📍Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat @ 20 Cross Street
Ambience: 10/10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Flavor: 8/10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤍
Service: 9/10 ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤍
Overall: 27/30 ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤍
On a Saturday afternoon, I visited Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat at 20 Cross Street, which is located 3 minute walk away from Chinatown MRT Exit F.
I ordered (1) Big Hotpot (Spicy Mala Soup + Herbal Soup), (2) Big Hotpot (Pure Tomato Soup + Spicy Mala Soup), (3) Sliced Beef, (4) Sliced Mutton, (5) Sliced Lean Pork, (6) Pig’s Liver, (7) Hog’s Skin, (8) Scallop, (9) Mussel, (10) Sliced Raw Fish, (11) Lobster Ball, (12) Salmon Fish Ball, (13) Crabmeat Stick, (14) Enoki Mushroom, (15) Sliced Special Beef, (16) Rice, (17) Pumpkin Puree, (18) You Mai Cai, (19) Sliced Lotus Root, (20) Xiao Long Bao, (21) Raw Egg, (22) Ice Plain Water, (23) Hot Chinese Tea, (24) Cuttlefish, (25) Cheese Seafood Tofu, (26) Bean Curd Skin, and (27) Quail Egg.
For a total cost of S$325, Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat fell onto the pricer spectrum of the price scale. Nevertheless, all the ingredients that I had ordered, particularly the Sliced Beef, Sliced Mutton, Sliced Lean Pork, and Sliced Raw Fish - I felt were very fresh. The soup bases were very flavourful as well, but if you are unable to take spice well, I would not recommend their Spicy Mala Soup base because it really does have that strong kick in spice. The famed free-flow Xiao Long Bao did not disappoint as well and the free-flow Pumpkin Puree acted as a great substitute for drinks if you are not looking to pay extra for the normal drinks. The best part was that there were a few sauce bar areas within the restaurant that were filled with an extensive range of condiments and sauces which you can mix and match by yourself to craft the perfect sauce to enhance the flavour of your food.
For that, I give Singapore’s Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat a 8/10 for Flavour.
In terms of their customer service, it was very commendable as well. Within each table, you place your order via your own mobile devices by scanning the QR code that they have provided. The downside is that only 1 mobile device within each table is allowed to send the order - even if you scan the QR code using multiple devices. I was impressed by how quickly the kitchen accepted my orders - which was within seconds, and they did make an effort to deliver my orders to me as soon as possible. If you are a regular customer there, you will also realise that the Lady Boss also comes around to check on your table to make sure that you are having a great time eating, and that the kitchen is delivering all the orders without any mistake. She also makes an effort to ask if there’s any feedback - be it negative or positive, to ensure that everything is going well. A friend of mine feedback to her that the portable air cooler wasn’t really working, and immediately, she got her staff to check on not just the identified faulty air cooler, but also the other portable air coolers in the vicinity. Such impeccable service. My only small complaint is that the kitchen does have a tendency to miss out an item or two in between my orders, which can be a little bit frustrating.
For that, I give Singapore’s Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat a 9/10 for Service.
Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat is genuinely the perfect spot if you are meeting with a large group of friends of not more than 10 people because the place does have the capability to allow all of you to be seated together side-by-side. To be certain that you will definitely be able to get that 8 to 10 seater table, do make sure that you make a reservation before heading to the restaurant. You are also able to make special requests during the reservation process as needed, such as requesting a Quiet Seat, Window Seat, Baby Carrier, Stroller, Assistance, and more. This really showed how much thought has been put into making their guest as comfortable as possible. The restaurant is also very big, with more than sufficient personal space at your seats, so it does not feel like you are cramming with 9 other people even if you drop by in a group of 10.
For that, I give SIngapore’s Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat a 10/10 for Ambience.
Overall, Guo Fu Hotpot Steamboat at 20 Cross Street scored a 27/30 after combining the scores for Ambience, Flavour, and Service. To quickly conclude, while the damage in price might have been on the higher-end, but for the impeccable service and quality ingredients, I thought it was really worth it.
