Authentic fish ball noodles are a rarity these days. Even rarer are those that come with handmade fish balls, fish cakes, fish dumplings, and meatballs. Song Kee at Bishan truly preserves the old-school flavours of the traditional fish ball noodles, with almost everything handmade. Notably, it also comes with a divine chilli paste that absolutely sets it apart from everyone else.
Fish ball noodles are one of the most iconic local hawker dishes that many us grew up with. Unfortunately, it's getting harder by the year to locate the true flavours of yore of an authentic bowl of old-school fish ball noodles.
The sad but true reasons behind this are multifold. Get a non-local cook to cook a local hawker dish, and you'll end up serving local food with non-local flavours. And to make it worse, as our pace of life accelerates and some hawkers seek to combine efficiency with convenience, many of them eventually settled for factory-made fish by-products and chilli paste, which end up sacrificing good quality, flavours, and texture. And to increase their profit margins, some also resorted to lower-quality ingredients at a lower cost.
That's why I've always been a sucker for handmade food, especially from food establishments that have always remained steadfast in the quality of their ingredients.
And boy, was I glad to be introduced to Song Kee Fishball Noodle Bishan by a follower after I've posted my vlog on Song Kee Fishball Noodle located on Yio Chu Kang Road.
Truly flavourful handmade fish dumplings & meatballs
Above: A delicious filling made from fish paste, minced pork, crushed deep-fried dried sole fish, and other ingredients, wrapped in a bouncy wrapper made from fish paste and tapioca starch
The handmade fish dumplings here are visibly larger than elsewhere, especially compared to the factory-made ones, even though they appear to be slightly smaller than those from the Song Kee in Yio Chu Kang. But they taste really flavourful, bursting with umami-ness as I take each bite through the springy wrapper into the delicious core.
I'd say that the flavours and texture of the fish dumplings here are definitely top-notch, having run the gamut of fish ball noodle stalls across the country all these years.
Above: The delish meatballs bursting with a mix of flavours add a different dimension to the noodle dish
Apart from the fish dumplings, the tasty meatballs also truly impressed me. So delish, tender, and bouncy, with a mixture of fish paste, minced pork, sliced chillis, chopped Chinese celery, and other ingredients, these meatballs add quite a different dimension to this time-honoured local hawker fare. Two thumbs up for them!
Above: Handmade fish balls and fish cakes are part of the package, plus sliced pork
Of course, you won't miss the fish balls in this noodle dish, but I personally didn't think that they were exceptional. The sliced deep-fried fish cake, however, was really quite delicious.
It's worth mentioning that the business owner only uses premium-grade Yellowtail fish to make their fish dumplings, meatballs, fish balls, and fish cakes. And that is one of the key attributes that differentiates their signature noodle dish from the others.
A winning handmade chilli paste
Above: The signature handmade chilli paste here is truly a unique blend of flavours not to missed; the "dry" version of this noodle dish is a "must-try" here
The handmade chilli paste at Song Kee in Bishan is nothing like what you'd taste elsewhere. Freshly made every day, it's a unique condiment that perfectly balances sweet, savoury, and umami flavours with a skilful blend of aromatics and other ingredients.
Coupled with the crispy pork lard, it's really the jewel in the crown in this noodle dish and definitely a must-have in your bowl of noodles (try this before you try the soup version, if you must). In fact, it's the best I've tasted by far!
A cut above the rest
What impresses me most about Song Kee in Bishan is not just the wonderful flavours of its different renditions of this classic hawker dish, but the owner's steadfastness in preserving the authentic old-school flavours and only using premium-quality ingredients to make their good food by hand.
While this necessarily translates into slightly higher prices, the amazing flavours delivered would be worth more than the premium paid, in my opinion.
So go for this great bowl of old-school fish ball noodles. You'll know that what I said is all true.
Locate it
Address:
Song Kee Fishball Noodle Bishan
Block 151 Bishan Street 11
Singapore 570151
Operating Hours:
Opens daily except Thursdays, 6:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
(Usually sells out by 11:30 a.m.)
Call:
8949 9490
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