COCA Restaurant Tasting Session 2022

COCA Restaurant Tasting Session 2022
391 Orchard Road
#04-23 Ngee Ann City

5 Stadium Walk
#02-01 Leisure Park Kallang

3 Temasek Boulevard
#02-440 Suntec City


Opening Hours:
Daily: 11:30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10:30pm



https://coca.com.sg/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.
Attended with representatives from Jennifer Yeo Lifestyle, Chubby Botak Koala, msginginly, and Purple Taste.



Hot Pot Flat Lay
Hot Pot Flat Lay



Popular Thai-Chinese Steamboat Buffet

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 6
Value for Money: 7
Budget about SGD $53++ per person.


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Founded way back in 1957, along the Soi Dejo road of Bangkok, Thailand, COCA Restaurant is a Thai hot pot / steamboat restaurant franchise that has since gone international. COCA Restaurant first opened its doors in Singapore in 1987, and now, over 2 decades later, is still holding its place as the premier high-end Thai steamboat / hot pot restaurant.

COCA Restaurant Signage
COCA Restaurant Signage


COCA Restaurant Exterior
COCA Restaurant Exterior


COCA Restaurant Interior
COCA Restaurant Interior



Ambience at COCA Restaurant is modern fancy, with a classy up-market feel. The warm lights, comfortable cushioned chairs, and wide tables, are great for long lingering meals with a full steamboat buffet spread. Background chatter and staff movement lend a bustling atmosphere. The well-ventilated environment means you don't leave with lingering odours, making for a pleasant dining experience.

Decor
Decor


Seating
Seating



Service at COCA Restaurant is friendly and discreet, though it's sometimes difficult to attract the staff's attention as there aren't many of them. Staff accord each table personalised attention, and appear relatively knowledgeable on the menu. They carry out requests efficiently, and clean up quickly when diners leave. That said, you'll have to call them to top up drinks and clear empty plates throughout the meal.

Service Counter
Service Counter


COCA Restaurant Hot Pot Buffet Prices
COCA Restaurant Hot Pot Buffet Prices



Food at COCA Restaurant is Thai Chinese steamboat hot pot buffet, tasty and filling. The menu has an extensive range, and ingredients are fresh and premium. The buffet style means you can call unlimited portion servings from your chosen range (but note the penalties for food wastage), with the most affordable already good value. There is a time limit of 100 minutes for dining. Prices are reasonable, starting from SGD $53++ per person.

Hot Pot Flat Lay
Hot Pot Flat Lay


Us
Us



The Drinks & Dessert Package (SGD $8 Per Person Set) comes with unlimited refills of your chosen beverage, along with the house dessert of the day, which was fantastic during our visit. I chose the iced lemongrass beverage, which was refreshing with herbal sweet floral flavour.

Drinks & Dessert Package
Drinks & Dessert Package (SGD $8 Per Person Set)



Create your own dipping sauce from the wide variety of base ingredients available. So many possibilities!

Sauce Counter
Sauce Counter


DIY Sauce
DIY Sauce



During this visit, we sampled their signature Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup, and their new Soup Base Laksa. Loved the sweet herbal savoury boozy flavour of the Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup, enhanced with Shaoxing rice wine, red dates, spring onions, wolfberries / goji berries, and ginger; carrying a milky white colour. The Soup Base Laksa is more straightforward spicy savoury salty, and less milky in taste, with the laksa leaves with chili lending a pronounced flavour, while the dried tofu bean curd puffs within soak up the gravy; carrying a fiery red orange colour. Pretty good!

Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup & Soup Base Laksa


Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup & Soup Base Laksa
Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup & Soup Base Laksa


Pouring In Shaoxing Rice Wine
Pouring In Shaoxing Rice Wine


Tasting Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup
Tasting Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup


Cooking
Cooking



Staff marinated then flambéed pieces of chicken at the table, then placed it into the hot pot broth. Beyond creating exciting anticipation, this gave the Soup Base Hua Diao Chicken Soup its distinctive flavour.

Flambé Marinated Chicken In Hua Diao Wine & Herbs


Flambé Marinated Chicken In Hua Diao Wine & Herbs
Flambé Marinated Chicken In Hua Diao Wine & Herbs






Flambé
Flambé



Loved the variety of fresh vegetables in the buffet selection. Particularly loved the King Oyster Mushroom with its chewy tender texture and vegetal earthy savoury flavour, the soft Spinach with vegetal sweet flavour, and the crisp Tang O / Garland Chrysanthemum with its vegetal bitter herbal sweet flavour. Good!

Vegetables - King Oyster Mushroom, Cabbage, Spinach, Tang O, Bean Curd Skin
Vegetables - King Oyster Mushroom, Cabbage, Spinach, Tang O, Bean Curd Skin



The range of fresh meats from the buffet selection is above average in quality. Most are thinly sliced to enable quick cooking. Among them, I loved the tender succulent Beef for its fresh meaty savoury sweet flavour, and the chunky chewy Chicken which picked up the herbal sweet savoury notes of the broth. The soft Luncheon Meat / Spam held meaty salty savoury flavour, and I feel it's better with spicy broths. Good!

Meat Beef
Meat Beef


Meat Chicken
Meat Chicken


Meat Pork
Meat Pork


Meat Luncheon Meat / Spam
Meat Luncheon Meat / Spam


Meat Lamb
Meat Lamb



Excited by the fresh seafood in the buffet selection. The prawns were a stand-out, juicy and succulent with bright meaty sweet savoury flavour, while the tender Mackerel Fish absorbed the broth to gain meaty sweet savoury salty flavour. The interesting Jellyfish was crunchy and picked up the spicy savoury salty notes of the laksa decently. Good!

Seafood Prawns
Seafood Prawns


Seafood Oysters
Seafood Oysters


Seafood Mackerel Fish
Seafood Mackerel Fish


Seafood Jellyfish
Seafood Jellyfish


Seafood Flower Crab
Seafood Flower Crab


Seafood Fish Maw
Seafood Fish Maw


Seafood Fish Ball With Roe
Seafood Fish Ball With Roe



The specials were hit and miss, but by and large, decent enough. Of note was the Shrimp Paste, whose sweet savoury salty flavour was delicious enough that we ordered 3 rounds of it. The Noodles Thai Mama goes great with steamboat, and dunking it with their house sauces made it so tasty. Good!

Special Stuffed Bean Curd Skin
Special Stuffed Bean Curd Skin


Special Shrimp Wanton
Special Shrimp Wanton


Special Shrimp Paste
Special Shrimp Paste


Special Fish Ravioli
Special Fish Ravioli


Special Fish Glue
Special Fish Glue


Noodles Thai Mama
Noodles Thai Mama


Noodles Green Spirulina
Noodles Green Spirulina



The Drinks & Dessert Package (SGD $8 Per Person Set) features the Dessert Coconut Ice Cream With Gula Melaka Sago to finish off the meal. Loved the premium, creamy smooth coconut ice cream and its earthy floral sweet milky flavours. The rich gula melaka / palm sugar coated the springy tapioca sago balls with deep floral sweet earthy flavour, really addictive. Excellent, so yummy. Highly recommended!

Dessert Coconut Ice Cream With Gula Melaka Sago (SGD $8 Per Person Set)


Dessert Coconut Ice Cream With Gula Melaka Sago
Dessert Coconut Ice Cream With Gula Melaka Sago



Couldn't be happier dining at COCA Restaurant, with its fancy ambience, discreet service, and tasty Thai Chinese steamboat food, at relatively reasonable prices. Am looking forward to our next visit to COCA Restaurant!


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