Shiok Hotpot

Ever since a craze was started for claypot lala hotpot, a new establishment pops up every week, showing lala hotpot offerings all over Singapore. I have seen at least 5 stories introducing new hotpot places, but Shiok Hotpot caught my eye as they offered something slightly different

Located in an industrial coffeeshop in Tai Seng, Shiok Hotpot differentiates itself from the rest by offering the same clay pot hotpot experience but with prawn collagen broth. Opened in Aug 2024, the store specialises in collagen broths with prawn, pork and mala as the different choices

You can place your order via the app by scanning the QR code on the table. Payment can be made at the counter or via e-payment before the staff will start to serve you. The broths are priced at SGD 29.90 for prawn and SGD 19.90 for mala or pork. The other ingredients are priced from a range of SGD 0.80 up to SGD 10 for seafood and meat. There is also a sauce station at the side of the stall where you can make your own dipping sauce from the variety of condiments available

When the clay pot is served with the charcoal burner, you can immediately smell the deep umami flavour of the broth with the enticing orange broth from the prawns. As the charcoal provides high heat, the soup is constantly in boiling mode

The ingredients were served quite fast after we placed the orders, and most items were nicely shrink-wrapped to keep them clean. The vegetables were not wrapped as they were freshly cut or prepared. The ratio of serving to the price was also quite acceptable

Due to the blazing charcoal fire, the soup and ingredients cook very quickly. The soup also dries up quickly, so the staff is constantly going around the entire coffee shop to refill the soup base to ensure all claypots are bubbling with soup. The ingredients are generally fresh, with one or two exceptions of specks of dirt on the vegetables, which can be cleaned off easily. We had a plate of chicken which had gone bad smelling. We returned the plate to them, and they offered to replace it with another meat while they checked out their supply. We were full by then, and they removed the item from our bill. The soup itself is deep with flavour and very sweet and savoury, but at the same time, it made me slightly thirsty

Overall, I like the change in flavour for soup broth and having prawn collagen flavour is very refreshing and addictive as the soup was thick and creamy. I am pretty sure there is a certain amount of taste enhancer involved, as I got pretty thirsty throughout the meal

Address: 1010 Tai Seng Ave, Singapore 534417

Opening hours: 5 pm to 11 pm