Shu Guo Yin Xiang Batam

I remember seeing this chain of hotpot restaurants when I was in Kuala Lumpur but had no chance to try them out so when we were looking out of our hotel room window in Batam, the restaurant signboard immediately caught my eye

Located within the cluster of restaurants in Harbour Bay, Shu Guo Yin Xiang was a stone’s throw away from the Marriott hotel so we walked in without any reservations. We did call our hotel concierge to check if a reservation is required and they recommended that a table should be available if we visit before 7 pm

Taking the hotel staff’s advice, we stepped into the restaurant at 6.15 pm and it was literally empty except for another 2 tables of customers. The front of the restaurant with a long corridor is the main cashier and beverage counters with a row of chairs to accommodate waiting customers if there were no tables available

The style of the restaurant interiors is towards the modern Chinese restaurant with some elements of Chinese decorations like antique vases and pavilion-styled outdoor seats. For the outdoor seats, there is even a tiny Koi pond to resemble Chinese-styled gardens in a traditional mansion

The sauce station is located in the middle of the restaurant so customers from all tables can access the station easily from their table. There are many varieties of condiments and sauces you can take from here and one of the more interesting ones which I did not find in our hotpot restaurants is the chicken seasoning powder

I really like the fact that the staff cleans the tongs and ladles in hot water before the food is served to show their attention to hygiene. The induction stove was also branded with the name of the hotpot restaurant as the original taste from Chengdu

We ordered the triple pot with the soup bases; mala soup, pork bone soup and chicken collagen soup. I usually skip the mala soup as I can handle only mild spice and most of the time, the mala soup in hotpot restaurants is very spicy and numbing. After getting assurance that they can adjust the soup to our preference, I decided to give it a try and it was the best decision ever. The mala soup was extremely flavourful and only had sufficient spice and heat to add a fantastic flavour to the meats. The soup was so savoury and addictive that I had to stop myself from drinking the soup on its own. The pork bone soup was very thick, had strong pork flavours, and was on the salty side but you can ask the staff to dilute it down; it was; however perfect for us. The collagen on the hand was also creamy and thick with a wholesome chicken broth flavour

The next thing which amazed me was the plating of the ingredients which made me feel like I was being served in an ancient Chinese palace where meats balls were placed on steps and every dish had an intricate vegetable craving. Although the cravings were reused in other customer orders, it wasn’t touching the meat so I was fine with it. The serving size of the ingredients was also good although the serving for items like enoki mushroom is kind of small

Overall, the whole experience of dining at Shu Guo Ying Xiang was fantastic and left me wondering why they do not have an outlet in Singapore. The quality of the meat including over-the-top presentation and plating leaves me in awe and the taste and flavour of their soups make me crave them and secretly plan a day trip to Batam just to have a meal there

Address: Kawasan, Jl. Harbour Bay No.R-09, Sungai Jodoh, Kec. Batu Ampar, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29457, Indonesia

Operating hours: 11 am to 10 pm