There is a lot of hype around Tan Yu when it first opened in Singapore and very soon multiple restaurants opened all over Singapore selling similar menus focusing on spicy grilled fish
Originating from Shenzhen, Tan Yu opened their first outlet in Singapore in 2017 and since then has opened another 4 outlets totalling 5 outlets in Somerset, Westgate, Tampines One, Bugis and Waterway Point. Specialising in grilled fish which is a typical Chongqing dish, Tan Yu has expanded their menu to cover at least 8 flavours to safely say they offer grilled fish covering different flavours of China
It has been more than 5 years since Tan Yu opened and I have been hearing so many good reviews about them so when I finally visited them at their Bugis outlet, I had high expectations. The restaurant itself was very spacious and the staff was quite fast in getting us a table since we visited slightly past lunchtime and the crowd was less
For a start, we had the grilled lamb skewers which are heavily seasoned with cumin and chilli powder. For me, I found it slightly gamey and tough but my friends who liked lamb really loved the skewers
The highlight was of course the grilled fish and we ordered the signature grilled fish with green peppers. There was a choice of 3 types of fish; Limbo fish, Qingjiang fish and Seabass fish and for those who are worried about fish bones, you can go for the Limbo fish fillet. Tender and with fewer bones, the Limbo fish is the most popular selection at Tan Yu.
When the dish was served, the fish was huge and the peppercorn gravy was very fragrant. We added additional Enoki mushrooms and you can add other ingredients like beancurd skin or other vegetables at an additional cost
The fish is grilled beforehand before cooking in the green pepper gravy together with the rest of the ingredients. The meat is indeed very tender and fresh with the natural sweetness of the fish. The green peppercorn gravy has good heat without burning your tongue and a nice kick to make you crave more. The savoury flavours get absorbed by the mushrooms and vegetables and are perfect with rice. My only complaint is the serving of the enoki mushrooms which is quite pathetic even though we paid additional to add them to our dish
Overall, I can understand why many people like Tan Yu and feel that they are the best at serving green peppercorn grilled fish. With over 180 outlets in China, I do think that Tan Yu does what they do best with great gravy and fresh ingredients and fish. Personally, I do like the fish at Tan Yu although I tend to side with Tai Er sauerkraut fish more as a personal taste preference
Address: 200 Victoria Street 02-45 Bugis Junction, 188021
Operating hours: 11.30 am to 10 pm
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