They say everyone has that one favouritemala xiang guostall or eatery they keep going back to, but it really doesn’t hurt to explore one’s options!

If you consider yourself a mala xiang guo aficionado, here’s one spot worth travelling all the way to Punggol for — Fu Yuan Mala Hot Pot.

Photo: @fuyuan.mala/instagram

Formerly located at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, the popular stall now occupies a unit at One Punggol Hawker Centre, with the same ol’ mala-centric menu it is best known for.

Photo: Ming/google images

The price of each bowl of the stall’s signature Mala Hot Pot is calculated by weight, starting from S$1.98 per 100g, with a minimum spend of S$7.

Photo: TagTeamOfTwo/ Gerald Chai/burpple

Will you be playing it safe by sticking to your favourite ingredients, or going all the way by loading up on heavier items like cabbage, potato, lotus root, and luncheon meat? Either way, you should definitely treat yourself.

Photo: Chelsea Goh/google images

Regulars often rave about the freshness of spices and ingredients used, which yields a fragrant, flavour-packed, and extremely addictive bowl of mala xiang guo that isn’t overly greasy.

There are five spice levels to choose from, with the option of asking for your mala xiang guo to be less salty.

Photo: Reggie Tan/google images

The same goes for the Mala Tang (S$7++), which boasts a pleasantly drinkable broth akin to that of the mala soup base served at Chinese hotpotrestaurants.

Photo: xiaowei lin/google images

Other tantalising dishes to order if you’re dining in a group include the Chong Qing Grilled Fish (S$28), Poached Sliced Fish in Hot Chilli Oil (S$15), and Spicy Chicken (la zi ji, from S$12). There’s even the homely Fried Egg w Tomato (S$6), the less sweet equivalent of the “Singaporean-style” tomato egg you can find at economical rice stores.

Photo: @winelevigrub/instagram

Convinced? Hit up Fu Yuan Mala Hot Pot for a fiery, mouth-numbing feast the next time you find yourself in Punggol!

Fu Yuan Mala Hot Pot Instagram📍  Punggol Dr., One Punggol Hawker Centre, #02-28, 828629🕒 11am–9.30pm (Wed to Mon), Closed on Tue