By Janness Koh

Chicken Hotpot is another one of my favourites and is constantly on top of my cravings list. The concept here works much like a traditional hotpot where you can add different ingredients into the pot but the difference is it comes in gravy and not the usual soup base. You can choose the size of the pot according to how many people you have and to have it non-spicy or different levels of spiciness.

Other than chicken they also have spicy shrimp that comes with fries underneath and the gravy tastes like tom yum to me. It also tastes good but I still like the signature chicken. They also have a beef and fish version which I never bothered to try for fear of disappointment and not satisfying my chicken pot craving but they do have set meal options. If you would like to add on ingredients, every plate is an additional charge depending on the ingredients and ranges from $1.80 to $6.80.

Savings alert! So they always have coupons you get get on Groupon (now named Fave) and it’s usually $15 for a $30 value and it is so worth it! I always grab a coupon when they are available.

Variety: 5/5

Although they only have 4 different pots on their standard menu this is twice as many as when they first start out. Plus, people really go for their signature chicken pot so I’m not going to deduct points from them for that.  I am also taking into consideration the wide variety of a la carte ingredients they have for you to add on with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, meats, noodles, etc.

Taste: 4/5

I love the taste of course, if not I wouldn’t frequent Nex so many times. The only thing I have to complain about is the level of salt and you get so thirsty after. The gravy tends to thicken up as well so you probably won’t be able to really eat as much as you would for a normal hotpot. The chicken pot itself already comes served with many other vegetables like green pepper, onion, leek, and celery.

My personal recommendation is to add on their cuttlefish paste which is new as well; they only had fish paste previously. I prefer the cuttlefish paste because it has a stronger taste and a firmer bite which I prefer. I really like adding luncheon meat and fried beancurd sticks every time and also adding udon towards the end is so good because of how tasteless udon is and the salty gravy just compliments it well. I’m happy to see that they now also have potato glass noodles which is also my favourite for hotpots.  

Service: 5/5

Of the many times I’ve visited NEX outlet, the staff is always friendly, helpful and attentive.  They did not show any unhappiness even when I use my Groupon which is a big deal because I have encountered problems many times at other places don’t seem to like when you use discounts. So, thumbs up!

The restaurant can get pretty busy during peak hours and there might be a long queue. It can take quite a while to be seated because of how much slower meals go as the nature of the food is still hotpot speed where you sit and eat slowly as you add on more ingredients.