Growing up, there is always a soft spot for hotpot as it signifies reunion and gathering. Nobody Rarely people eat hotpot alone right? It is usually in a setting of at least a couple of people. Recently, I have discovered Fu Lin Men Dou Lao Hotpot 福临门豆捞, a 220-seater 3-storey corner shop house located at North Canal Road (near Boat Quay, opposite OCBC Building) which specialises in serving hotpot. From the exterior of the restaurant, it looks expensive! But I am surprised to find some of the items cheaper than expected. 
Originating from Macau, Fu Lin Men Dou Lao Hotpot 福临门豆捞 offers diners with individual hotpot so that the soup base and ingredients can be added to the pot according to individual’s liking. 
There are 5 different soup bases from the Signature Element Soups (Gold – Golden Imperial broth, Wood – Vitality wild and cultured mushroom broth, Water – Longevity toufu broth, Fire – Sizzlingly chili broth, Earth – Nourishing tomato broth) for diners to choose from. The word “豆捞” is actually a play sound of the word “都捞”which signifies Wealth, Fortune and Treasure with every scoop from the pot. 
For the soup base, we chose the Golden Imperial broth which was supposed to be a Manchu & Han Imperial Feast classic, favoured by the royals! It was made using fresh red carrot puree, chicken bone marrows, pork shin and thigh with skin and dry-aged cured ham (金华火腿) and cooked for more 12 hours! 
We had Oriental Greens and Wild and Cultivated Mushrooms ($10), 田园什锦蔬菜拼盘, and Premier Oxtails ($10), 养生牛尾骨, to start the session. For those who take beef, I would recommend the Premier Oxtails which is supposedly good for our complexion. =)
We were next served with a variety of different pastes. From Fresh Beancurd Pockets with Fresh Seafood Paste ($10), 富贵乾坤袋, to Wild Bamboo Pith with Fresh Prawn Paste ($18), 经典野生竹荪虾滑, and Family Bliss Freshly Handcrafted Dou Lao Meat Balls ($7), 六六大顺滑丸（全家福丸滑). Personally I like the texture of the pastes that are served here. It is very springy aka qq. A bite from it will differentiate it from those that are machine made. You know what I mean hor. One of the most interesting item was the Squid meat ball with chocolate. Surprisingly, the Squid meat ball with chocolate works very well when it is cooked with the Golden Imperial broth.
Among the Roars of Success Lion’s Mane Mushroom with Chicken Fillet ($12), 猴年鸡祥, Freshly Cultured Sea Prawns with Marbled Beef ($18) 金丝极品肥牛凤尾虾, and Bountiful Blessings of Three Treasures ($28), 吉祥三宝（羊肚菌、松茸菌、猴头; Morel, Matsutake & Lion’s Mane Mushroom), I enjoyed both the Bountiful Blessings of Three Treasures and Freshly Cultured Sea Prawns with Marbled Beef. From what I understand morel mushroom is one of the more rare and expensive kind of mushrooms. It has a nice nutty and meaty taste which I enjoyed. yum yum. Think of it, made me drool. 
No meal is complete without some meat for a carnivore like me. Beer Marinated Marbled Beef ($28), 啤酒牛肉, just proved my point. The thinly sliced beef was soaked in a bowl of beer for a minute or two before it is cooked. It has this beautiful aroma of the beer and is best eaten without any sauce. Definitely a must try item here!
Besides beef, Fu Lin Men Dou Lao Hotpot 福临门豆捞 also serves quality cut of pork and lamb. It was indeed a meat-licious (I know that there is no such word, it is just my way of saying a lot of meats. lol) night for us. 
Warm dish was also served as well. Fortune Chalice ($38), 极品海参鲍鱼花菇捞饭, is a rice based dish with gravy made from the Golden Imperial broth and topped with sea cucumber, abalone and mushroom. But since Fu Lin Men Dou Lao Hotpot 福临门豆捞 is known for their hotpot, I said skip this and eat more beef or their signature meatballs.
It is always a delight to end a meal with dessert. However, I was kinda disappointed with Grand Imperial Premium Bird’s Nest ($28), 冰糖炖官燕, as it was served in a gooey texture which I thought was too starchy. 
House of Gold Pineapple Glutinous Rice ($9), 菠萝菠萝蜜, was quite an interesting twist as most of us are more familiar with the mango sticky rice. It is served warm with bits of warm cooked pineapple. I feel that the presentation was fantastic but the taste is somehow not as on par. So if you are saving your tummy for the dessert, in this case, I think a wiser choice is to eat more morel mushroom or Wild Bamboo Pith with Fresh Prawn Paste instead. 
Overall it was a great hotpot meal and best part is there is no horrendous queue unlike my fav hotpot place at 313. I feel that certain dishes are more afforda
ble and I would definitely come back again. You can safely say that this is my second favorite place as of now.
Fu Lin Men Dou Lao Hotpot 福临门豆捞
16 North Canal Road Singapore 048828
Tel: +65 6532 2777
SMS/ Whatsapp/ WeChat: +65 9099 1777
Email: contact@fulinmendoulao.com.sg
Operating Hours: Mon to Sun Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Last order: 9:30pm
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