Quality ingredients, attentive service, and affordable prices at Upin Hot Pot
Hot pot restaurants are a dime a dozen right here in Singapore, and more often than not, it’s hard to find one that hits the sweet spot – one that has a good balance between quality ingredients, good service, affordable prices, and a reasonable waiting time.
One such hidden gem that manages to achieve this is Upin Hot Pot, a hot pot eatery that prides itself on its homemade soup bases, sauces, and spectacular dining experience. Think hand-pulled noodle shows, a Chinese opera face-changing performance, and a gorgeous view of the Singapore River if you’re dining at Clarke Quay’s outlet!
Upin Hot Pot at Clarke Quay Central
Soup bases
While most steamboat pots only allow you to savour up to 2 different types of soups, Upin offers a special pot that can accommodate up to 3 kinds of broths! Flavours include Mushroom ($14), Boiled Fish ($18), and Herbal Chicken ($16), but the crowd-favourites so far are Sichuan Spicy ($16), Pork Bone ($18), and their speciality Tomato Soup ($12).
We tried their Herbal Chicken, Tomato, and Sichuan Spicy broths!
Unlike most hot pot places, Upin’s Tomato Soup is made entirely with fresh tomatoes. It’s boiled for an hour, painstakingly peeled by hand, and then grinded into a pulpy mixture that’s left to simmer. Flavourful and sweet with a slightly sour tang, it was an added bonus that no extra preservatives and flavourings were added afterwards!
It gets better – not only does Upin offer you the best of 3 worlds, only the most expensive soup base will be charged. That’s right, 3 soup bases for the price of 1!
Variety of ingredients
Besides boasting a reasonably extensive selection of the usual meat, seafood, mushrooms, leafy greens, and noodles, Upin also has a number of unique and premium ingredients hidden up its sleeves.
Scroll through their options thoroughly and you’ll find Chinese delicacies that aren’t commonly found in most hot pot restaurants such as Beef Tendons ($16), Fresh Ox Tongue ($18), Braised Pork Intestines ($10), and even Pig Brain ($8).
American Wagyu Beef ($32), Japanese Kurobuta Pork ($16.80), Crispy Fish Skin ($6), Fresh Bullfrog ($10), and Handmade Meatballs ($6 – $12) are also available for you to indulge in, as well as plenty of fresh and juicy seafood like Fresh Sea Prawns ($12), Fresh Scallops ($12), and Live Crab ($18)!
To further enhance the taste of your meal, there’s even a DIY condiments bar with a whopping 24 types of sauces and toppings for you to mix and match! Most of the sauces are made in-house and some of these include a unique mushroom sauce made with minced mushrooms, the famous Lao Gan Ma sauce, and a Korean-style chilli sauce.
Get creative and whip up your own special concoction!
As for beverages, $3 gets you free-flow homemade Iced Lemon Tea, Barley, and Water Chestnut. Canned drinks are also available, and alcoholic options include beer, wines, and of course, the most infamous Chinese liquor – Maotai.
Mealtime entertainment
As a testament to Upin’s quality service – clean aprons are provided and the staff are constantly refilling your soups for you – Upin also has amazing performances to keep you entertained during your meal.
Ordering a portion of their Handmade Noodles ($3) will result in a spectacular display of noodle-wielding prowess by your tableside, and unless they’re exceptionally busy that night, there’ll be an interactive Sichuan opera face-changing performance every night at around 8PM too!
If you’re lucky, you might receive a gift from the masked man!
Upin Hot Pot (Clarke Quay Central)
Address: #03-87 Clarke Quay Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore 059817
Opening Hours: 11AM – 3AM Daily
Telephone: 6221 5550
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Upin Hot Pot (Orchard Gateway)
Address: #04-19 Orchard Gateway, 277 Orchard Road, Singapore 238858
Opening Hours: 11AM – 12AM Daily
Telephone: 6288 5550
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Upin Hot Pot (West Coast Plaza)
Address: #01-02 West Coast Plaza, 154 West Coast Road, Singapore 127371
Opening Hours: 11AM – 12AM Daily
Telephone: 6258 5550
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This post was sponsored by Upin Dining Pte Ltd.
