New Kid on the Block – MK Restaurants

Even though Singapore is hot and humid all year round, the people here love gathering with family and friends around a hotpot where ingredients are boiled in broth. While this can be easily prepared at home, it did not stop many restaurants from joining the steamy (pun intended) scene. Other than Cantonese herbal and tongue-numbing Sichuan ma la steamboat, there are also Japanese shabu shabu or sukiyaki and Korean ginseng or kimchi hotpot. Local versions include bak kut teh and laksa among other soup bases offered at Jumbo Group's Jpot. The latter is also available at Laksania, which recently opened its 4th branch at Jem. And now there is Thai-style steamboat with the opening of MK Restaurants at B3 of 313@somerset where Cold Storage used to be. It opened in 2003 at Parkway Parade and Singapore Post Centre with a local franchisee that, according to a spokesman from the popular Thai steamboat chain, eventually had to "shift its focus back to its core business".

My dining companions and I have not tried MK Restaurants before, and were surprised to see Chinese cuisine like dim sum on the menu. As the place offered neither buffet nor set menus, the meal could add up quite a bit for small eaters and a lot for big eaters. Our choice of complimentary soup over tom yam, which could be ordered for an additional cost, tasted flat and salty like it was made from soya sauce and water. There was nothing to rave about or fault on the Chinese Cabbage, Egg Tofu, Fish Tofu and Mushroom Platter. Fresh Shrimp was, as its name suggested, fresh and succulent. Sliced Beef, Sliced Pork and MK Signature Balls were good unlike Marinated Beef, Scallop and Tendered Pork. Its signature – MK Roasted Duck was tender, a tad salty and went well with the recommended Jade Noodles that had an aroma of garlic and sesame oil. Good for filling the stomach while waiting for the raw ingredients to be cooked. I thought the meal was only worth half the price we paid.

Update: The restaurant has closed.