We eat too much! But never enough haha! So the group of us (Daniel's Food Diary, Gninethree, Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow and SG Food On Foot) went to check out the fairly new Tang's Steamboat Restaurant sometime back.
Pitching itself as "offering the most authentic Szechuan Steamboat in Singapore with a wide variety of high quality ingredients and specialties", it would not be too far off to say the restaurant promises on high, but fell a tad short on delivery after our visit.
Tang's Steamboat is located at Chinatown's Keong Saik Street, right across the evergreen old-school zhi char restaurant Kok Sen, with numerous eateries such as popular Thai mookata place, MooJaa and trendy Potato Head Folk, dotting the entire street.
Wahhh, F&B competition in this area alone is fierce, not to mention we already have the more established steamboat favorites such as Hai Di Lao Hotpot and Imperial Treasure Steamboat in our hearts. It's hard not to compare.
But in all fairness, Tang's is decent enough, better than the run-of-mill steamboat buffet joints. For a start, its dining environment is exceeding pleasant, especially the upper level which exudes a zen aura completed with clean-lined wooden furniture and Chinese calligraphy on the wall.
We went for the Premier Set ($89++, 11 courses for 2pax) and Economic Set ($69++, 8 courses for 2pax), both with choices of broth base such as Authentic Szechuan Spicy Soup, House Special Fish Soup, Beauty Tomato Soup, and includes a well-rounded combination of meat, vegetables and chef's specialties homemade meatball.
But what I was really looking out for are the meats. Meat always get my attention at any steamboat meals. The selection offered at Tang's sounds enticing: Australian Wagyu, Australian Beef Striploin, Japanese Pork Belly Momoiro, US Kurobuta Pork.
Unfortunately, they were etched in my memory in an unflattering way. I like to be thin, but I do not like my meat to be thin. Especially the pork belly which were sliced so thinly till translucent, we could even see the plate beneath. Though quality was of reasonable standards, the mouthfeel it gave was less than satisfactory.
The portion of Mixed Vegetables given was paltry, Assorted Mushrooms were okay, what worked well were the perfectly textured Pastes in variant of Fish, Shrimp and Spinach Cuttlefish, springy Spinach Noodles and the freshness of the Sliced Fish.
Our choice of a twin-flavored pot with Authentic Szechuan Spicy Soup and House Special Fish Soup, was well-chosen too. The former was adequately tasty and the latter tingled our tongues with a lingering spicy numbness.
When the owner asked for feedback and we provided her our honest thoughts, it was met with defensive responses. Haiz... why like that?
Overall, Tang's Steamboat is still a promising place, and suitable for groups of families and friends looking to gather around a hotpot meal. But only if they improve.
Address: 41 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089146
Contact: +65 6221 1760 / +65 8727 5881
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tangs-Steamboat-Restaurant/799957466755331?fref=ts
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 11am-12am / Closed on Monday
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