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I travelled to a hidden kopitiam within Marsiling Industrial Estate to visit Woodlands Claypot Prawn. According to them, they are the first in Singapore to introduce charcoal claypot prawn. Upon my arrival, I was pleasantly surprised that the stall was neighbours with other familiar establishments like One Ton Mee and Appam Aunty.
The menu has just 2 items: Charcoal Prawn and Hokkien Mee. The Charcoal Prawn adopts a hotpot concept, where you can choose an array of seafood, meats, vegetables and other ingredients to complement your meal.
A lot of effort goes into the preparation of the prawn broth, which is simmered slowly for several hours to bring out all of its natural flavours and goodness.
The claypot is served over hot flaming charcoal. If you’re worried that the fire will die out after some time, don’t be— the staff will gladly add more coals to keep the claypot piping hot!
Before we tucked into our feast, we headed over to the condiments area where a plethora of sauces awaited us. I spotted options like Black Pepper Sauce, Japanese Sesame Dressing, Homemade Chilli Sauce, Hot Chicken Korea Sauce, Raw Garlic and Coriander. Remember to help yourselves to the cutlery and utensils as well.
Our Specialty Prawn Broth (S$32.80) came with 12 large prawns which were extremely fresh. I jokingly told my colleagues that one good gauge of a prawn’s freshness is that my tongue doesn’t get itchy. I ate about 5 and I was still fine… phew!
The broth danced on my taste buds with its natural sweetness and flawless seasoning. Each sip was a whirlwind of robust prawn essence, yet light enough to tempt me into mouthful after mouthful.
We also ordered Shabu Pork (S$8.80), Australian Beef Slices (S$10.80), Sotong Flower (S$6.80), Prawn Paste (S$10.80), Xiao Bai Cai (S$2.80), Lotus Slices (S$2.80) and Vermicelli (S$0.80).
The meats were just as delectable after they were cooked in the umami-rich prawn broth. We were hooked on the Homemade Chilli Sauce which injected bursts of brightness into every bite with its tangy notes.
If your broth is close to drying up, don’t hesitate to get the staff’s attention – they will place a jar of prawn stock on your table for you to top up as much as you desire.
We also tried the Hokkien Mee (S$8.80) which came with a yellow mee-thick bee hoon combo served with pieces of sotong, 2 large prawns, bits of crispy pork lard and small pieces of pork belly. The egg yolk on top reminded me of ‘moonlight’ hor fun.
Looking for something more interesting other than the normal steamboat or mookata? Then make a date with your family or friends and head over to Woodlands Claypot Prawn.
For those who don’t drive, simply head over to Woodlands Bus Interchange (the air-conditioned one) and take bus 903. Alight 3 bus stops later and you’ll spot a large industrial building opposite called Beyonics. Walk in the same direction as the traffic and turn left at Marsiling Industrial Estate Road 1 and you’ll spot the coffee shop— hope this helps!
One Pot 一锅: Under-the-radar steamboat with 15 ingredients & refillable soup at S$20 in Mountbatten
