BiJin Nabe 美人鍋 @ Chinatown Point

Guess you must have heard of this Japanese hotpot by now. This だんだん人気になったJapanese Restaurant has been going round and round within my head after hearing how good it is and how long the waiting queue will be once it hits dinner time.

Bijin Nabe

We reached the restaurant around 5.30pm and 良かった、there was no shocking waiting list. However, please be aware that all diners must be there before you can be seated. I think this is a good practice as it benefits all diners in the queue.

Ok, so how does the ordering works. It is not buffet style but you ordered in terms of pax. The quantity to order is of course up to how much you can eat. Each pax is SGD25 and the minimum order is 2 pax. The set consists of the collagen soup base, chicken meatballs, fresh prawns, chicken chunks and assorted vegetables. To be very honest with you, it's the collagen rich chicken soup base and condiments (especially the yuzu pepper sauce) that is an all kill. Once you start, there is no way you can stop unless the pot is empty. Each table is entitled to 1 free refill of soup.

We ordered 3 serving for 4 pax which is just enough, including some side dishes and top-up another set of chicken meatballs and assorted vegetables. Next not to be missed is their interesting and exclusive sides or finger foods. There are 4 different kinds of Nikumaki Onigiri (very famous in Japan) to choose from and we ordered the Original and Yuzu Pepper & Mayo. Another must-try is the Chicken Nanban and must order the spicy one. It's rather exceptional for a Japanese restaurant to have such spicy dish. *THUMBS UP HIGH HIGH*

Nikumaki Onigiri

Chicken Nanban Spicy

Fresh Salmon Spring Roll is included in the Bijin Nabe Set so no need to order. If you like Vietnamese rice wrap, this is something you will like.

Fresh Salmon Spring Roll

Finally our main is served. All Singaporeans will find the solidified soup base having a similarity with the local beancurd (豆花). It's so smooth and silky 'til you don't even see a single strain of oil. It takes 10mins to turn into delicious thick and rich soup.

Bijin Nabe

Chicken Meatballs, Prawns and Assorted Greens

Bijin Nabe

Once the soup begins to boil, the attentive waitress will come and starts serving you if it's your first visit. They offer you to taste the original collagen rich chicken soup using a small drinking clay cup before all the ingredients are placed into the Nabe. Then came a tiny plate of seaweed which is to be mixed into the chicken soup for another wonderful taste of the soup.

Seaweed

Bijin Nabe

Almost cooked

From the moment we start conquering the hotpot, it's basically pure enjoyment. To be short - speechless. I am not being exaggerating but this is definitely how I am feeling at the moment and of course, everyone has their own unique taste bud. =P

Before you ask for the bill, you will get 2 cute events. 1st, a loyalty programme card which starts you off as Bijin Nabe "Assistant Manager" on your first visit. You get promoted to "Manager" on your second visit. 2nd, all diners are served with a beautifully decorated appreciation art plate topped with orange jelly (ok, the jelly is simply too sweet for me).