No secret it is that I love my hotpots- I've written about them more than once- I've taken more than enough pictures of all the pots I've had- new ones, old ones, present ones, even ones that closed down before I wrote about them.
Yes, I know hotpot isn't as healthy as, say, some other cuisines, what with soup base and all, but I don't eat it as often as I say I do (haha) and I'm quite selective about the dishes I have.
To go on would mean digression from the title of this article, which I wish not to do, because, after all, the hotpots of Lunar New Year this year had only three items of choice- beef, fish maw, lettuce- and nothing else.
Two places we went for the festive occasion this year.
One was this place at Shaw Lido, or rather, Isetan, because it really was just next to Isetan on the 3rd floor. The decor was one of the grander ones, fanciful partitions, decorative elements on the walls, shiny gold-colored tablecloths on round tables and all. It was quiet when we got there- only one other couple- maybe because it was an odd hour between lunch and dinner.
We got a mid-sized table- round- already laid with chopsticks and napkins. The pot- also round- came just as we settled down and we got two soups- one collagen, one herbal. From the menu we picked three dishes- lettuce, fish maw and beef. My companion liked the fish maw, there being not many places where fish maw is on the menu, where it is fresh, and is fairly priced. The beef was thinly sliced, nicely arranged, and was fresh enough to be tender when gently cooked shabu shabu style.
Of course, we just had to order more of the fish maw.
Three platters of it in all, I think.
Second day of Lunar New Year saw us at this place in Chinatown. What name it was, I (embarrassingly) don't remember- I just know it was somewhere along Temple Street nearer to the South Bridge Road side. A quirky looking place it was, with an industrial cement floor, heavy wooden tables, wooden bench seats, and penciled artwork drawn on the walls.
There were just two groups- us and another trio of girls- in the place, and they seemed to be having a marvellous time with plates of cabbage, corn, carrots, green leafy vegetables, and prawns here and there in front of them.
We looked at the menu- it really was substantial with lots of vegetables, meats, seafood and all the balls- but we decided on an order of just beef, and beef, and beef.
No matter that we didn't have vegetables or cheese tofu or seaweed or prawns or cuttlefish balls.
No matter that we didn't have lettuce or chicken or pork or fish even.
Because there was wagyu on the menu, the wagyu was reasonably priced, it came arranged nicely on a round platter, and so why not whack it (two platters!) when other places don't carry this offering on their menus at all?