Coucou Hotpot: Always in the Mood for Hotpot

Despite the hot and humid weather in Singapore, hungry diners crave for hotpot – evidenced by the numerous chains that line up its busy streets in bustling malls.

Coucou Hotpot was recommended by my good friend, Sam Bautista, during my last visit to Singapore with my mom. Dining in a hotpot restaurant was never top-of-mind during our visit - since the weather was really so hot outside; but boy, did Coucou prove me wrong - hotpot is good - no matter the weather.

It was pretty overwhelming to be inside as it felt like I was inside a humungous snazzy bar instead of a hotpot restaurant. The place is massive, but each table is sectioned off in private booths to give you a sense of privacy.

HOTPOT SET (Inclusive of Appetizers, Coconut Ice Cream and Smoothie) – SGD4.5/pax

We delegated the job of choosing what we’d be eating to Sam as mom and I got a little bit intimidated by the menu. While waiting for your food, you can focus on visiting the appetizer spread or start curating your own preferred sauce.

TWIN BROTH (SGD 24)

Sam chose two incredibly interesting broths for us – first was the fiery red Taiwanese Style Spicy Soup Base and the subdued and subtly sweet Thai Coconut Chicken. Definitely – the best of both worlds - flavor-wise – that I found myself switching between the two broths after every bowl refill!

DA HONG PAO BUBBLE MILK TEA (SGD5.8)

So apart from their Hotpot, Coucou is also known for its extensive milk tea selection – Sam recommended that we each get an order of the Da Hong Pao Bubble Milk Tea. I was completely in shock when I saw that it came served in a massive mug – it was good – but this will definitely fill you up so quickly – perhaps it’s best to split this with another person!

USDA CHOICE BEEF SHORT RIBS (SGD 39) and PORK JOWL (SGD 18)

For our main meats, Sam opted for the USDA Choice Beef Short Ribs and the Pork Jowl – and boy did they look too pretty to eat. The color and the marbling of the short ribs serve as a testament that you’re getting your money’s worth!

MEATBALL COMBO (SGD 24)

My non-negotiable hotpot item would always be balls of all kinds – so naturally, this was my sole request to Sam - just get me any kind of ball - however, since there were way too many options, we opted for the Meatball Combo – which offered three kinds of freshly made meatballs already. Interestingly, Sam also ordered the Mashed Prawn Paste (not in the photo) – first time to try it, and boy did I enjoy it! It doesn’t really look that pretty but boy are those little pieces flavor-bombs!

MUSHROOM COMBO (SGD18)

The Mushroom Combo is another must-try – not only does Coucou arrange them in such a gorgeous manner, it’s an absolute steal given the variety and amount (and freshness) of mushrooms you’ll be served with!

SWEET POTATO VERMICELLI (SGD 4)

Another ingredient I tried for the very first time would be the Sweet Potato Vermicelli – these came in thick strips – but since they were hefty (and I personally don’t eat a lot of noodles during hotpot since they take up valuable space in my stomach, haha) – I wasn’t too keen on eating these. However, they’re definitely more interesting than your usual udon noodles!

FRIED BEANCURD SKIN (SGD9)

My preferred ingredient (over noodles) would be fried beancurd and dough sticks – they’re immensely lighter – and soak up the broth perfectly!

FRIED DOUGH STICKS (SGD 3.5)

I love the attention to detail Coucou has that even when serving relatively simpler ingredients like fried beancurd skin and fried dough sticks, they still make an effort to plate them masterfully and beautifully.

A friendly server also stopped by our private booth and offered us a Yuzu shot each. The tanginess and sweetness of it definitely was a much welcome respite from all the heat and saltiness from the entire hotpot experience.

They also served us a cup of ice cream each – but I was simply too full to eat it. Fortunately, they came in convenient take-out ice cream cups which allowed us to easily pop them in our bags and bring them back to our hotel.

Coucou Hotpot.Brew Tea

#03-332/333/334/335/336/337 Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983

Date of Visit: June 20, 2023 with Sam Bautista and Lily Chua