6 steamboat and shabu shabu restaurants for your CNY meetups

UPIN HOTPOT RESTAURANT

Photo: Upin Hotpot

What's cool about it: Beside the usual bases like ma la soup and pork bone soup, they've got unusual ones like black chicken soup, preserved vegetable and fish soup, and my personal favourite – a sweet and tangy tomato soup base. Trust me, it goes with everything from seafood to pork to even lamb! And the best part is that you can have up to three soup bases at the table, so you really can have the best of everything. Food-wise, it's very similar to Hai Di Lao. Think handmade meatballs, and even a noodle master who will "pull" handmade la mian right at the table. In fact, word has it that several members of the culinary team have worked at Hai Di Lao too! 

#03-87 Clarke Quay Central, tel: 6221-5550. fb.com/upindining. Open daily, 11am-midnight. 

Also read: ​REVIEW: The 11 best yusheng of 2017 for Chinese New Year lo hei

TANG RESTAURANT & BAR

Photo: Tang Restaurant & Bar

What's cool about it: It's almost like having steamboat in a wine bar. The decor is tasteful and discrete, the space is intimate and seats a total of 38 guests only, and the polished service (they'll cook for you too!) feels is akin to that of a fine dining environment. The menu is concise to keep the quality top-notch, and it shows. All the three soups here are free of MSG, and they're so flavourful that you'll want to come back just to slurp up the soup! You can choose up to two soup bases, and I highly recommend the House Special Soup, which is derived from slowly simmering pork bones with fish, fish bones, and old hens. Some of the premium ingredients include Spanish iberico pork, Australia wagyu striploin, and sliced snakefish. The booze list is well curated, with wines from both new and old world regions, and Japanese whiskies and sakes.

25 Keong Saik Road, tel: 6222-7708. fb.com/TangRestaurantBar. Open Mon, Tue-Thu, noon-2.30pm, 5-11.30pm; Fri, noon-2.30pm, 5pm-midnight; Sat & Sun, 5pm-midnight. 

Also read: REVIEW: 18 most delicious Chinese New Year snacks for 2017

SHABU SHABU TAJIMAYA

Photo: Japan Food Town

What's cool about it: All-you-can-eat wagyu beef, that's what. There are three price tiers based on the quality of wagyu beef you choose. The mid-range tier, the Tajimaya Course ($41.90), is the sweet spot for luxe without blowing a hole in your wallet. For that, you get Japanese black wagyu beef, pork ribs, pork loin and chicken thigh. For the buffet, you can either have it as sukiyaki or shabu shabu. The latter comes with two dashi bases: The kelp dashi is provided by default, and you can pick another one – the spicy dashi and creamy salted malt rice dashi are popular flavours. The buffet spread for veggies, tofu and noodles numbers at 20-odd; while not extensive, the pristine quality of the produce makes up for it. Another slightly unusual offering from the buffet line is the Japanese curry rice, which just amps up the comfort-o-meter of the meal.

#04-41 Wisma Atria, tel: 6262-3240. japanfoodtown.sg, Open daily, 11am-9pm. 

Also read: 5 great staycation deals to book in 2017

BEAUTY IN THE POT

Photo: Paradise Group

What's cool about it: If you ever need an excuse to indulge, think of it this way: the Beauty Collagen Broth will be nourishment for your skin! But the Spicy Nourishing Broth is so wickedly delicious – truth be told, even the least spicy version is quite a force to be reckoned with ─ that you should just go for the twin flavour option. This way, you can alternate between the two when the collagen broth starts to feel too rich, or when the spicy one starts to get numbing. The menu is very comprehensive, and I particularly appreciate the fact that you can order half portions to try a bit of everything. While the vibe is not as plush as Tang, Beauty in the Pot has a pretty gourmet selection too, including US Wagyu Ribeye and US Kurobuta Pork. The handmade fish pastes and meat balls are also among the best in town – juicy, plump with flavour, and with a bouncy chew.

#02-21 One Km, tel: tel: 6702-2542. paradisegroup.com.sg. Open Mon-Thu, 11am-3pm, 5.30pm-1am; Fri & Sat, 11-3am; Sun, 11-1am.

SAKURAZAKA

Photo: John Heng

What's cool about it: Premium Japanese meats at an upscale Greenwood Avenue address may sound like an expensive combination, but prices are surprisingly reasonable, starting at $48 for a Kyushu Shirobuta pork set. Sakurazaka has a slight European bent, so besides the usual dashi broth, there's also beef consomme and fish bouillabaisse options for the base – the latter is almost as luxurious as lobster bisque! All the sets come with an appetiser, assorted seasonal vegetables, and your choice of udon, egg noodles or Japanese rice for carbs, and a shaved ice dessert. You'll want your camera around, as the very act of starting your shabu shabu meal by grilling your starters ─ wagyu beef, iberico pork, or prawn and scallops respectively – over a hot stone and dipping the food into a quivering, sukiyaki-laced onsen egg is quite #foodporn-worthy! But the best part is probably at the end of the meal, when the staff comes around to prepare a simple risotto ─– yup, you read right – with the remaining broth. 

4 Greenwood Avenue, tel: 6463-0333. sakurazaka.com.sg. Open Mon-Fri, 6-10.30pm; Sat & Sun, 11.30am-3pm, 6-10.30pm. 

Also read: REVIEW: Get your Korean food fix at the new Singapore outposts of South Korea's trendiest restaurants and cafes

STEAM BOX

Photo: Steam Box

What's cool about it: Think of it as a healthier take on steamboat. Instead of throwing all your food into one big pot, you'll be steaming them over a porridge base. Besides the usual meats, seafoods and veggies, this steam pot concept means you can also steam up dim sum items such as otah siew mai, and crystal dumplings. The staff will first set up the bottom pot with the ingredients and broth for your preferred porridge base ─ there are 4 options, including century egg porridge with pork ribs, and a clams-and-dried scallops version – and there will be a perforated steaming rack for you to cook the other foods. They've made it quite idiot-proof by colour-coding the plates by cooking time (there's even a timer on the appliance), and generally, everything can be ready to eat in 2-6min. By the time you're ready for your congee, it would have soaked up all the yummy flavours from the steam cooking. 

68 Serangoon Garden Way, tel: 6281-6939. fb.com/SteamBoxSG. Open Tue-Fri, 11am-3pm, 6-11pm; Sat & Sun 11.30am-11pm.