There’s nothing like savouring a piping hot bowl of seafood broth, filled with an array of fresh seafood on a cold, rainy afternoon. Jia Li Seafood Soup, located along Upper Serangoon Road near Kovan MRT, offers just that!
They were previously known as Sin Kee Seafood Soup when located at Marsiling. They then rebranded to Jia Li Seafood Soup after making the shift to Aljunied. Launched in April 2022, this relatively new location at Kovan has become their only remaining outlet after the recent closure of their Aljunied branch in June 2022.
What I tried at Jia Li Seafood Soup
It wasn’t a cold stormy rainy afternoon when I arrived at Jia Li Seafood Soup, however the sky was overcast and it wasn’t exceptionally hot— lucky for me! I stood in front of the stall and was deciding between Dory Fish, Batang Fish and Red Grouper for my soup.
I settled for their Batang Fish Seafood Soup With Crayfish (S$14.50). It came with three crayfish halves, batang fish slices and minced meat.
As I’m a regular of fish soup when I’m not working (trying to be healthier), I dived straight for the batang fish. It was firm and had no fishy aftertaste. Every bite I took met with some resistance, which goes to show that the meat is extremely fresh.
The crayfish meat wasn’t mushy and powdery like what I’ve had from other establishments— an indication that only the freshest seafood is served here. If you ever need someone to test whether the seafood is fresh, I’ll be the perfect candidate— my tongue itches if the seafood isn’t fresh! None of that happened to me here.
The chilli had a sour kick which paired perfectly with the seafood— my dining partner and I were addicted to it! Jia Li Seafood Soup‘s broth was seasoned perfectly with all the umami sweetness coming from the seafood and the minced meat that was cooked with it.
It reminded me of the steamboat broth that I would usually have when I go for seafood hotpot with friends. I was hoping that the broth would be more robust and flavourful— unfortunately it didn’t work for me.
Jia Li Seafood Soup has Seafood Bee Hoon (S$7.50) on the menu and gives you options to changeup the noodles to Mee Sua (+S$0.70), Ee–Mee (+S$0.70) and Instant Koka Noodles (+S$0.70)— I chose the last one as I love instant noodles!
If I could drag the chef home to cook my instant noodles for me, believe me I would’ve! The noodles were cooked to perfection with the right doneness and possessed a bouncy texture. It came with two large prawns, dory fish slices, minced meat and tomatoes served in the same seafood broth.
I’ve got to give props to Jia Li Seafood Soup for their minced meat which had mushroom bits within. It was tremendously flavourful and there wasn’t any hint of gamey taste, and was pleasantly tender too.
The prawns were exceptionally plump and naturally sweet, which gave me the assurance that the seafood served here is of a high quality standard.
Last but not least, I tried Jia Li Seafood Soup’s Yong Tau Fu Soup 7 Pcs (S$6). It consisted of one bitter gourd, one eggplant, a few pieces of fishcake, two pieces of tau kwa, two pieces of bean curd skin, tomatoes and green vegetables. It didn’t contain soya beans or anchovies like some other places I’ve been to, which was perfectly fine for me. The soup was different from the seafood broth that I had from the previous two dishes; it was light yet flavourful.
The bitter gourd had lost all traces of bitterness which usually puts me off. It was pleasantly soft and had soaked up all the natural sweetness coming from the soup.
The bean curd skins were generously filled with fish paste, and acted as sponges which absorbed all of the soup’s goodness. The entire dish was a great choice to help cut down the richness of the other two seafood dishes.
Final thoughts
The seafood served at Jia Li Seafood Soup blew me away. High in quality, fresh and tasty, I would come back anytime for a heartwarming bowl of Seafood Instant Koka Noodles or their Yong Tau Fu Soup 7 Pcs.
Come taste the freshness of their seafood or just enjoy the warmth of their comforting soups— I actually don’t mind having this on a hot sunny day!
Expected damage: S$6 – S$21 per pax
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Price: $ $
Our Rating: 3.5 / 5
Jia Li Seafood Soup
941 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534709
Jia Li Seafood Soup
941 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534709