Whampoa Food Street (Keng) Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant

It's been ages since we last visited this Fishhead Steamboat restaurant along Balestier Road! Business is still as good as ever! Always full house during dinner hours. Signature dish of course is the fishhead steamboat 鱼头炉! They also offer a wide variety of zi char dishes which are all not bad too!    

Garouper Fishhead Steamboat 

136 Hong Kong Street Fish Head Steamboat

17th Apr 2011

This is our recent favourite zi char place where we visited twice within 2 months time. Quite rare for us to revisit within a short period of time as we usually like to try out new food joint but recently been running out of idea on where to dine and we really like the Fishhead steamboat. This aircon restaurant located along one of the shophouses near Maxwell Market. Specialises in Fish head steamboat and zi char dishes. Pricing is rather reasonable, steamboat price starts from $20 - $40 and zi char dishes start from $8 onwards. Usually very crowded during dinner time so is advisable to make reservation.

Pomfret Steamboat - $40

Love the soup, so tasty!

Moonstone Seafood

17th Jan 2010

Where to go and what to eat for dinner? This question always been posted to me every Sunday. But that's Sunday they aleady decided when they picked me up at Shermay's after my workshop, they wanted to try out this new zi char place just right behind the very popular Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat. However, the location is not very good, not many people will notice them if not for the banner hanging outside along Serangoon Road or maybe from the newspaper.

Moonstone Seafood is having promotion on Fish head steamboat, all at half price. Very attractive, that's to say is about $9-$10 per set for the regular size and large at about $15 only. The soupbase was quite nice but the fish was too little for us even we ordered the large one. I'm not sure is it because is half price that's why quantity also lesser. In the end we top up another regular Pomfret steamboat. However, I still think the one at Tian Wai Tian is much nicer but they scored on the zi char dishes, all we had that evening were pretty good.

Grouper Fish Head Steamboat


  For a large fish head steamboat that hardly can see any fish...

Pepper & Salt Pork Ribs

Very nice and fragrant with crispy bits of garlic.

Fuyong Egg

This omelette dish can never go wrong especially from zi char stall as at home we tend to control the amount of oil, it's always very nice to eat it with rice.

Sambal Cuttlefish Kangkong

The sambal was very flavoursome and not overly spicy. Simply delicious!

Sambal Sweet Potatoes Leaves

This was for Aunt P who cannot take kangkong.

Moonstone Seafood
Moonstone Coffee House
41 Opal Crescent
Singapore 328428
Tel: 9030 3383/6295 2838

Opening hour: 3pm to 12am daily

Shan Tou Shi Teochew Fish Head Seafood

11th Oct 09

I has been watching our local variety programme "Sizzling Wok" hosted by Pornsak & Li Teng with a different local chinese chef on each episode, every Wed at 8pm on Ch 8. A show that recommend nice and value for money zi char in different areas of Singapore from neighbourhood estates to even Orchard Road. Tonight will be Episode 7, previously they had covered Ang Mo Kio, Tampines, Redhill, Toa Payoh, Hougang & Jurong. My family favourite is zi char so we will definitely love to try out those recommendations especially those that are near to us like Toa Payoh.

For consecutively 2 weeks, we went to this zi char recommended by the show at Toa Payoh Lor 1, Blk 124 (Speciality - White Beehoon, not sure of the name, I think is Lucky Seafood) but we always didn't get to eat it. The first time was due to overwhelming response which we can understand, even though the lady boss told us in a very impatient manner that if we can't wait come back next time.

