Hailed as one of the best fishball noodle stalls in Singapore, Song Kee Fishball Noodle has been winning over locals with their handmade herh keow and fish balls since their inception. Made meticulously from scratch, these core ingredients are part and parcel why Song Kee’s fish ball noodles taste so authentic.
Having recently reopened, the refurbished Kopitiam is now located at Tembeling Road in Joo Chiat, directly opposite Haig Girls’ School. While this outlet boasts a larger seating capacity that can house more customers, you should still be prepared to wait at least an hour before getting your hands on the noodles.
To start with, we ordered the Normal Bowl ($4), a standard portion that comes with three firmly made fish balls, one tau pok and one herh keow, together with any noodle of your choice. We opted for two bowls, one with mee pok and the other with mee kia.
Give the mee pok a good toss around in the fragrant mix of sambal belacan and buah keluak paste, which is, accompanied by flavourful bits of fried shrimp and lard.
The mee kia came with the same sauces but was surprisingly, more al dente than the mee pok. Not only did the noodles have a smooth texture, but they were also springy and less clumpy than your average bowl of mee kia.
A prized ingredient, the herh keow (or fish dumplings) are said to be popular amongst returning customers. Made of dried sole and well seasoned meat, the stuffing inside the dumpling was lovely but I found the skin to be too chewy.
Needless to say, I wasn’t a huge fan of the gelatinous consistency and would have preferred something that was easier to chew on.
The fish balls were most definitely the star of the noodle dish. Fresh as can be, each piece had a bouncy texture to it that proves all of them were handmade. Made using yellowtail fish, the fish balls had a distinctive taste that paired rather well with the chilli padi dip.
To add on to that, we had the Mixed Soup ($5), consisting of fish ball, herh keow and tau pok in a clear broth that could only be achieved from long hours of boiling. The soup itself had a hint of sweetness to it that made it even tastier.
We just couldn’t get enough of their fish balls so we ordered the Fishball Soup ($6), as well. True to quality, the fish balls in the broth were just as springy, if not more so. In fact, it tastes even better when you slurp up the savoury soup at the same time.
Translating to “ice cream” in Teochew, Sng Gor is housed in the same Kopitiam as Song Kee and just so happens to be owned by their relatives. With 25 flavours of ice cream and sorbets available for order over the counter, this is sure to attract the younger generation to the shop.
Seeing as they had unique cone flavours, we opted for the Earl Grey Lavender ($3.80) in a Charcoal Cone ($0.80). The ice cream itself had a strong floral fragrance to it that was really refreshing, especially in the sweltering heat. The only downside was how quickly it melted.
We also tried the Pistachio Almond ($3.80) and paired it with a Green Tea Cone ($0.80). This was just as good as the previous flavour, if not better.
The creaminess of the ice cream is definitely commendable. Besides, I could think of no better way to end off the meal than with artisanal ice cream.
So, if you enjoy the fish ball noodles made the old fashioned way or are simply a longtime fan of Song Kee’s, then do not hesitate to head on down to their new stall at Joo Chiat.
With every fish ball and dumpling made by hand, there is certainly no need for any use of machines around here and that is truly, what makes them so special.
Song Kee Fishball Noodle is a different owner from Finest Song Kee (which is their relatives from what I understand), so don’t confuse the stalls! There is some difference in quality definitely, which do you prefer?
Expected Damage: $4 – $10 per pax
