TanYu 探鱼: Famous Grilled Fish & Barbecued Items From China

Address: 313 Somerset B3, Singapore 238895

Cuisine: Chinese

Nearest MRT: Somerset

Since my friend was egging me to try this famous grilled fish chain from China that just opened in Singapore, we decided to try it one evening. Usually, there would be long queues, but we arrived around 5.30pm when they just opened for dinner, so there was no problem getting a table.

TanYu originated from Shenzhen with more than 170 outlets in China, famous for the grilled fish menu offering 15 different types of flavours and four types of fish to choose from. Most of the flavours are spicy, but if you do not take spicy, there is also a grilled fish with soy sauce flavour. In Singapore, the first and only outlet that opened is at 313 Somerset.

I like the layout of the restaurant, taking on a vintage theme with graffiti art on the walls and cute cartoon characters on the floor. It feels like I have stepped into another world, away from the crowds at Orchard. I also like the tin mugs used to serve hot drinks, as they are decorated with Chinese propaganda pictures.

For the main dish, we ordered the Chongqing grilled sea bass fish with beancurd ($45.90). The sea bass fish had quite a lot of bones but it was fresh. Perhaps for those who do not want the hassle of removing bones, it is recommended to order the Limbo fish. The spiciness level of the grilled fish was just nice for me, do not be afraid by the amount of red chillies put on top of the fish.

We also ordered side dishes such as the Golden Combination (golden mushrooms, potatoes, lotus root and crab stick) ($12.90), roasted squid tentacles ($2.90) and grilled chicken mid-wings ($3.90). The drink we had was Lemon Black Tea ($2) and it is refillable. They also served other drinks such as soft drinks and beer.

I think it is quite pricey to visit TanYu for two people. It would have been better if there was a third person. Portion wise, the food was enough for 2-3 and the service was good. They topped up the soup when they saw that the grill was running dry and also refilled our hot tea. By the time we left the restaurant around 7pm, there was a long queue outside. So it is definitely better to arrive earlier to avoid the queues as this is the only outlet in Singapore (for now). My friend who had eaten Chongqing Grilled Fish said that the standard at TanYu is much better.