Malaysian Hup Kee Fishball Noodle: Stellar handmade yellowtail fishballs & must-try Malaysian-style noodles in AMK

There’s something so wonderful about fishball noodles. I personally have never had or heard of a bad bowl. In this vein, though, I’m guilty of taking the dish for granted; I search for the best chai tow kway and Hokkien mee but tend to treat fishball noodles like the ‘safe’ option.

So, when netizens waxed lyrical about Malaysian Hup Kee Fishball Noodle’s take on the dish, I knew it was about time I treated myself. Fragrant handmade fishballs and noodles done well? I was sold. The catch, though: the stall is open for just 4 hours a day, occasionally even selling out before they close at 12pm. There was no time to waste.

Malaysian Hup Kee Fishball Noodle is nestled in a coffeeshop adjacent to Mayflower Market & Food Centre in Ang Mo Kio. In typical kiasu Singaporean fashion, I made sure to arrive a good few hours before their closing time. Lo and behold, the stall already sported a perpetual queue, albeit one that moved fast.

They aren’t to be confused with the almost identically-named Hup Kee Teochew Fishball Noodles in Mei Ling Market. Ironically, their differences happen to lie in their names. The latter specialises in Teochew-style fishball noodles which we’re all more acquainted with. On the other hand, the former doles out bowls of Malaysian-style fishball noodles that take centre stage in this review.

What I tried at Malaysian Hup Kee Fishball Noodle

Malaysian Hup Kee’s menu is perfect for the indecisive; it has just 3 (more like 2) items for you to choose from: Soup/Dry Fishball Noodles (S$5/S$6.50) and Fishball Soup (S$6 for 10 pieces).

I started my meal with some Dry Mee Kia (S$5). Scorching weather and all, I wasn’t in the mood for something soupy and neither were most patrons in the coffeeshop, judging by the bowls on their tables.

I’m usually picky about my noodle choice; I’ve written time and again that alkaline noodles are a huge personal deal breaker. Opting for mee kia was a considerable step out of my comfort zone but one I was compelled to take based on online recommendations.

My bowl of noodles was a sight for sore eyes, and not even because I was simply hungry. The bed of curly mee kia was topped with minced meat, chilli, spring onions and plenty of fried pork lard. You probably can’t tell from the top-down shot, but the bowl was heaped.

I gave the noodles a thorough toss, ensuring that every strand would be coated in chilli and the mixture of dark sauce and shallot oil that lay at the bottom.

To my surprise, the mee kia did not even have the slightest hint of alkalinity. In fact, they bore a subtle egginess that reminded me of kolo mee. It wasn’t too overpowering, though, nicely balanced out by the savoury dark sauce and fragrant lard and shallot oil.

Flavour-wise, the sauce mixture leaned towards a savoury profile which could get cloying for some. The solution? Help yourself to as much of their house-made sambal belacan as you like; it adds a shiok spice and a touch of acidity that’ll make your noodles all the better.

Most importantly, the texture of the noodles were nailed to a tee — perfectly springy, with a satisfyingly firm bite. Gobbling down the whole bowl was sure easy!

I thoroughly enjoyed the generous helping of minced meat and golden brown pork lard. Really, I could pair each spoonful of noodles with that savoury, moist minced meat and aromatic, crunchy pork lard. Suffice to say, there was a great balance in both textures and flavours.

Now, onto the bowl of soup—or rather, ingredients—that accompanied the noodles. It was packed to the brim with a medley of fishballs, fishcakes, tau pok and seaweed; I was in for a treat.

The broth was light and full-bodied, infused with savoury notes of fish paste and the gentle brine of seaweed. Yep, another bowl to reaffirm my theory that you can never go wrong with a bowl of fishball soup.

The ingredients, on the other hand, blew me away; they truly stood in a league above those I’ve tried elsewhere.

Not all fishballs are created equal at Malaysian Hup Kee. No, literally — they were all shaped differently, marked by irregularities on each surface. Each morsel is painstakingly handmade from a paste of pure yellowtail fish seasoned with salt and pepper.

They aren’t bouncy like regular fishballs; instead, each was teeth-sinking soft and had a springy, almost QQ chew. The freshness and fragrance of the yellowtail fish paste shone through, with a pleasant brininess and an exceptional umami. It’s no wonder people get bowls of these by the 10s.

If you’d like some spicy kick, you should definitely dip your fishballs into the belacan; it packs quite the punch and elevates each bite with zesty hints of lime.

Often, the humble fishcake pales in comparison to the star of the show that is the fishball. That surely isn’t the case here, though!

Malaysian Hup Kee’s fishcakes were some of the thickest I’ve ever encountered. As with the fishballs, the traces of hand-made labour in their irregularities were discernible. They were equally moreish, with a firm bite to boot.

I particularly enjoyed the hefty piece of tau pok. It was chock-full of incredibly flavourful minced meat that lent the spongy, slightly sweet beancurd pocket a succulent meaty contrast.

Alright, my review certainly wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t at least give the Soup variation a go. This time, I opted for my childhood-favourite Mee Tai Mak noodles. The dish wasn’t much different from its Dry counterpart — just noodles and all the fixings in one big bowl.

The chewy rice noodles were cooked to an al dente texture, and had a muted earthiness that was complemented well by the minced meat and slightly nutty pork lard. The umami-laden soup was easy on the palate, with sharp hints of pepper that tingled my tongue and had me going for spoonful after spoonful.

The components were no different from those served with my Dry Mee Kia – that’s a huge thumbs-up for consistency and another for generosity.

Overall, this was a comforting bowl of noodle soup that I’d definitely go for on a chilly day.

Final Thoughts

Malaysian Hup Kee Fishball Noodle takes the perennial favourite dish that is fishball noodles and places it in a league of its own. I left with my tummy satisfied and only good things to say about every dish I tried. I cannot pick a favourite but you must try the Dry Fishball Noodles – the addictive lard-laden noodles and stellar handmade fishballs were to die for.

I’m not a morning person by any means but if dragging myself out of bed rewards me with such great fare, I’ll gladly fix my sleep schedule and set as many alarms as humanly possible. 

Expected damage: S$5 – S$6.50 per pax

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