XO fried fish thick bee hoon soup ($11) @ Hong Kong Street Zhen Da Ji!
Hong Kong Street Zhen Da Ji's XO fried fish thick bee hoon soup, $11: crispy fried fish pieces, tau pok and greens in a milky wok-fried broth. Zi char chain.
A big comforting bowl of XO fried fish thick bee hoon soup (XO 炸鱼粗米粉汤) from Hong Kong Street Zhen Da Ji, $11. 🐟😋
What we had ($11):
- XO fried fish thick bee hoon soup, $11
Hong Kong Street Zhen Da Ji is a zi char chain with a few outlets around the island, and their XO bee hoon dishes are what they are known for, XO crab bee hoon, XO fish head bee hoon, and this fried fish version. The “XO” here is their wok-fried, superior-style broth rather than XO sauce.
The bowl was generous. Chunky pieces of deep-fried fish sat throughout, the batter gone golden and craggy, some pieces still showing the dark skin, all of it softening slightly as it soaks in the soup. Underneath were the thick bee hoon (粗米粉), the fat, slippery rice vermicelli that holds up better in soup than the thin kind, plus soft tau pok and a big tangle of green leafy vegetables and their crunchy stalks.
The broth is the heart of it: milky and cloudy, the colour that comes from fish and high-heat wok cooking, savoury and rounded with a hint of wok hei and what tastes like a splash of wine. It is the kind of soup that feels both hearty and clean, rich without being heavy, and it only gets better as the fried fish gives up its flavour into it.
At $11 this is a satisfying one-bowl meal, the fish crispy-then-tender, the bee hoon springy, the broth moreish enough to finish to the last spoonful. A good, homely bowl from a place that clearly knows its XO bee hoon.
Overall: 4.4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Crispy fried fish, springy thick bee hoon and a milky, moreish wok-fried broth. Would re-order.
