Tai Seng Fish Soup - Porridge

When I visited this stall a year ago, the most interesting object that caught my eye was an article by a local daily featuring this stall's famous mee sua (or thin wheat vermicelli) hanging on the wall. The relatively long queue has further convinced me that I'm heading for something fantastic.

This stall boasts a wide selection of noodles and porridge. From fish meat mee hoon (rice vermicelli) to tom yam seafood noodle to fish porridge to seafood soup, the list is endless. I have tried the mee sua (S$3.00) before and I must say the texture was almost perfect. Mee sua is known to be a difficult dish to prepare as it tends to get soggy even if it's slightly overcooked.

However, for this review, I have chosen the fish meat soup served with thick mee hoon (S$3.00). Besides tom yam and the fish meat soup (with rice), this is the dish that most people are queueing for. Once prepared, the first thing you will notice is the abundance of green mustard cabbage in the soup, which makes it a healthier choice. Cilantro, dried beancurd skin and fried shallots as toppings enhanced the flavour of the soup. Before digging into the mee hoon, remember to stir well as the main flavouring ingredient lies at the bottom of the bowl. This ingredient is call a "left mouth fish" which is a type of fish (I really don't know how to translate this) that is dried and ground and is usually added to provide a sweet/savoury flavour (and fragrance) to soups. The fish itself was fresh and tender. Dip the fish into their homemade chilli sauce (mixed with belacan or dried shrimp paste) and you will be sent to another dimension. It's a very good contrast to the milky flavour of the soup.

It is interesting to note that the soup does not leave one feeling thirsty (MSG?) after the meal, unlike other stalls. I will definitely be back for the tom yam later.

A healthy meal at a reasonable price with great flavours. Give me a bowl, anytime!

Note: At the point of posting, the cook is away until 10 September 2007. The dish can still be found at #03-131, owned by the cook's son.

Tai Seng Fish Soup - Porridge

#03-145, 3 Yung Sheng Road

Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre

S618499