Batang fish soup set ($9)!
Tiong Bahru hawker batang fish soup set: sliced batang fish in a clean broth with thick bee hoon and greens, plus a fried fish side and chilli. $9.
Lunch at Tiong Bahru: batang fish soup set, $9. 😋
What was on the tray:
- Bowl of fish soup: a clean, pale broth with thick bee hoon, sliced fish, lettuce, coriander, preserved vegetable and ginger
- Sliced batang fish: the firm white slices, cooked gently in the broth
- Side plate of fried fish: the deep-fried craggy fish pieces, the crisp counterpoint
- Chilli sauce on the side
Batang (Spanish mackerel) is the workhorse fish of Singapore fish soup: firm-fleshed, clean-tasting and meaty, it holds its shape in the hot broth rather than flaking apart. The set gives you it two ways, sliced and poached in the soup (silky, gentle) and fried on the side (crisp, toasty), which is the best-value way to order fish soup, you get both textures from the same fish.
The broth is the clean (清汤) school rather than the milky style: a clear, light soup that lets the fish freshness lead, with ginger and preserved vegetable for depth. The clean version is the harder one to fake, there is nowhere for old fish or a thin stock to hide. The thick bee hoon (粗米粉) is the noodle choice, plump and slippery, soaking the soup.
The fried fish on the side is the move that justifies the $9: it stays crisp if you eat it quickly, or you can drop pieces into the soup to soften, the fried edges enriching the broth as they go. Either way, two fish dishes from one set.
At $9 for a batang fish soup set with both poached and fried fish in Tiong Bahru, this is fair value.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. 😋👍🏼 The clean broth with the fresh batang slices was the standout, the fried fish a worthy side. Would re-order.
