Tan Xiang Charcoal FishHead Steamboat: Cantonese Style Steamboat Soup by Ben Yeo

We recently gathered for our Mid-Week Makan at a Charcoal Fishhead Steamboat which is located in an industrial area in Kallang. Our group was pleasantly surprised by the exceptional quality of the food, with the highlight being the delicious fishhead steamboat.

The establishment made quite a splash on the internet when it first opened in May this year, driven by the fact that one of its owners is Mediacorp artiste and restaurateur, Ben Yeo. He has teamed up with Chef Cao, a naturalized Singaporean who was part of Team Singapore at the 2015 World Championship Chef Competition in Shanghai.

Ben shared that the motivation behind opening a steamboat restaurant was his fond memories of enjoying steamboat with his family as a child. However, in those days, steamboats were a luxury that he only got to experience during Chinese New Year!

The main complaint leveled at the restaurant by customers when they first opened was the long waiting times. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they had a shortage of manpower when they first started, and secondly, Chef Cao insists that everything be made to order to keep things fresh. They have since managed to solve the manpower problem, but since they still don’t pre-cook any of the dishes, the waiting time can be a little long when it is crowded. To assuage your hunger, they have borrowed the idea from Hai Di Lao and have set up a snack station where you can help yourself to some snacks while waiting for your food to arrive.

Overall, we had some really good dishes there and the access is very good as the car park is just outside the canteen, so it’s a place worth considering next time you are looking for Fish Head Steamboat and Zi Char.

Must Try Dishes

The fishhead steamboat here is excellent. I like the soup base, which Ben mentioned is more akin to Cantonese-style soup. It involves boiling pork bones, chicken feet, and various dried seafood for many hours to create a hearty soup with a velvety mouthfeel. I also like that the fish is presented on a separate plate for you to cook yourself. This way, you can better assess the quality of the fish and ensure it is not overcooked. You can also order other ingredients for the hotpot, like their handmade pork balls, which are also very good! 4.5/5

Our kakis were also unanimous about the kampung chicken. It’s perfectly poached so that the meat is just cooked and has a good bite while the skin is slippery and bouncy. The ginger sauce is good though I felt it could have more of a gingery kick. 4.25/5

Note: This dish is only available on weekends

Can Try Dishes

In order to add a twist to the usual lobster sang meen, they substituted it with crispy bee hoon, which is quite unique. You seldom see bee hoon prepared this way. It isn’t deep-fried, so it doesn’t resemble the crispy garnish used to decorate a plate, nor is it like chao tar bee hoon. What they have done is coat the bee hoon with egg and pan-fried it, giving it the texture of sang meen but with a different flavor. Quite innovative, though I still feel that sang meen would have tasted better with the lobster. 4/5

Their hae zhor is quite competent but not outstanding. The exterior is crisp and the filling is tasty but it isn’t something I yearn to eat again, although I would still order it if I were dining there. Know what I mean? 4/5

Their yam ring is actually quite impressive to behold. They make the yam ring in-house with added charcoal powder to turn it black. I also like the nice and plump butterflied prawns that they use. Unfortunately, the yam flavour just wasn’t as distinct and it was a tad dry inside. 4/5

Try If You Must Dishes

We were all quite excited when the Hakka fried pork arrived. The good thing about this zi char is that they only fry the pork on order instead of pre-frying it before the dinner service and doing a quick second fry when it is time to serve the dish. That is one of the reasons why the waiting time is long. So the pork was crisp and juicy. However, the flavor of the marinade just didn’t pack the punch we were expecting, and the pork could be a little fattier. 3.5/5

Their truffle prawn was nicely executed but I just felt the truffle paste didn’t quite gel with the sweet mayonnaise. The quality of the prawns was good though. 3.5/5

Just a quick reminder to check out the snack bar while waiting for your dishes to arrive. They also have free ice cream for dessert after the meal!

Conclusion

Another place to consider for your next Fish Head Steamboat meal. They have some very good dishes here that are worth the calories. Do take note that they do get quite busy on weekends and the waiting time can be a little long.

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