Uncle Fong – Popular Chongqing-Style Hotpot Restaurant Opens at Great World

Hot pot lovers now have even more to look forward to with the arrival of the wildly popular Uncle Fong Hotpot Restaurant in Singapore. It first opened in Hong Kong to explosive reception, with many Hong Kong celebrities such as Carina Lau, Julian Cheung and Stanley Kwan spotted dining there.

The restaurant is founded by Mr Fong Chi Chung, affectionately known as Fang Shu Shu, who first carved his name with Michelin-starred restaurant Putien. After visiting countless hot pot restaurants in Chongqing, he compiled his personal favourites to open an authentic Chongqing hot pot restaurant targeted at discerning hot pot gourmands.

At Uncle Fong Hotpot Restaurant, diners can expect authentic Chongqing hot pot offerings, and ingredients not commonly found at other hot pot restaurants. The soup bases, in particular, are brewed and simmered with premium spices and condiments, while the fresh ingredients that go into the pot are specially curated to complement the soups.

One of the most identifiable features of Uncle Fong Hot Pot is the unique nine-grid layout (九宫格) of its pot which segregates it into three different heat zones. The different levels provide different temperatures of soup with the heat being the strongest in the middle square where the fire is more concentrated, making it ideal for blanching quick-cook foods instead of long cooking.

On the other hand, the four grids around the centre square of the pot are heated with a more even, medium heat, making it best for poaching foods. Finally, the corner grids get the least amount of heat and this makes them perfect for stewing your desired ingredients. The nine grids make Uncle Fong a good place to take somebody with a low tolerance for heat, though I get confused as to which grid should I cook my food in, so we had to constantly ask for help. Eventually, we decided to just put most items in the corner grids because the soup there happens to be the least spicy.

We tried their Signature Chongqing Soup Base (招牌重庆锅底) which is brewed from five carefully selected main ingredients – Chongqing Shizhuhong Chilli, Sichuan Hanyuan Pepper, Refined High Quality Beef Tallow, Sichuan Pixian Bean Paste and Yunnan Yellow Ginger.

Soup bases are priced in a novel way — at $7 per person, with the maximum cost at $28 per pot.

Apart from the fresh selection of meats, seafood, vegetables and produce, Uncle Fong Hotpot Restaurant has carefully curated its hot pot ingredients to specially complement its soup bases. It also strives to bring offerings not commonly found at other hot pot restaurants, with novelty items such as coral mussels, which are the intestines of red sea cucumber, Putien soft tofu, and dried gong choi.

Seasonal ingredients such as Razor Clams ($24 full portion, $12.50 half portion) are airflown into Singapore directly from Putien every week. These clams, available only from April to August every year, are harvested from a small fishing village that has been rearing this prized catch for more than 600 years. Harvested from nutritious black mud, the hand-dug razor clams are plump and at least 6cm in length, promising to be sweet, savoury, and succulent.

As for specialty items, some of the must-orders include Beef Tripe ($24 full portion, $12.50 half portion), US Prime Beef Short Ribs ($42 full portion, $21.50 half portion), Home-made Ebiko Prawn Paste ($16 full portion, $8.50 half portion), Pig Throat ($18 full portion, $9.50 half portion) and Coral Mussels ($38 full portion, $19.50 half portion).

A green option sure to delight is the Celtuce Slices ($8 full portion, $4.50 half portion). The Dried Gong Choi ($8 full portion, $4.50 half portion) will not disappoint, and the Putien Soft Tofu ($6 full portion, $3.50 half portion) will surely delight tofu fans. The Wulong Potato Noodles ($8 full portion, $4.50 half portion), which are flat noodles made from high quality sweet potato for sweeter and chewier bites, will meet all carbohydrate needs.

Even if you are careful to pull these bites out of the bubbling pot quickly, the chilies and Sichuan peppercorns will catch up with you sooner or later. The heat gradually build ups on your tongue, infiltrate your dipping sauce, and the distinctive mala tingle will take over. There is no fighting it at that point, of course, though a bowl of white rice is a good investment.

At the end of the meal, the conversation at the table has stopped completely because the small cups of water won’t help anymore. Thankfully, their Oolong Iced Tea ($8), Iced Roselle Tea with Fresh Orange ($8), Iced Bayberry Juice ($8) or Captain Cool Passionfruit Cocktail (contains alcohol) ($9) help to alleviate some of the heat.