Hai Chang Fish Head Steamboat

While on the way sending my partner to the airport, we visited the popular round market in Tampines to fix our stomach. In the back of my head, I always think that they are mostly opened in the day time and most probably there will not be any interesting food during the night. However we still went ahead to the round market thinking that if there isn't anything for dinner, we will just dine at one of the nearby coffeeshop.

The barbecue pit with fire caught my attention and initially I thought it was selling some BBQ chicken instead. We decided to try out the fishhead steamboat.

Hai Chang Fish Head Steamboat

Besides the steamboat, we order the smallest plate of fried egg with minced meat. Yumm! It was well executed with greens at the base.

Minced Meat Egg - $8

Eggs were fluffy and definitely addictive to the extent that if you give me a bowl of white rice with this plate of minced meat with egg, I can finish all of them without an issue ~ My kind of comfort food.

Minced Meat Egg

With Hai Chang's stall opening at night, the round market's hawker centre will never be a "Ghost Town" as you can see 100% of the crowd are only patronizing the stall. Noted for its traditional Charcoal flavour and pocket friendly pot, it is no doubt that there will be a queue. Do visit them early to avoid longer waiting time.

Red Grouper - $25

Broth is tasty and with ingredients like fried yam, vegetables, seaweed, sun-dried flat fish and fish chunks.

Burning Burning!

For some it can be disappointing if you are looking for meaty chunks of meat. In fact, if you are diners who cant bare to dirty your fingers on the food and the bones from the fish, it may be a hassle for you as majority of the fish chunks come with bones.

Fish Chunks

Take a look at the blowing station which is set up in front and away from the stall. Charcoal was taken out from the BBQ pit and stacked nicely into the steamboat pot via the chimmey, there after it will be brought to this blowing station for processing where fire gets burning.

Blowing Station

After successfully making the fire burns, the assistant will bring the pot back to the stall where the fish broth will be pour into it and served to the customer. Service was quite good as Staff from Hai Chang keeps a look out at customer's pot, if the fire were dying off while our broth is still full, they will cover the pot up and bring it to the station for another "blow".

The blowing station

Video of the burning hot pot:

Travelling into the East for hawker food was quite a rare chance to come by, the way how charcoal fire was blown to create fiery flames on top of the aluminum steamboat chimney vessel was something I had not seen before in Singapore. I would say it was an eye opener and I wont mind coming back again. Having said that, I believe their Cze Char Dishes are not bad too, do check it out.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Hai Chang Fish Head Steamboat
Location: 137A Tampines Street 11, Singapore 522137