Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot Review at SAFRA Punggol

I would revisit Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot when I feel like eating a lighter tasting hot pot that resembles more of a soothing chicken soup. We had their signature fig chicken soup pot with a half freshly cut chicken and sides of Chaozhou beef balls and fried chicken soft bones during this media tasting at their SAFRA Punggol outlet.

The entire meal didn’t feel overly heavy. The soup was naturally sweet, which made the dish even more delightful. What impressed me most was the freshness of the chicken and the quality of their beef balls.

Disclosure: This meal was hosted as part of a media tasting. As always, the experiences and opinions shared in this Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot review are our own.

A Teochew-Style Chicken Hotpot at SAFRA Punggol

Chao Baba, also known by its Chinese name 潮八八现切鸡煲, specialises in freshly cut chicken served in comforting Chinese soup pots.

Known for mild rather than spicy flavours and heavy emphasis on soup bases instead of those that are malaxated and extremely salty, Chao Baba aims to distinguish itself from your neighbourhood bak chor mee and sinful-rich oil-type hotpot places that are now sprouting everywhere in Singapore. According to their branding, you’ll find their dishes to feature “timeless Teochew flavours, accentuated with fresh ingredients, classic preparations and comforting home-style dishes.”

Presented with an airy and mostly open-concept setting with views of greenery outside, the SAFRA Punggol branch has plenty of humble wooden tables and menu boards mounted on the walls with cute chicken décor. Overall ambience felt more like dining at your regular neighbourhood zoo gezhi than chilling at a fuss-and-fees-upfront modern hotpot restaurant.

We visited early, before the dinner crowd set in. Although we were greeted by an attendant upon arrival, the restaurant felt rather empty. It slowly filled up as the dinner hours drew nearer though and was pretty packed by the time we had left. This gave us a sense that Chao Baba might just already have its home-stayers and family crowd dug in its fan.

Starting with the Fig Chicken Soup Pot

The main star of our meal was the fig chicken soup pot. We ordered this with half a chicken.

You’ll notice in the photo above that the pot comes completely covered with a red ceremonial ribbon before being unveiled at the table. The clear broth had golden hues, with figs, red dates, corn and vegetables inside. The composition already made it feel fancier than your typical bowl of chicken soup.

As the broth began to simmer, it took on a mild sweetness from the figs and other added ingredients. It tasted hearty but wasn’t overwhelmed by salt or grease.
That’s key. Other chicken hot pots I’ve tried can be very reliant on seasoning, sauces or chilli to make an immediate impact. Chao Baba’s fig soup was much lighter. The flavour intensified the longer the chicken cooked, but it never got heavy or bogged down by grease.

I found myself going back to the soup pot a lot during the meal. Despite cooking the meat and other ingredients, it never felt too heavy or unpleasant to drink.
Speaking of figs, it also didn’t taste overly sweet like dessert. The natural sweetness from the fruit helped round out the savoury chicken broth. The red dates and corn echoed this mild flavour profile.

For those who don’t typically order spicy hotpot or intensely flavoured soup bases, Chao Baba’s fig chicken soup pot will be one of the easier dishes to enjoy.

Freshly Cut Half Chicken Served on a Tiered Stand

Half a chicken was served dissected across a number of plates sitting atop a tall, tiered serving tray.

Chicken cuts were separated rather than heaped onto one another. Not only did this look nicer, but it also allowed us to add pieces to the soup intermittently. Whole corns and some other ingredients sat on the top plate.

True to the restaurant’ name, raw chicken cuts are the main draw of the dish. Chunks of chicken were cleanly sliced, with many being cut into bite-sized pieces for easy cooking and sharing.

We cooked the chicken in intervals as well, rather than throwing everything in at once. This helped ensure that the chicken didn’t dry out while we talked and munched on the other dishes.

Cooked chicken retained a natural flavour and stayed tender. Since the fig broth was relatively light, we could actually taste the meat rather than having the soup base overwhelm it.

Chicken also took on some of the sweetness from the broth as it cooked. Slathering each piece in our sauce provided a stronger umami kick that didn’t overpower the meat.

