Jia Li Seafood Soup in Tiong Bahru serves fresh-cut fish in housemade seafood broth
SINGAPORE – At Jia Li Seafood Soup, the broth does the heavy lifting. Each batch is simmered from scratch every morning using three old hens, pork ribs and a luxurious addition of dried scallops.
Co-owner Derek Lai, 40, takes pride in not adding monosodium glutamate to his soups. One does not get that telltale thirst after finishing a bowl of the hearty broth.
Tee por – high-grade dried flatfish from Hong Kong – is toasted, deboned and ground in-house at a central kitchen and added to the soup to deepen the flavour.
Jia Li Seafood Soup has two other outlets in Upper Serangoon and Holland Village.
Jia Li Seafood Soup at Tiong Bahru Plaza.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
There are three categories of soup: Crayfish Seafood Soup, Seafood Soup and Original Fish Soup. For each type, customers can choose from four kinds of fish – dory, batang, grouper and red grouper.
Mr Lai, who is particular about freshness, sources his fish directly from wholesalers at Jurong Fishery Port. All the fish is sliced in-house.
The eatery's top-tier combo is the Crayfish Seafood Soup With Red Grouper ($18.50 for small), which comes with three halved crayfish, five to six slices of red grouper cut to order, and three house-made pork meatballs. Tomato slices add brightness .
Crayfish Seafood Soup With Red Grouper at Jia Li Seafood Soup.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
As red grouper is a prized and premium fish, the cooks do not pre-slice the meat, to keep it in optimal condition. The resulting cooked slices are bouncy with a briny sweetness.
The Seafood Soup With Batang ($10 for small) includes two prawns, up to six slices of mackerel and three meatballs. The reddish tinge in the soup comes from the shells of fresh sea prawns, which are impressively deveined.
Seafood Soup With Batang at Jia Li Seafood Soup.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
I am prepared to dismiss the Original Fish Soup With Grouper ($10 for small), which comes with five to six slices of fish, three meatballs and two tomato wedges, after the opulence of the other two soups. But the grouper holds its own, with a smooth, firm texture.
Each fish lends its own flavour profile to the broth.
Some may wonder why the soups come with no other greens apart from tomato wedges. Mr Lai says it is to avoid adulterating the broth and marring the sweet seafood flavours. For customers who prefer vegetables, optional add-ons include you mai cai and napa cabbage at 50 cents each.
Apart from fish soup, the menu also offers Hakka Yong Tau Fu ($7 for seven pieces). The handmade items are stuffed red chilli, okra, bittergourd, brinjal, tau kwa, bell pepper and ngoh hiang. The filling is a blend of fish and pork paste, seasoned with tee por, and has a soft, bouncy texture. Quantities are limited daily.
Hakka Yong Tau Fu at Jia Li Seafood Soup.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Where: B1-135 Tiong Bahru Plaza, 302 Tiong Bahru Road
MRT: Tiong Bahru
Open: 10.30am to 9pm daily
Hedy Khoo is senior correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers food-related news, from reviews to human interest stories.
Check out ST's Food Guide for the latest foodie recommendations in Singapore.
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