Song Fish Soup: Is this fish soup stall worthy of its newly-earned Michelin Bib Gourmand title?
I believe that whenever a stall like Song Fish Soup (located at Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre) is newly listed as a new Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient, it can be a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the customer footfall will likely shoot up exponentially. But on the flip side, there’s added pressure and responsibility that falls on the hawker to keep the standard consistent, if they want to maintain the ranking. And friends, it’s not an easy feat.
When my mum knew that I was heading over, she exclaimed, “Hey! That’s my favourite fish soup stall.” When she was still working, it was one of her regular lunch haunts.
It was the second visit for me and my colleague, Eunice, who were there a week back when the stall wasn’t open for unknown reasons. We were so relieved that the shutters were up. Phew!
As expected, there was already a long line of customers assembled in front of the stall. The friendly lady assistant went down the queue, taking orders. Our expectations were set pretty high and we both couldn’t wait to get started.
What I tried at Song Fish Soup
When your bowls of noodles are served, you’ll be asked if you would like fried shallots and spring onions to accompany them.
What’s the best way to test the standard of a fish soup stall? For me, it’s ordering the Sliced Fish Bee Hoon Soup (S$5). This allows you to focus on the freshness of the fish and the taste of the broth, without other distractions.
My bowl of thick bee hoon came with sliced fish, pieces of cabbage and something rarely seen at fish soup stalls: bitter gourd slices. Yup! I can already envision some of you cringing after I mentioned that.
If you’re starting to wonder if the soup was bitter, don’t worry; there was no such thing! The soup remained light and subtly sweet. Even devouring them on its own wasn’t that bad.
That being said, the clear broth didn’t possess any distinctive flavour that made it stand out from the pack— it was good, but tasted like any other fish soup that I’ve tried.
The sliced fish was everything a fresh fish should be: firm, odourless and clean-tasting. I couldn’t find anything wrong with it.
The chilli concoction at Song Fish Soup is unique from other places. Instead of the usual citrusy and spicy notes, I detected a strong undertone of fermented bean curd amidst its predominantly savoury flavour.
We then moved on to something more sinful, the Fried Fish Bee Hoon (S$5). My bowl of thin rice noodles was served with pieces of fried fish, and slices of bitter gourd and cabbage, all doused in a milky broth.
I really enjoyed the creaminess of the soup, in which I caught a glimpse of the owner pouring in evaporated milk just before serving. Though it tasted richer, it was light and wasn’t overly cloying.
The golden-brown morsels of fried fish were adequately crisped on the outside and soft on the inside. With every bite I took, it released the luxurious broth in my mouth. Though Eunice found it slightly over-seasoned, it was acceptable and didn’t bother me much.
When I was unapologetically slurping up the strands of thin bee hoon like ramen, I loved how they did a much better job of absorbing the milky broth. The veggies also added varying levels of chewiness and crunchiness, giving the dish a ton of personality.
We also discovered clusters of fried egg floss as if they were hidden treasures. Each of these ‘bliss bombs’ sent me to heaven for a few milliseconds before I came crashing back to Earth. I wish I had added an extra portion of Fried Egg Floss for just S$1!
For our final dish, we decided to try the Seafood Tom Yum Soup (S$7), taking a respite from fish broth.
When we scooped the soup, a truckload of ingredients emerged, that caused our jaw to drop to the table. Besides sliced fish, we found 2 prawns, la la, sotong, a tomato wedge, and pieces of cabbage.
Though the stall owners weren’t native Thai and it was probably cooked using an instant spice pack, the tom yum still managed to hit the sweet spot. It was delicious and wasn’t spicy at all, making it suitable for kids as well.
The pieces of sotong, though present in small amounts, were delightfully tender and thankfully not rubbery. The white clams were fresh, but we found sand in a couple of pieces, which I totally understand.
As the resident prawn peeler in any setting, I peeled one for each of us, and guess what? Both crustaceans were firm, sweet and tasted good.
Final thoughts
With Song Fish Soup’s new-found status of making it into the Michelin Bib Gourmand, the mistake Eunice and I made that day was setting such a high benchmark. As I tasted the first 2 dishes, I couldn’t help but to compare it with other better fish soups that I’ve had in the past that didn’t have any awards.
Now, you may agree or disagree with me, but I truly feel that at the end of the day, it all boils down to each individual’s taste and preference— Michelin or non-Michelin.
That being said, I feel that the fish soup dishes here were good but not great. I’m still on the fence, contemplating whether they truly deserve high praise. What are your thoughts on this? Do let me know.
Expected damage: S$5 to S$9 per pax
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