Making Our Own Dipping Sauce

Chao Baba lets customers mix their own dipping sauces at the sauce station at each table.

The condiments available here are your usual Chinese hotpot sauces – soy sauce, chilli, chopped garlic, spring onions and coriander. There are recommended mixes written above the counter, including a local specialty (Chaoshan style), a Cantonese style sauce and also the signature sauce of the restaurant.

Self-made sauce stations have become quite common at Chinese hotpot places these days. So while the concept itself was nothing out of the ordinary, the sauce station does come in handy at Chao Baba as the chicken broth served here is intentionally lightly flavoured.

Patrons who prefer to taste the natural flavour of the meat only need a dash of soy sauce or aromatics. For those who like stronger flavours, add in more chilli, garlic and other condiments.

I would suggest trying the chicken plain first before adding any sauces. That way you can taste the broth and meat itself before getting creative with your own concoctions.

Chaozhou Beef Balls: One of the Meal’s Highlights

In addition to the chicken above, we also tried their Chaozhou beef balls.

Surprisingly enough, these were one of my favourite bites from the tasting menu. The beef balls actually had that springy, chewy texture you look for in good Chaoshan-style beef balls, as opposed to mushy or floury. It was firm enough for texture but not aggressively rubbery. Cooking them in the fig chicken soup also allowed them to absorb some of the broth without losing too much of their inherent savoury beef flavour.

The lighter soup base actually paired really well with them. Having a spicier, bolder broth would have likely masked the natural flavour of the beef, but the fig soup wasn’t overpowering and allowed the beef taste to still come through. The serving size was also easily shared amongst the table. This is one of the sides I’d get if I returned.

Fried Chicken Soft Bones for a Crunchy Contrast

We also ordered the fried chicken soft bones, which came with a small bowl of chilli seasoning.

This was nice to mix up the textures after the soup, chicken and beef balls. They had been fried till golden brown and crispy on the outside, while retaining the soft cartilage that gives each bite its crunch.

The chicken soft bones weren’t oily at all for being fried. They made a nice accompaniment between sips and bowls of soup, particularly with just a light dip in the chilli powder.

The seasoning gave the fried chicken a bit of heat and saltiness, making this one of the more flavourful dishes on our table. It was a nice contrast to the much lighter tasting fig chicken broth as well.

Fans of crispy chicken cartilage found at Chinese restaurants will recognise and enjoy this. It also makes for a nice sharing dish while waiting for the pot of raw chicken to finish cooking.

A Meal That Feels Lighter Than Typical Hotpot

My biggest impression of the Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot was how refreshing the meal felt compared to eating hotpot.

Sure we had a communal boiling pot, raw meats and sauces to dip them in, but it felt less decadent. There wasn’t a slick coating of chilli oil, nor did the soup taste astoundingly salty.

Granted, just because a dish is labeled “nourishing” doesn’t mean each item on the menu will be low calorie with fattening sides like fried food and sauces. But I did find the light broth and freshly cooked meats made the dinner feel healthier than say, a butter-based mala hotpot or milky collagen soup.

It’s the kind of meal I could see myself eating on a rainy day, while nursing myself back to health after exhausting week, or whenever I crave something warm that isn’t too heavy.

Casual, Family-Friendly Dining Environment

The dining ambiance at SAFRA Punggol outlet is relatively low-key.

Round tables were arranged within the open-airy sheltered concept allowing diners to look at the greens outside. Ceiling fans promoted air-flow, though naturally the place tends to get stuffy with many soup pots simmering away at one go.
Ambiance seemed conducive for family dinners too. We spotted family members of all ages enjoying their meals at adjacent tables. Families who brought their young children dined together as well.

The mild soup bases would come in handy when sharing the soup with young kids or elderly folk who can’t take spice. As is prudent, adult supervision would be necessary around the stove-top and pots of boiling soup.

During our tasting session, service was cooperative and each dish made sense to be served in the order it arrived. After the main soup pot was prepared, lunch was self-serviceable: we cooked the meats, scooped the sauces and served ourselves to the tray of complimentary drinks.

