新年快乐 🐖

This Yu sheng came with the CNY set menu for two. I was looking forward to seeing the piggy Yu sheng that they advertised on their Instagram page but this plate was too small for that. Anyway the components of the Yusheng are the same for both. It’s a very pretty plate of Yusheng nonetheless, with tons of colours and a generous serving of smoked salmon.

I did like the Yusheng but it became too sweet after a while because of the boba. Note that this was from the set menu for 2 pax, but we shared it amongst 3 pax. No idea how 2 regular people will be able to finish this AND continue with the remaining dishes in the set menu as the portions are quite good-sized!

Yu sheng was served after the hotpot. When it arrived, the colour on the dish looked quite dull. Not the usual vibrant colours of Yu sheng that excite me. The veg didn’t taste very fresh, and there seemed to be way too much pickled veg which overpowered the taste of everything else. We didn’t enjoy the Yu sheng and didn’t finish the small portion shared amongst 5 of us. But of course they are a hotpot restaurant, so I can’t hold it against them. Would definitely give this a miss if I ever visited during CNY period again.

I had wanted to order this Yu sheng from Full Of Luck club ever since seeing how cute and colourful it was on their Instagram. We were intending to order this for pickup for CNY Day 1 dinner. Unfortunately, they weren’t open for CNY Day 1 so we had to give it a miss. I also visited with my parents on Day 6 and we did order the Yu sheng but we could only get the small portion as t was 3 of us sharing (pictured in another review). We were disappointed but of course the plate was too small to hold the deco.

After two bouts of disappointment, imagine my glee when I found out that I could order delivery for the Yu sheng via foodpanda so I did exactly that and ordered the large Yu sheng and some dishes for my office CNY lunch. Foodpanda actually sent two riders over, one with the foodstuffs we ordered, and another carrying only the Yu sheng. The pig did get jostled a little and it’s ears were moved out of place, but I think they did a pretty good job minimising bumps while delivering so yay!

Now looking at Yu sheng like this always makes me feel happy even though it’s gimmicky. In addition, the vibrant colours of the veg just make it oh so tantalising. We did our own addition of ingredients with our random rojak of well wishes and poured only one tub of oil instead of the two tubs provided. Also, we wanted to add extra Poh chai crackers of our own but couldn’t find it at ntuc by day 10 - thankfully the amount given by the restaurant was pretty decent and we didn’t need to add on more anyway. They also give a good amount of smoked salmon, and these come in large strips. Might be better for bigger groups if these had been cut into smaller slices else you’d end up fighting with your colleagues for the pieces of salmon or trying to pry the salmon apart with your chopsticks.

The Yu sheng tastes pretty good overall, but tends to get too sweet because of the copious amounts of boba. One of my colleagues mentioned that there was too much pickled veg but I didn’t find it overpowering. Word of caution though: make sure you toss the Yu sheng VERY thoroughly as we ended up with large clumps of pickled veg and boba about halfway through the Yu sheng which we had missed during the toss.

I really enjoy having hotpot with family and friends at HDL, especially with the ma la broth and tomato broth. The ma la broth has an addictive and spicy kick that leaves your lips and tongue tingling but you just can’t help wanting more! With the HDL ma la hot pot seasoning now easily available at local supermarkets, we can whip up our own ma la hot pot anytime and did exactly that for our CNY dinner. The taste was pretty similar to the broth at the restaurant itself, but one downside is that you can’t really customise the level of spiciness, numbness or oil as it’s packaged in a single bag. I guess it’s always possible to drain the oil first but then there’ll be more stuff to wash huh. This is one hotpot seasoning that I’ll keep in constant rotation.

Note to self though - DON’T add in fa cai, seaweed, or anything that tends to pick up small particles as tons of peppercorns get entangled inside and it’s a real challenge to get them out, so you could end up with a Szechuan peppercorn bomb in your mouth if you’re not careful! 😂🤣

Been on a MLXG craze of late but it tends to be quite pricey outside. A colleague recommended the HDL MXLG packaged seasoning to DIY and cook our own at home so I headed down to NTUC and got a pack. I cooked it during CNY as an accompaniment for our steamboat and it wasn’t half bad! It was pretty dang good actually! The sauce was sufficiently spicy and numbing - I was left with tingling lips after a few bites, SHIOK! Downside is that you won’t be able to reduce the spiciness or numbness as the sauce is packaged in one bag. The veggies actually do have to be boiled first as the stir fry process is short. Overall it’s a very simple procedure and a fragrant bowl of MLXG awaits. Kudos to HDL for bringing accessible and affordable MLXG to households!

Ordered a basic Yu sheng for CNY lunch for 3. There are options to add on more ingredients like abalone or salmon but we didn’t choose to do so. Asked for less oil to be poured and the staff gladly obliged. While not a visually stunning Yu sheng, I think it had a good amount of pickled veg and fresh veg. What I liked the most was the fried yam sticks that added a satisfying crunch! What’s unique about their Yu sheng is the addition of chestnuts which I don’t usually see in other restaurant Yu shengs. I don’t think it added much to the taste but it was an interesting addition nonetheless!