For all their mind-boggling dishes and ground-breaking creations, it comes as a shocker that Spice World Hotpot has ceased its operations in Singapore. There has been no reason provided yet for their closure.

This hotpot establishment in Clarke Quay shot to popularity for their wild innovation that saw dishes such as teddy bear broths and metre-long meat platters. Some skeptics may have seen them as being over-the-top and gimmicky, but Spice World Hotpot proved them wrong with their dedication to quality and service.

Spicy World Hotpot arrived in Singapore in 2018 and served up authentic Sichuan flavours.  Flying their ingredients and soup bases in from Sichuan, they were certainly not messing around with their robust broths and fresh ingredients.

Their Teddy Bear Spicy Butter Soup Base was well-loved for more than just its theatrical value while their Barbie Australian Wagyu Beef Slices promised marbled cuts of excellent quality.

We can only hope that Spice World Hotpot will re-open soon. Till then, Hai Di Lao and Beauty In A Pot will have one less competitor.

While Dim Sum may be a traditional staple that you would find all around Hong Kong, it is not a form of cuisine that we are short of in Singapore.

Nestled in quiet Simpang Bedok is Enak Enak Hong Kong Tea House, a halal dim sum tea restaurant in Singapore which offers a variety of affordable halal dim sum.

On our visit, we started off with their popular Steamed Golden Sand Bun (S$3.10 for 2pcs), Har Kow (S$4.20 for 3pcs) and Siew Mai (S$3.80 for 3pcs).

Though it did look larger than usual, the Siew Mai had a generous amount of meat filling which was nicely wrapped in the wonton skin that was reminiscent of its original counterpart. While it tasted good on its own, the dipping sauce definitely made it tastier.

The Har Kow, unfortunately, didn’t impress us as much as we thought it would. Although the filling inside was good, the skin was much too thick, adding an overall starchiness to the dumpling.

We were quite disappointed with the Steamed Golden Sand Bun as well. While the salted egg yolk custard lava did present an enticing sight, the taste wasn’t as satisfying. Instead of the savoury gooey filling, we tasted a sweeter and slightly grainy custard which made the buns an overall letdown.

In addition, we also tried the BBQ Chicken Pau (S$2.60 for 2pcs), Steamed Rice Roll with Shrimps (S$4.20), and Pan Fried Carrot Cake (S$2.60 for 2pcs).

Perhaps our least favourite dish of the lot, the Steamed Rice Roll with Shrimps fell flat in terms of taste. Not only did the rice roll taste bland and break apart easily, the dish didn’t seem to have much shrimp.

We tried to add a little bit of flavour to alleviate the blandness with the chilli, but it only offered a slight improvement.

Despite the hits and misses, we felt that the saving grace of the entire meal was the Pan Fried Carrot Cake. Unlike the traditional ones that you might have seen, their carrot cake had a crispy golden outer layer which complemented the soft and chewy texture within.

While the dim sum here didn’t exactly appeal to us, Enak Enak Hong Kong Tea House kept its dim sum prices affordably and they are open until late.

Other than Simpung Bedok, Enak Enak Hong Kong Tea House also has another outlet at East Coast Parkway.

Enak Enak Hong Kong Tea House
340/342 Bedok Road
Singapore 469520
Tel: 6246 1211
Daily: 10am – 6am
Nearest station: Tanah Merah

1202 ECP, Singapore 449881
Tel: +65 6876 5911
Nearest station: Bedok