Complimentary Snacks and Free Ice Cream

Right outside the restaurant is a tiny station with complimentary snacks/drinks.

They had buckets of ice water and black tea going, as well as tiny individually packaged snacks. There was also a freezer of complimentary ice cream right next to it that you could grab after your meal.

The complimentary ice cream was nice to top off dinner with, especially since you sit next to a bubbling hot soup pot.

Obviously this isn’t why you’re going to go here, but it’s nice perks like these that make you feel like you got more than you paid for. If you have children and plan to get a family feast you’ll likely enjoy the ice cream station the most.

Is Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot Expensive?

Chao Baba should probably be thought of as a casual speciality restaurant, rather than value food-court eatery.

Prices paid will depend on the type and number of chicken orders, choice of soup base, and how many sides dishes you get. I would imagine it makes more sense to get a pot to share amongst your group than dining by yourself, since the premise is built around the concept of sharing.

Members and affiliated members of SAFRA can currently enjoy 5% off food and beverage purchases at the Punggol branch. Up to 15% off selected items is mentioned on SAFRA’s official outlet page, but guests may wish to refer to current terms before making their order.

Whilst a 5% discount isn’t going to blow anyone away, it doesn’t hurt to take advantage of the offer if you or anyone in your group are valid SAFRA cardholders.

What We Liked

The stand out for us was definitely the fig chicken soup. It was naturally sweet, comforting and easy to drink as you ate.

Likewise we liked that the freshly cut chicken stayed the star of the show. The meat wasn’t overwhelmed by heavy spices, whilst the sauce station let you add as much flavour as desired.

The beef balls from Chaozhou were another highlight thanks to their delicious springy texture. Compare that to the fried chicken soft bones which were crispy with a heavier hit of seasoning.

To top it all off the drinks, snacks and ice cream were complimentary making it feel accommodating and family orientated.

What Could Be Better

Those accustomed to fiery spicy or otherwise robust-flavoured hotpot may find fig soup too mild.

The flavour is intentionally mild so it doesn’t pack the instant punch you get from mala, tomato or super-reduced collagen based broths. Having a tasty dipping sauce becomes even more crucial if you’re looking for more intense flavour.

Finding yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with other hungry patrons is also a possibility later in the day. We weren’t bothered when we arrived, but the crowd began to swell as the night wore on. Arriving a little earlier might be wise.

Is Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot Worth Visiting?

Based on our media tasting at Chao Baba, Freshly Cut Chicken Pot is a spot to keep in mind when you’re craving something comforting and brothy that’s served family-style with a focus on—you guessed it—fresh chicken.

Chicken soup with fig was flavourful without being cloyingly sweet or heavy. We appreciated the freshness of the chicken, found the Chaozhou beef balls to be of high quality, and thought fried chicken soft bones made for a nice crispy snack on the side.

The restaurant isn’t necessarily my first destination when I’m hungry for numbing mala or a heaving mountain of food at a miscellaneous all-you-can-eat hotpot joint. Chao Baba serves a more curated experience: lighter tasting chicken hotpot with mild broth in the Teochew style, accompanied by standard Chinese starches and sides.

It was a satisfying feed, and I’d be sure to stop by again the next time I’m in the mood for something that tastes (and leaves me) lighter. I also noted that the crowd started getting significantly busier closer to dinnertime, which bodes well for the fact that others have clearly found the place too.

Getting to Chao Baba (潮八八现切鸡煲) SAFRA Punggol

Address: SAFRA Punggol, 9 Sentul Crescent, #02-05, Singapore 828654

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for something less oily and less spicy than the usual hotpot restaurants, you should give Chao Baba Freshly Cut Chicken Pot at SAFRA Punggol a try. The fig infused chicken soup had a natural sweetness to it and was very easy to down. Also, the freshness of ingredients such as the freshly cut chicken, springy Chaozhou beef balls and crispy chicken soft bones made me feel full yet not jelak!

Overall we had a great experience here and will definitely be back again when we are in the need for some comforting chicken soup. The add ons like free flow snacks and ice cream are nice touches and members can also enjoy a small discount too.

This was a hosted media tasting, but all opinions shared are based on my honest dining experience.