A Cantonese chef we spoke to once commented, quite accurately, that Singaporeans are obsessed with hotpot. It’s true—so many hard-earned dollars on this island have been spent around a table of boiling soup that hotpot could almost be considered a national pastime. And while a few big names have reigned consistently within the scene, a new contender has quietly emerged.
Spice World Hot Pot, lauded as one of China’s top ten global hotpot brands, has officially made its way to Singapore. If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because the chain has branches in China, Sydney, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and even Milan later in the year. The 200-seater outlet at Clarke Quay marks the chain’s first establishment in Singapore.
Get excited; here you can choose from seven different soup bases—pork belly and chicken, three-delicacy (pork, chicken, duck), wild mushroom, tomato, tom-yum, curry and of course, mala, in three varying degrees of spiciness. And because Spice World is a true badass, soup bases are first brewed in Sichuan, China, before being air-flown here and prepped again. Mix and match bases at two for $22.90, or three for $25.90.
As for ingredients, expect nothing but the freshest cuts—Australian M8 wagyu beef, Australian mutton slices, rumen tripe; even cow’s stomach. But the real reason why you should come taste for yourself is something no one saw coming: For an additional $9.90, you can order a teddy bear- or Hello Kitty-shaped block of mala soup and have it melt morbidly into the broth. How’s that for a signature gimmick?
Spice World Hot Pot is located at 3 River Valley Rd, #01-06/07, and is open daily from 10:30am-4am. More information here.
