Song Kee Fishball Noodles, Tembeling Road

Sometime in the throes of my fishball noodle-frenzied spell, we made the trek out to Song Kee's new home in the East. We weren't quite sure, at first blush, if we'd gotten the right address; the coffee-shop was barely occupied, on a Sunday evening no less. We'd braced ourselves for its legendary snaking queue and budgeted a half hour-long wait for our dinner, so it was almost shocking to find the famous hawker this desolate.

But then we heard the familiar refrains of the music blaring out the stereo, a disparate compilation of 90's Mandopop and trashy techno covers of Billboard's Top 100, also from the 90's, and we knew, this was the correct Song Kee.

I'm not sure why Song Kee appears a derelict wasteland these days, because their food is as amazing as it was back when they were located at Upper Serangoon. Maybe it's the fengshui, or maybe their customers haven't realised they've moved to Tembeling Road. Or maybe it's because they don't get foot traffic at the quiet end of the usually-buzzy Joo Chiat enclave. Whatever it is, I'm just grateful that the crowds are no more and wanting to tuck into a bowl of fishball noodles no longer requires Buddha-like patience sweating in an open-aired coffeeshop.

The Fishball Soup Kway Teow ($6 for medium) nuanced and exquisite, was lent crunch by lashings of shredded lettuce. The flat rice noodles were smooth like fine silk, and the "meat" - fishballs, fish dumplings and beancurd puffs stuffed with fish paste, was excellent.

The Fishball Dry Mee Pok ($6 for medium) was perfectly al dente, with a toothsome bite, and burnished with a moreish sambal-soy concoction that was enlivened with buah keluak.

When we ordered the Fish Dumpling Soup ($12 for large) in a large portion, the service staff balked; she was doubtful we'd be able to finish it all on our own. We got it anyway, all the while assuring her we're terribly gluttonous, and finished it. The dumplings were absolutely scrumptious. And so we promptly ordered another large portion to take home for supper.


Song Kee Fish Ball Noodles
128 Tembeling Road
Open Thursdays to Tuesdays from 11.30am to 9.30pm;
Closed on Wednesdays
Tel: 9336 2745

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