8 Ma La Restaurants In Singapore For Legit Sichuan Food That Will Leave You Sweating Buckets

Ma la restaurants for Sichuan food

My undying love for ma la dishes started when I joined Eatbook. Thanks to the job, I’ve been to quite a handful of good Sichuan restaurants that I am now a ma la convert. Somehow, the tingling sensation that the blend of peppercorns and chillies create is just so addictive. Here are eight ma la restaurants to check out if you love spicy food!

1. Qi – House of Sichuan

I don’t normally list things according to how good they are, but Qi – House of Sichuan is an exception. Earning a Michelin-star in their original Hong Kong restaurant, they are best known for their Chili Fried Sri Lanka Crab ($115++) that’s surrounded by Sichuan peppercorns, chillies and scallions. Another must-order dish is their Braised Garoupa Fish Fillet in Chili Oil Soup ($40++ for small, $50++ for large) – a massive bowl filled with chillies, thick slices of braised grouper fish fillet, mushrooms, and sweet potato noodles.

Address: 8A Marina Boulevard, #02-01, Marina Bay Link Mall, Singapore 018984
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Tel: 6634 8277

2. Fat Bird

For the indecisive ma la xiang guo lover, a trip to the new Fat Bird at Bedok is much needed. Offering an extremely affordable ma la xiang guo buffet at just $14.80++, you can savour as many pots of ma la as you desire. There are seven types of bases to choose from, along with 36 toppings including beef and lamb slices, mushrooms, and beancurd skin. Highly recommended are their Spicy & Fragrant Chicken and Bullfrog pots!

Address: 11 Bedok North Street 1, #01-24, Heartbeat @ Bedok, Singapore 469662
Opening hours: Daily 10:30am to 12am
Buffet hours: Daily 12pm to 4pm, 9pm to 11:15pm
Buffet prices: Mon to Thur $14.80++ for adults, $9.90++ for children, Fri-Sun, eve of & PH $17.90++ for adults, $9.90++ for children.
Tel: 6284 0473
Website

3. Le Fuse Cafe

Muslim friends can indulge in ma la grub at Le Fuse Cafe. Numb your tongue with their Mala Xiang Guo – Spicy Dry Pot ($12.80), which comes with potato slices, sausages, black fungus, enoki mushrooms, lotus and luncheon meat – all tossed in a fiery red, peppercorn gravy. They also do a few fusion dishes, and an interesting one is their Salted Egg Smoked Duck Laksa ($10.80). It’s not spicy, but works if you love salted egg dishes!

Address: 22 Lim Tua Tow Road, Singapore 547772
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 4pm to 10pm, Sat-Sun 11:30am to 10pm
Website
Le Fuse Cafe is a Muslim-owned cafe.

4. Spice World Hotpot

Image credit: @blancheeze

Hailing from China, with outlets in Sydney and USA, is Spice World Hotpot. The ma la steamboat restaurant has been flooding our Instagram feed, thanks to their Hello Kitty and teddy bear-shaped block of beef oil and ma la stock. They also have other gimmicky items, including slices of Australian M8 Wagyu beef ($38.90++) that come draped over a doll.

Address: 3B River Valley Road, #01-06/07, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179021
Opening hours: Sun-Thur 10:30am to 4am, Fri-Sat 10:30am to 6am
Tel: 6265 9777
Website

5. Enjoy Mala

Image credit: Enjoy Mala’s Facebook page

Another China ma la import on the list is Enjoy Mala. While they do have a good range of Sichuan dishes, their signature Dip Pot Chuan Chuan is what attracts the crowd. Comprised of 20 types of spices, the soup base is extremely spicy and will leave your tongue on fire if you dare to slurp it all up; it’s meant for dipping, as the name suggests. Of course, if you can’t take the heat, you can adjust the level of spiciness. Skewers feature the usual prawns, meatball, mushrooms and more.

Address: 181 Orchard Road, #04-22-22B, Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Tel: 6509 0295
Website

6. Birds of a Feather

Playing on the bold, punchy flavours of Sichuan cuisine, Birds of A Feather presents a scrumptious selection of Western-Chinese dishes that are innovative and oh-so-delicious. Expect beads of sweat to form on your forehead when you dig into their lunchtime special: Red Birdie Noodle ($20++). Served with a side of tender bang bang chicken, is a bowl of Hiyamugi noodles. The noodles come in an addictive sauce blend of red oil, chicken stock, doubanjiang (chilli bean paste), and chilli paste, and everything is topped with egg confit for added creaminess.

Address: 115 Amoy Street, #01-01, Singapore 069935
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 10:30am to 3pm, 5pm to 11pm, Thur 10:30am to 3pm, 5pm to 12am, Fri-Sat 10:30am to 12am, Sun 10:30am to 10pm
Tel: 6221 7449
Website

7. Lao Si Chuan

Image credit: @greedynomz

A popular spot among supper-goers, Lao Si Chuan conjures up a wide variety of legit Sichuan food. Heavy on peppercorns and other Chinese peppers, you can expect to gulp down glasses of water when you tuck into their Diced Chicken in Spicy Sauce ($22.80++) – or la zi ji – as well as their Signature Spicy Fish ($22.80++). If you have family or friends who have a low spice tolerance, they also have non-spicy dishes such as Deep-fried Duck with Yam ($16.80++).

Address: 268 Middle Road, Singapore 188992
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 5am
Tel: 9395 6808
Website
Menu

8. Ma La Hui Cui Guan

Image credits: Ma La Hui Cui Guan’s Facebook Page

Another Muslim-owned Sichuan restaurant on our list, Ma La Hui Cui Guan offers an a la carte buffet ($24+ from 2pm to 5pm, $28+ from 5pm to 6am), where you get your own personal hot pot and a choice of two soup bases. Of course, as we are talking about ma la restaurants, their special Sichuan spicy soup is one you should definitely order. Other than that, the green chilli soup packs a fiery punch too.

Address: 260 Middle Road, Singapore 188988
Opening hours: Daily 2pm to 6am
Buffet prices: $25+ (2pm to 5pm), $28+ (5pm to 6am)
Tel: 6333 5535
Website