Never eat those ma la steamboat along the stretch of Beach road / Geylang road, its dirty...... See many Sinkies eating here I shakes my head....
My best memories of steamboat was at Whampoa hawker centre. It was a family gathering with relatives. I was only a kid, and it was in the mid-late 1980s. Not Sichuan steamboat or BBQ/Korean steamboat or other fancy shabu shabu wannabes.... just the normal Singapore Chinese version.
After so many donkey years, I still remember the 'Whampoa' name. That should tell you how good the food/experience was.
Also, back in the 1980s, drinks came in glass bottles with a metal cap. Doesn't matter if it is coke or Yeo Hiap Seng drinks or soya bean milk.
Another okay one is at AMK central. This was with friends back in the late 1990s. Back then, AMK Emporium which was nearby, was still in business.