I Saw I Came I Ate - Shi Li Fang Hotpot

Hello all, I am back again to share with you a nice eating place which I just had my dinner this evening. I've had a long week with nights of taking on night shift due to some work emergency and also long hours daily to overcome the issues we had in office due to the emergency situation that happened over the week. And as such I decided to reward myself and my wife whom also had a hard week.

The Place
Shi Li Fang
Address: Sembawang Shopping Centre, 604 Sembawang Rd, #01-21, Singapore 758459

Notes on this place: The shop is located at the ground floor in a shopping centre near my place. Very easy to access with plenty of parking. Broad space and not squeezy at all. Every table will have an induction heater which is easy to operate with buttons at the side of the table such as temperature up/down and on/off, otherwise the friendly staff are just a call bell away. Food is served quickly after ordering through the QR code affix on each table. If you are not familiar or not sure how to order, you can also get the staff to help you with the order.

Here are some of the captures of the venue.

The Food
Now to the main highlight of this post, let's talk about the food that is served here at Shi Li Fang. This is a very simple hot pot shop where one will order the soup base followed by the ingredients for the hotpot. For the ingredients, one can choose between a pre-arranged set or order ala carte based on the ingredients you like. I personally prefer to get the pre-arranged set as it comes with a nice variety of ingredients included and fuss free without me having to tinker what to include and what not to include.

Here's what we've ordered

• Tomato/Japanse Pork Bone Soup
• Pork/Chicken/Beef/Fish Set
• 2 Assorted Vegetables Basket
• Free Flow Beverage/Dip Sauce/Ice Cream (this is something that I always just include as it is just a dollar a person and one can access to all the beverages/dip sauce/soft serve ice cream available)

Let's start looking at each of the food item closely as I review them

Soup Base - Tomato/Japanese Pork Bone Soup

I will always go for a dual mixed pot for my soup base. Usually one that that is more tangy/flavourful and the other that is on the other side of the spectrum. Tomato soup is my favourite for soup base aside from the spicy mala soup base (also available here) as it gives a very refreshing taste and elevates most of the hot pot ingredients, making you wanting more due to the hint of sour from the soup that make it ever so appetising. To balance it out, I will always have the pork bone soup as a counter balance should I just want a simpler taste to the ingredient that is closer to the natural taste of the ingredients. Soup is free flow, so once the soup gets depleted, just press the service button or wave at the staff and they will come top it up for you.

Pork/Chicken/Beef/Fish Set

A big mountain of meat served with this set comprising of pork, chicken, beef and fish. A good mix of meat that allows me to savour the texture and uniqueness of every kind. All good quality meat that is fresh. The meat are all thinly sliced which makes it easier for them to get cooked thoroughly just for a short duration into the hot pot.

Vegetables Platters

While it is included as a set to the meat, I've decided to share on them separately. There are 3 different vegetable platter available, but this are the 2 that I typically go for. Reason being that me and my wife both love to eat mushrooms (be it straw or king abalone). Not only that, there is also a large variety of leafy vegetables in the platter that is able to soak up the soup base and packs a mouthful of flavour when one eats the cooked vegetables.

Dip Sauce/Beverage

For the dip sauce, there is a big array of sauces available and I will mix it in a manner that had a mix of sauce and crunchy bits so that it gives a nice bite when I dip the ingredients in after being cooked in the hot pot.

My Dip Sauce Recipe:
Sesame Sauce, Peanut, Fried Garlic, Sambal Chilli Sauce, Satay Sauce, Sesame Oil and Parsley

For the free flow, I just took the water chestnut drink. Nothing fanciful, likely a syrup mix.

While free flow soft serve ice cream is included, I am so full after eating the hotpot ingredients and did not take any ice cream.

Putting Everything Together

Here is an overview photo after everything was served. A wholesome meal to wrap up the work week.

And here is how the food looked after being cooked in the hotpot. Nice flavourful and warms the tummy.

Overall:
One of my favourite places for comfort food. Hotpot dinner is something I love to enjoy with my wife because it is easy on the stomach and fuss free. Just cook it thoroughly and dip them in the sauce as you eat it.

While it looked like we ordered a lot, it is very friendly to the wallet. The whole restaurant has a nice ambience and a good place to dine in after a week long of crazy work. The ease of making order, a large array of dip sauce/beverages that is easily accessible and getting help from the staff adds on to the great dining experience as well.

Closing
Thank you for coming by and reading my post. After a crazy week of work, it feels great to taper down and enjoy a nice hotpot with our loved ones. While, there are many other hotpot shops available in my area, a fuss free cozy dining place with good service is all we need to kick out the accumulated fatigue from the week and drown them in the hotpot as we savour the cooked ingredients.

See you in the next post!