Tian Wai Tian Fishhead Steamboat

The highlight here is the fishhead steamboat — rich broth, fresh fish, with vegetable, seaweed and yam. One can choose from 3 types of fish — pomfret, coral grouper, and snapper.

The fish head steamboat, with its cabbage and taro, was delicious, but got incredibly salty near the end (duh, since everything evaporated… but there was so much salt (MSG?) in the broth itself that I had a mild headache by the end of evening). We also had the fried chicken wings which were delicious, but the sambal squid kong kang was mushy. Overall, recommended. Just be warned that the service is VERY spotty and you may be waiting awhile to get seated, get your order, get your bill, etc. Cash only.

Love the har cheong kai (prawn paste chicken wings) which came hot and crispy. Not so much into the ngoh hiang which was also highly recommended. The sambal kangkong was spicy and went very well with the rice.
The highlight was the fish steamboat which was heated with charcoal. The soup was very sweet and flavorful and filled with fish, yam pieces and veggies.
Parking is terrible as there are not many spaces available along the road. It is always crowded, so it may take a while to get a table if you are there during the peak dinner hour. Either go early or later to avoid a long wait. The service is typical of coffeeshop. Quick and efficient, not so much into niceties.

Tadaaa! One of my father’s favourite zi char places. Half of my childhood memories were formed going to this restaurant (that’s super near the PIE), sitting outdoors on plastic chairs and watching the stray cats meander under the patrons’ legs.
Everybody goes there to have the fish-​head steamboat, aka HUR TAO LOR in local speak. I have to say my father has great taste (not only in finding a wife) — this is DA BEST fish-​head steamboat in Singapore. Regardless of your choice of white pomfret or the red grouper, the pre-​fried fish is always succulent and fresh, cooked to perfection in the full-​flavoured soup. I remember as a kid I liked to select the half-​soggy yam pieces from the soup, those were my favourite. The tofu prawn is a recommended side order. Its sauce is a different take with a little bit of spice, but it helps the rice to go down really well.
Many people are willing to wait for these piping pots of steamy goodness, that’s why we always make it a point to reach before dinner time.
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