When I got back to Singapore one of my friend proposed to try the new hotpot place at Liang Court in Clark Quay. Hotpot is basically an invention from the Chinese province of Sichuan, normally attributed to Chongqing, where raw food is tossed into a bubbling cauldron of blood red spicy broth. Once the food is cooked it is scooped up by anyone who fancies it. Obviously this good when there are a lot of people eating together. It is possible to divide the broth, one part is usually the spicy and numbing broth, while the other part is a standard non-spicy broth.
The one in Liang Court at Clark Quay has been there for a few months now and according to my friend it is one of the more popular hotpot chains in China. It now has a branch in Singapore and we are raring to try it. Our chance came when we heard they were having a promotion for their hotpot so we arranged a hotput lunch (it was the cheaper one) one weekend.
The restaurant itself is quite unlike most hotpot restaurants we have been to in Singapore, at least the good ones. This one was very classy and the interiors really make it feel expensive. There were a few people already eating their lunch and we coulnd’t wait to get our turn. The specialty of Tanyoto is that they dump fish head insde the hot and spicy broth to give it more flavor. The waitress even set a timer so that we will know when the fish head was ready. Fish head is supposedly the best part of the fish and many people would attest to that. However, I really dislike having to work for my food, most especially when it was already cooked. Cooking food via hotpot was a totally different thing.
The fish wasn’t really that impressive, we just went through the fish and go it over with. We are, after all, after the meaty stuff. Since this was a promotion, a lot of the more exotice stuff was not available. Nevertheless, we still had most than enough servings of beef slices, pork belly and luncheon meat. The broth was also one of the better ones I’ve had. However, it will remain one of the better ones, since there are better ones out there. The side dishes leave a lot of to be desired too, since I’ve been ones with better appetizers.
The upside to Tanyoto is its location. Being right in the middle of the city and in a tourist area, makes it very easy to get to. And being in a proper restaurant environment, the menus have English translations too. For people who want hotpot but do not want the hassle of going to seedier places like Geylang, Tanyoto is a wonderful option. Besides, it won’t be the popular in a land of a billion people for nothing.
To get to Tanyoto, just take the MRT to Clark Quay station and walk to Liang Court, it is in the corner nearest Clark Quay.
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