China’s Happy Lamb Hotpot (Kuaile Xiaoyang) in Singapore

I noticed this chain from China under construction at Pacific Plaza a couple of months ago. But then dining restrictions kicked in, which meant that they only opened their doors this week (9 Scotts Road #02-10, 9030-6897). Either way, it looked quite promising, not only given that they serve their hotpot without dipping sauces (i.e., the broth was supposed to be good enough that you didn't need it), but also in that they sourced their meat from Inner Mongolia...sorta. It turns out that only the chuanr featured such meat, whereas my sliced hotpot meat came from Scotland.

It didn't matter in the end though, because I liked it all. Yes, it's true that one didn't need a sauce, as those soups were rich and velvety rather than the in-your-face taste that one usually gets at hotpot places. The paper-thin meat was deliciously rich and tender, with more of a buttery taste than anything too stanky. Best of all, the prices weren't too bad, which means that I'd much rather come here than expensive places like Haidilao. That said, there were a number of premium cuts of lamb on the menu that I carefully sidestepped. If I were to have gotten those, my bill would've been significantly higher.