If you love fish and you haven’t heard of kao yu, you definitely should read on. Kao yu is a fish dish that comprises a massive fish that’s first grilled before allowing it to poach over a fire in a rich broth alongside other ingredients such as chilli, vegetables and an assortment of other aromatics.

These massive platters of piping- hot grilled fish are sure to satisfy any fish lovers cravings and, given its size, is perfect for sharing among larger groups.

Places selling solid kao yu in Singapore are hard to come by, but we have done the hard work for you. We have here, 9 places that sell stellar, flavourful kao yu that will definitely leave you wanting more.

Photo Credit: Nicole Seet 

CHONG QING GRILLED FISH 

When one mentions kao yu, the first place that instantly comes to most people’s minds is Chong Qing. They are popular for having a large variety of kao yu cooked in different ways, with some of their popular items being their Signature Charcoal-Grilled Fish Hot Pot as well as their Small Golden Snapper in Spicy Fragrant Broth.

1 Liang Seah Street, #01-05/06
Singapore 189022
Tel: +65 6333 9148
Daily: 12pm – 1.30am
Nearest Station: Bugis

LOKKEE

Lokkee too sells a variety of delectable kao yu dishes for you to choose from, and they have some very popular dishes such as their Tomato Broth Grilled Fish as well as their Sichuan Mala Grilled Fish.

Consisting of grilled barramundi fish and a whole fish maw, their Mermaid Food is a healthy hotpot fish dish that is rich in collagen content and the perfect option if you’re looking for something tasty sans the lip-numbing sensation.

68 Orchard Road #03-01
Plaza Singapura
Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 6884 4566
Daily: 11am – 3pm, 5.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut

Photo Credit: ara._.j 

OLD CHENG DU SICHUAN CUISINE RESTAURANT 

Tucked away in Chinatown is Old Cheng Du Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant, which serves up traditional Sichuan dishes that will appeal to people who love spicy food. Their Double Boiled Fish is a must-try item, especially if you’re someone that can handle spice. Swimming in a saucy broth brimming with dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorns, we can bet that this may well be your golden ticket to flavour town (and the bathroom).

80 Pagoda Street
Singapore 059239
Tel: +65 6222 6858
Daily: 11am – 1.30am
Nearest Station: Chinatown

Photo Credit: hungrygowhere 

ORCHID ROAST FISH 

Orchid Roast Fish is famous for their roast fish—hence the name. Here, they serve up four different types of roast fish that comes with your choice of broth. Some examples of the nine broths available are Pickled Chilli, Chicken Broth with Mushroom as well as Black Pepper Sauce.

68 Pagoda Street
Singapore 059227
Tel: +65 6221 6369
Daily: 11.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

Photo Credit: Fionaeateateat

RIVERSIDE GRILLED FISH 

With 54 outlets in China, you just know that these folks are the real deal. Their grilled fish dishes are incredibly spicy, so if you love all thing spicy, this is a good place to check out. Their grilled fish pots come loaded with dried chilli that not only pack heat, but an intense fragrance as well.

Raffles City Shopping Centre
#B1-06/07 252 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179103
Tel: +65 6352 2035
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

Photo Credit: p.kah 

SHU JIANG GRILLED FISH 

Shu Jiang Grilled Fish serves up fish dishes that are customisable. They let you choose between three types of fish: Barramundi, Red Snapper or Sea Bass. After selecting your desired fish, you can tell them how you want it to be cooked as well as the type of sauce that you want with it.

26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-40, 41, 42
Resorts World Sentosa
Singapore 098138
Tel: 6570 6678
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Harbourfront

Photo Credit: sichuankungfufish 

SICHUAN KUNGFU FISH 

Sichuan Kungfu Fish sells delicious Sichuan-style food, and they are well known for their amazing fish dishes. A must-try item here is their Special Cod by Our Principal, which is also the restaurant’s signature dish. We also like how they allow you to choose your preferred level of spiciness for the fish.

3 Temasek Boulevard B1-132/171
Suntec City
Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 6333 9519
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade/Promenade

Photo Credit: Tan Yu 

TAN YU 

Tan Yu at 313 Somerset specialises in a variety of delicious grilled fish dishes. The restaurant takes pride in their Limbo Fish, that allows you to choose what flavour broth you want from 12 different options such as Green Pepper, Soy Sauce and Spicy Sauce.

313 Orchard Road
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6509 8887
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

QI LAI FENG

Located in Yishun Town Square, newly-opened Qi Lai Feng specialises in fish pots, both dry and soup, as well as hot pot. The beauty in eating fish pots is that one gets to choose their preferred fish and here, they offer anything from their signature Q fish, dory to toman fish.

By marrying the authentic flavours and lip-smacking spices of Sichuan cuisine which take on a more fragrant complexity rather than being overly fiery, it is the restaurant’s distinctive fish pot flavours coupled with their use of fresh ingredients that allow this humble restaurant to resonate with diners. We highly recommend their Spicy Fragrant Fish Pot, Jade Pepper Fish Pot and Gold Soup Lemon Fish Pot.

3 Northpoint Drive, #01-02
Yishun Town Square,
Singapore 768020
Tel: +65 6483 0100
Daily: 10.30am – 9.45pm
Nearest Station: Yishun