Telephone | (65) 6337 1655 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 10am – 5am |
| Review 1 | “Great place to eat. Be prepared for a big meal. We had an 8 hour stop over in Singapore and made straight here. The staff speak little English but make up for it in enthusiasm. The other customers will help too. Basically you sit at your table with a hot grill. A bowl of soup is placed in the middle. You select meat, veg, fish then cook it yourself on the grill. The staff will give you suggestions. You can go up as many times as you want and take as much time as you like. Good atmosphere full of locals. Whole lot will cost you S$25 each about £15.” – Lee.R |
| Review 2 | “Delicious food at an insanely affordable price, 10/10 would go again. Boss was super nice to us. Best steamboat in Singapore. 👌🏻” – Christel.S |
| Review 3 | “Open until wee hours of the morning, has BBQ and steamboat” – Javier.L |
Steamboat Buffet |
Yue Long Men Hotpot |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/yuelongmen/ |
| Address | 75 Pagoda Street, Chinatown Complex, Singapore 059234 |
| Telephone | (65) 6909 0611 |
| Operating Hours |
Mon-Sun: 11:30am – 11:30pm
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| Review | “Good quality meats, relatively good selection of steamboat ingredients. Individual pots with no extra surcharge for soup choice” – Shawn.K |
Steamboat Buffet |
Shi Li Fang |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/shilifangsg |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6870 8888 |
| Operating Hours | Mon-Sun: 10am – 10pm |
| Review 1 | “Post exams celebrations at SHI LI FANG is a must! Yay ! Enjoy the ultimate hot Fav! Affordable and fresh quality food hotpot ! Yay!” – Hua.M |
| Review 2 | “The ingredients that I ordered were pretty fresh and the service is good. They have this thing where when you spend $18 you get a stamp and you can use these stamps to get a toy and more..” – Kirsten.T |
| Review 3 | “Great experience at Shi Li Fang! Waiters and waitresses are very attentive and detailed in terms of their services. Their ingredients very fresh as well, must try their prawn glue and their specialty chicken slices. If like spicy steamboat can try their mala soup base. Will continue to visit them!” – Ethan.G |
Steamboat Buffet |
MANLE Hotpot |
| Speciality |
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| Pricing | Click here to view |
| Website | http://www.astons.com.sg/partners/manle/ |
| Address |
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| Telephone | (65) 6634 2538 |
| Operating Hours |
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| Review 1 | “Value for money! I think the quality is good, variety is wide & service is wonderful too! Definitely a good place for food & gathering. I loved the porridge! Always hot & nice!” – Leanne.L |
| Review 2 | “The porridge buffet was worth it! Quite a good spread, fish was fresh and the meat cake was tasty and juicy.” – Stanley.Y |
| Review 3 | “Great hotpot buffet with a wide array of different meats, seafood, & vegetables. If you sit by the window, you get a stunning view of the water park below. Perfect place to feast on a truckload of meat, mushrooms, eggs, & garlic!!” – Jeremy.W |
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