There are over 100 items on the conveyor belt at Joylion Buffet Hotpot in Lentor, and we had them all
Conveyor belts have long been associated with sushi, but we recently tried them in a different setting: Hotpot.
We’d heard of a few conveyor belt hotpot spots in Singapore, including Jianghu Hotpot, which has outlets at Orchard Gateway and Northpoint City. But we hadn’t tried the concept until we visited Joylion Buffet Hotpot.
The restaurant has been popping up on our social media feeds, with orange bowls of hotpot ingredients making their way around the conveyor belt. We headed to its outlet in Lentor to see what the buzz was about.
Joylion is conveniently located at Lentor Modern, right by Lentor MRT station. Although its address lists it at B1, you’ll find the entrance outdoors, on the lower level.
Inside, orange walls, lanterns and plenty of greenery surround the conveyor belt, while the aroma of hotpot hits you as soon as you walk in.
We found the restaurant pretty packed when we visited at around 2pm on a weekday, and the crowd only began to thin out around 3pm. Since Joylion is still relatively new — it opened in July — we recommend booking ahead, as queues can get long.
Reservations are available Monday to Thursday only, though.
How the conveyor belt buffet works
You get 90 minutes to dine, with lunch priced at S$22.90 and dinner at S$32.90, though you’ll need to top-up S$1.80 to choose a soup base.
We think it’s a pretty solid deal, especially since you don’t have to get up to pick your ingredients; the conveyor belt brings them to you.
The belt carries meats, seafood, vegetables, and noodles. At the side, you’ll also find fried snacks, desserts, fruit, sauces, and drinks. The selection rotates, so specific items may not always be available.
If you’ve chosen to top up, you get a solo pot and can choose one of seven soup bases. You can also add to your soup as needed, from jugs of broth that go around on the conveyor belt.
If you prefer, you can ask for plain water in your pot, too.
The restaurant recommends the butter soup pot, a spicy broth with peppercorns. It also recommends the tom yum hotpot, but our server also tells us that diners particularly enjoy the hua jiao chicken soup, so we chose that instead.
The butter soup pot tasted more buttery than spicy, so it was milder than we expected. Meanwhile, the hua jiao chicken soup was comforting but on the salty side. Hua jiao refers to fish maw, the dried swim bladder of a fish often used in Chinese soups.
Still, we kept going back for top-ups.
There are other broth options, including tomato hotpot, bone soup pot, and pork tripe and chicken soup.
Besides your personal hotpot, each seat also comes with a mini rubbish bin, a pair of tongs, and plates. You’ll find aprons and napkins in the drawer below the table, and there’s a box beneath your chair where you can store your bag.
Once you’re settled, get your hotpot going and pick your favourite ingredients or nibbles as they pass.
With more than 100 items to choose from, you’re quite spoiled for choice.
We recommend starting with some drinks and fried snacks. The fried selection includes ebi prawns, you tiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), nuggets, and fries. You can sprinkle on spicy, cheese, or nori seasoning, too.
While you’re waiting for the broth to bubble, there are also chilli oil wantons, pineapple fried rice, braised pork belly, mini burgers served in pink buns, and plain rice, off to the side.
Drinks include soft drinks, fruit-flavoured drinks, coffee, tea, and bubble tea.
Once your broth comes to a boil, start picking ingredients from the belt.
Meat options include chicken, pork belly, pork knuckle, sliced beef, and thinly sliced lamb. The selection rotates, though, so availability may vary from visit to visit.
The meat was of relatively good quality despite the wide range of dishes on offer. Our favourite was the sliced beef, which picked up the broth’s flavour after a quick swish in the pot.
We were surprised to find chicken feet and frog legs on the conveyor belt, too.
There was a pretty wide range of seafood on ice including crab, squid, crawfish, fish, octopus, prawns, prawn paste with fish roe, razor clams.
The crab came in generous chunks, while the prawns were plump and juicy, soaking up the broth nicely. The squid arrived on a skewer; slide it off before dipping it into your pot.
Since you’ll need to peel the seafood, you may want to save it for last to avoid having to clean your hands in between bites.
There are plenty of noodles, too. Options include sweet potato noodles, vermicelli, and even packets of Samyang noodles to add to your pot. If you’re looking for better bang for your buck, we’d recommend saving room for the meats and seafood, though.
Looking for greens? There are options such as broccoli, Chinese cabbage, black fungus, golden mushrooms, lotus root, and more.
Desserts-wise, you’ll find coffee cheesecake cups, cranberry muffins, crepes, rolls, and doughnuts, alongside a rotating selection of fruit. There’s also a DIY Chinese dessert station where you can customise your own bowl with dou hua, taro, sweet potato balls, chendol jelly, pearls, and more.
With hotpot, fried snacks, and desserts all on offer, there’s plenty to enjoy. We think the buffet is a steal and can see ourselves coming back, especially on a rainy day. Just remember to book ahead!
This was a hosted tasting.
For more on what to eat, check out new openings in October, and Um Yong Baek’s newest and biggest outlet at Suntec City.
- Mon 11am - 10pm
- Tue 11am - 10pm
- Wed 11am - 10pm
- Thu 11am - 10pm
- Fri 11am - 10pm
- Sat 11am - 10pm
- Sun 11am - 10pm
Shannon’s eyes are bigger than her stomach — she builds buffets out of menus, forgetting she has the appetite of a mouse.
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