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2012-11-05
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Sukiya opened a new branch in Tampines Mall's basement after the mall's extensive renoworks. So we decided to give them a try since it is the only place for steamboat in the Tampines central vicinity apart from Seoul Garden (sick of it liao).Branches: We ate at Sukiya in their Tampines Mall branch twice and each time we were not let down. However, their Bugis Plus branch was a real disappointment. The usual kimuchi broth that we took was so watered down that it tasted like plain tap water instea
Sukiya opened a new branch in Tampines Mall's basement after the mall's extensive renoworks. So we decided to give them a try since it is the only place for steamboat in the Tampines central vicinity apart from Seoul Garden (sick of it liao).Branches: We ate at Sukiya in their Tampines Mall branch twice and each time we were not let down. However, their Bugis Plus branch was a real disappointment. The usual kimuchi broth that we took was so watered down that it tasted like plain tap water instead. The premise at Bugis Plus was also dirty. A previous customer dropped a broken egg right at the foot of the table which the staff allocated me. As the outlet was packed with a long queue at that time and staff busy scurrying up and down giving shoddy service, I just ignored the icky sticky mess of the broken egg and sat with my feet apart to prevent stepping on the egg spills. The Bugis Plus' selection of vegetables are also horrible. Sukiya's famous grilled tofu was not even on the buffet bar throughout our dining. In all, we ate at Sukiya on weekends so there should be no excuse of low patronage not to stock up on their vegetables. The Tampines Mall branch was much better as they frequently stock up on their grilled tofu the moment the tray ran dry.
I have to say for our first dining experience, Sukiya at Tampines was good. They had multiple broths to choose from: Kimuchi, Sukiyaki, Shabu Shabu and one more milky based broth which name I forgot already. The milk based broth is only available on the weekends however.
Broth: Customers are able to choose two different types of broth for their steamboat so on our first try we had Kimuchi since I loved spicy stuff and the clear Shabu Shabu broth. Both broths proved to be addictive. Later on on our 3rd visit, we had the Sukiyaki broth for our first time and it was a huge disappointment. The sukiyaki broth was rather sweet and tasted like cheapo pasty broth so much so that mid way we decided to abandon the sukiyaki broth and just stick to the kimuchi one instead.
Meat cuts: The chicken slices were a let down for that first visit but the pork and beef cuts were awesome! In fact, we had a tray which looked like wagyu beef because of its fine marbling in the grain of the meat. The pork slices had some streaky fats running along them. Their meat cuts aren't very consistent as some trays were pretty bad (lotsa fats) while some were good (lean or good marbling).
Choice/Selections: Fair. Mostly vegetables like Xiao Bai Cai, Romaine leeks, egg, bamboo shoots, their famous grilled tofu, udon, ramen, some of those cheapo yong tau foo stuff like fishballs, crabsticks, fishcakes, etc...
Recommendations: The Kimuchi broth at Tampines Mall went very well with the xiao bai cai vege. For someone who is not a green person, I couldn't believe myself when I started gulping down the xbc cooked in the kimuchi broth. Its THAT good.
The Kimuchi broth is a must-have whenever I step into Sukiya. Supposedly spicy, the broth is so mild for me that I wish I could dump some chilli padis in them if they have them at the buffet bar.
Do go for the Tampines Mall branch as their quality is consistent and up to standard. Their Bugis Plus branch is a total let down and waste of empty calories (you get watered down broth instead of actual soup broth) with horrible choice selections.
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