The Humble Hotpot Comes of Age!
Remember the days of Marina South? Back then, hotpot meant a big communal buffet spread where you boil your stuff, grill your stuff and eat as many prawns as you can. Those days are but fond memories now.
Today, Singapore’s hotpot scene is HOT. We are seriously spoilt for choice. From Sichuan mala hotpot with its tongue-numbing spice to Japanese shabu shabu with its delicate dashi. From Taiwanese-style individual pots to Korean jeongol, Hong Kong styled hotpot and good old Mookata. The options seem endless but Singaporeans still can’t seem to get enough of it.
But if you are looking for the ultimate hotpot experience in Singapore right now, Bon Broth is in a league of its own.
This atas Hotpot concept is the brainchild of Chef André Chiang, the Taiwanese chef who once ran the two-Michelin-starred Restaurant André right here in Singapore. At its peak, Restaurant André was ranked second in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. He closed it voluntarily in 2018, moved back to Taiwan to open RAW in Taipei, then helmed the celebrated Sichuan Moon at Wynn Palace in Macau. Now he is back in Singapore with something completely different.
Meet your Soup Sommelier
Bon Broth is a personal hotpot concept where the soup is the star, and they will make sure you know it the moment you walk in. You sit at a circular bar with your own individual pot. Before you even order, you are invited to the Broth Bar where a soup sommelier walks you through eight different broths.
Lisa adds:
However, you are only allowed to taste two before deciding. I think this is where they need to improve, because it can feel quite stressful having to pick only two. The sommelier was kind enough to let us try more than two when we asked politely.
A better way, I feel, would be for the soup sommelier to ask about your preferences and then suggest as many broths as she deems suitable. That would have made for a better experience.
Nonetheless, it is a genuinely novel concept and one that sets the tone for everything that follows. For parties of four or more, there is also the option of dining together at a table.
I went for the Hokkaido Milk and Miso Collagen Broth because I like my broths thick and rich. Built on grouper fish head stock with miso, sake and Hokkaido milk, it was silky and deeply savoury from the very first sip.
Lisa had the Signature Sichuan Green Pepper broth, which is lighter but carries a gentle lingering kick from Sichuan green peppercorn. Two completely different broths, so between us we could really appreciate the range. They also have satay and laksa broths as a nod to our local flavours, as well as mala and sauerkraut for those who prefer something more robust.
Straightforward Menu
The menu is straightforward. You choose between the Deluxe ($110++) or the Premium ($138++). Both sets come with six seafood items, three meats, fresh vegetables, fish dumpling, handmade shrimp paste and braised beef three treasures.
The extra $28 for the Premium comes with some serious upgrades. The Deluxe gives you seabass, mussels and squid with Australian lamb shoulder. The Premium swaps those out for cod fish, Boston lobster and South African abalone, along with Kagoshima Wagyu, Iberico pork and duck breast. The upgrade was a no brainer for us.
All the ingredients were top notch but the highlight was the live lobster. When it goes into the broth, the legs are still twitching. The meat was sweet, tender and absolutely pristine.
The Wagyu and pork were beautiful cuts, well marbled and lovely to look at. My only gripe is that both were sliced a touch too thin. After a quick dip in the broth, each slice shrinks into a tiny little morsel that disappears before it even registers. A little more thickness would have made them perfect.
The Hokkaido Milk and Miso Collagen Broth held up beautifully through the meal. I will say it did get a little on the salty side as we cooked more ingredients into it. It started off just right, so I would have preferred it a touch less seasoned at the start. But by the end, with all the vegetables and the meat having given their essence to the soup, that final bowl of broth was an absolute joy to drink.
One thing I was initially sceptical about was the no-sauce policy. Chef André’s philosophy is that the broth is good enough to stand on its own, and no dipping sauce is needed. I thought that would bother me. It didn’t. By the time we were halfway through the meal, I had completely forgotten about it.
Conclusion: Is it worth $138++?
Yes, but not every week. I’d come for a special occasion where you want to slow down and really savour what is in the pot. For that, Bon Broth delivers. The bar seating means the service staff are right there throughout the meal, attentive without being intrusive. It feels looked after in a way that most hotpot restaurants simply do not.
Chef André has taken a very familiar format and elevated every single element of it. The soup. The ingredients. The service. Even the way you choose your broth. This is hotpot, but not as you know it.