The 2nd times, we went early on a Tue night. It was not very crowded though all the tables were occupied but only 3 to 4 tables waiting for their orders. There's still folded tables unopened at the corner so the wait shouldn't be long. However the lady boss's attitude really sulked that we decided to give this zi char a miss FOREVER! She was literally shouting at the customers, this was what she said: "Go find your own tables then come to me to order, if you don't have table, I won't take your order!" Can you imagine she actually said that! This is not a hawker stall, a zi char in a coffee shop where tables are usually arranged for customers and they will come to us to take order, right? What's so great about her white beehoon! Furthermore that day was not that crowded. If we really crave for white beehoon, we shall go to the one at Sembawang - White Bee Hoon, I think looks much better than hers. If they can't cope with such expected overwhelming crowds, then shouldn't go on TV, that will only bring bad publicity instead. I do not know, maybe some of them just don't mind to be treated this way but we definitely can't tolerate that so we just walked off.

That's the end of my long winded nagging...lol! Let's come back to my main post, my next dining experience at one of the recommended zi char at Hougang - Shan Tou Shi Teochew Fish Head Seafood. They has been around for a long time so they are much more experienced in handling huge crowd. Still, the responses were too overwhelming that they can't maintain the cooking standard. We felt that all the dishes we ordered were sub-standard and prepared in a rush. I believe they are definitely better than that if not they will not be still around after so many years. And from reading HGW, most of them gave pretty good reviews on them. So we will still come back some other times till the rave is over.

Fish Head Steamboat

The stock was a bit bland, lack of the rich flavor we looked for in Fishhead steamboat and it was not boiling hot when served. The red grouper was fresh but the fillet was tough & chewy (lo kor). Look so different from the program where the soup looked lightly creamy and rich.

Oyster Egg

Another recommended dish, not too bad as the oyster was very fresh but the egg was too soggy. Definitely not what the 2 hosts claimed that it was crispy, fluffy & melt in the mouth.

Claypot Sea Cucumber & Fish Maw

A claypot dish that was not served in a claypot. It became a stir fried dish, though the sauce was nice but the sea cucumber & fish maw were way under braised as it was still hard & chewy. The reason given was they had no time to heat up the claypot & let it braised. Like that also can.... really sub-standard.

Stir Fry Kai Lan

Indeed not a satisfying dinner but the pricing was quite ok. From these experiences, we decided not to visit all those recommended places anymore still the program is over for awhile. Oh yes, in the same coffee shop, there are some nice food worth trying like the beef noodles stall owned by the zi char but operate separately and the rojak.

Shan Tou Shi Beef Kway Teow & Rojak

The beef soup was rich, flavorful and beef was very tender. Worth trying. The rojak was as good too, almost comparable to the famous rojak at Toa Payoh Hub basement foodcourt, they were very generous with the sauce and peanuts.

Shan Tou Shi Teochew Fish Head Seafood
Blk 203 Hougang Street 21
Singapore
Tel: 67483139 / 98343855
Opening hour: 4.30pm to 10.30pm daily

Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat

This is a famous fish head steamboat since 1983 at Serangoon Road near the exit to PIE. Business is so good that they have opened another 2 branches. So now as compared to last time, we don't have to wait for too long. We went there early around 5.30pm for dinner on Easter day to avoid the crowd. Somehow, I find that the food was not as good as it used to be... The last time I came was almost 2 years ago. However, their service was still as bad and you have to go into their kitchen to give them your order instead of they come to you! Their food was so good that most people don't mind about their services and I really hope that they can maintain their food quality...

Garupa Fish Head Steamboat - $30.00 The fish was very fresh but the stock was too mild for my liking and not rich in flavour. You must be very patient when you want them to top up the soup for you and usually they looked very reluctant.

Sambal Cuttlefish Kangkong - $7.00

This was good especially the sambal was yummy and the cuttlefish was thick an crunchy. This is a must order dish.

Tofu Prawn - $12.00

Another popular dish, almost every table will order this but that day the prawns were not fresh but the sauce was good.

Prawn Paste Chicken - $8.00This wings were ordered by me to satisfy my craving for fried chicken but it's taste pretty good.

Tian Wai Tian Fish Head Steamboat
1383 Serangoon Road
Tel: 6292 9982