Whampoa 87 Fish Soup: “Too much fish” for only $6
Fish soup is one of my favourite things to eat, and I admit I can be quite the glutton when it comes to fresh fish. So when I caught wind of Whampoa 87 Fish Soup offering servings of the dish that were so abundant that they received complaints of “There’s too much fish”, I had to check it out.
Whampoa 87 Fish Soup is located at 26 New Upper Changi Road, which is a stone’s throw away from Bedok MRT. It’s in a small kopitiam in a quiet neighbourhood. Arriving at 11.30am, I saw no queue, and promptly went to look at what the stall had to offer.
The first thing one would notice is the whole batang fish hanging in the large chiller at the front of the stall – I can’t think of a better way to make a statement of freshness.
The stall’s offerings are not complicated, with prices starting from S$5.50 for Teochew Fish Porridge. There’s also Deep Fried Fish Fillet & Rice (S$7), which I haven’t seen at other fish soup stalls before.
There’s also options for add-ons, starting from S$0.50.
What I tried at Whampoa 87 Fish Soup
I decided to order the Sliced Fish Soup & Rice (S$6), and since I felt very extra, I added on Fried Egg Shreds (S$1), or egg floss, and Fish Roe (S$3). The smiley stall owner asked me if I wanted my fish roe deep-fried or cooked in the soup, and I answered “soup”. I was given a beeper and told to return in a while for my food.
It’s worth pointing out that Whampoa 87 Fish Soup doesn’t charge you extra for carbs – it’s already included in the price.
Condiments are also available for you to help yourself, including one of my favourites, taucheo (salted fermented soybeans).
The first thing I noticed: Holy @#$%, that’s a lot of egg.
Egg floss is not an ingredient I see often at fish soup stalls, and those that do offer it charge a fair bit for a small amount. Whampoa 87 Fish Soup said “nah”, and for S$1 I got a veritable mountain of egg floss.
Next, I examined the broth. While the liquid had some detritus floating in it from the fish roe, the basis of it was clear, and tasted very clean and almost refreshing. I would have liked it to be just a touch stronger in savouriness, but adding a bit of taucheo gave it the extra “oomph” I wanted.
Soaking the egg floss in also added additional flavour to the soup.
The fish slices were thick-cut and large in size. While the quantity of fish wasn’t as exaggerated as “there’s so much fish my bowl is about to overflow”, each chunk being so hefty meant that there was quite a lot to go around.
The fish also tasted as good as it looked – meaty and fresh.
As it turns out, I didn’t just get a lot of egg floss. I’m used to paying S$3 and getting a few tiny pieces of roe, but the amount in this bowl likely exceeded the amount of fish meat. Each piece was also cooked to perfection, with slightly chewy bites that gave way to creamy insides.
Final thoughts
For S$10, this bowl nearly floored me with the sheer amount of ingredients given. The stall owner here is extremely generous with the portions he gives out, and everything in the soup is of high quality and freshness.
Perhaps it’s a good thing I don’t live in Bedok, or I might be at this stall far too often eating my weight in batang and fish roe.
Expected damage: S$5.50 – S$7 per pax
Order Delivery: Deliveroo
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