Ah Ter Teochew Fish Ball Noodles: No Hunks, But Good Food In Sight

I’ve come to a realization that most of the stores featured in my September reviews were mostly situated in the east.

I’ll get there. Eventually. But in the meantime, I’m surely heading a little more to the west by heading down to the Central Business District (CBD) this time for a meal that most office workers would patronize during lunch hours. Located at Amoy Street Food Centre that also featured the ever popular A Noodle Story and Han Kee, this post will be diving into Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles which was featured in the 2024 Michelin Guide (no Michelin star, GUIDE). You can’t (mostly) go wrong with the pros’ recommendations.

Brief History

Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles was first established in 1958 by the grandfather of the current head of operations, Mr. Gilbert Lim (whom some of you knew him as the ‘hawker hunk’ in several media outlets years ago). An immigrant who arrived in Singapore in the 1950s, his grandfather, alongside his son (and Gilbert’s father) Mr. Lim Ter Nee, began selling fishball noodles at Maxwell Road market, an unusual arrangement given that most hawkers first made their names on the streets at the time.

Mr. Lim eventually took over and opened a coffeeshop at Bukit Merah around the 1980s till 1997, where tragedy hits with the Asian Financial Crisis, forcing him to close the coffeeshop. Over the interim years, Mr. Lim sold his noodles at various stores as much as he could. Around 2003, Gilbert started his own stall and named it after his father at Amoy Street Food Centre. The early years were the most challenging, taking Gilbert 5 years to gain media attention, and took about 10 years of experimenting the recipe that was finally crafted into the way he wanted it. ¹

Experience

Now that my schedule’s a lot tighter than usual, the only time I was able to drop by the store was on a weekend. There was a lot less crowd than usual. On the upside, this means a much shorter waiting time.

After walking around town for ages, all I wanted was a quick fix so I got the first thing I saw on their menu. Not really a wise move on my part, but you gotta do what you gotta do when you’re hungry. The service was swift upon order with the staff wasting no time to whip up a meal for their customers. No hunks though 😔. Only elderly staff on site, but their culinary skills are impeccable.

Technically, they sell pretty much only one item, which is their fishball noodles with some slight variations depending on how much you are willing to pay for. Their prices ranges from the cheapest at $4.50 to $10 (aside from the fishball soup at $6):

• $4.50 – Budget meal, small portions. No frills; no prawns, no pork liver, and no pork kidneys.
• $6 – Regular meal, which includes a small prawn, pork liver and pork kidney
• $8 – Extra value meal, like the $6 but with one large prawn and a slice of seaweed added
• $10 – Premium meal that includes everything (two large prawns, pork liver and pork kidney alongside the usual toppings)

Taste Test (Mee Kia Dry, $4.50)

Contrary to its unassuming appearance, the fishballs were pretty tender, with a satisfying bounce in one bite. After trying various fishball noodles with less than satisfactory fishballs last month, this was a step up in the right direction.

Actually ordered mee kia (thin yellow noodles) instead of mee pok (flat yellow noodles) and I was too late to change my choice of noodles upon realizing my mistake. Regardless, the mee kia were very springy. Noodles don’t clump and they tastes right to the bite; not overcooked and mushy, which is a good sign and the base standard for fishball noodles, bak chor mee, and wanton noodles. Braised mushrooms provides extra juiciness to the meal as it soaks up the freshness of the chili sauce like a sponge.

Meanwhile, the minced meat and fish cake played a smaller role in the bigger picture, but important roles nonetheless. Soup was light and was able to cleanse my palate when the noodles were getting a little too heavy to handle.

As stated earlier, I ordered the basic meal that didn’t come with prawns, pork liver and kidneys. Not a total deal breaker for me, and for those who just want to eat and zao (rush off) or try other meals available in Amoy Street Food Centre, then this will serve as a great starter leading to a heavier meal.

Final Thoughts

For a meal featured in this year’s Michelin Guide, I’d say that the recommendations are quite spot-on. I’ll probably be using the guide to find other noodle stores to try, be it hawker fare or something more upward trendy, but leaning more towards the former.

For those looking for a quick and good budget meal in the CBD, Ah Ter‘s got your back. Perhaps I shall try the more ‘complete’ meal with the prawns and pork liver and kidney on my next visit. And to also remember to order mee pok as I intended.

Address & Opening Hours

Address
Amoy Street Food Centre
7 Maxwell Road, #01-14, Singapore 069111
Opening Hours
Mon to Sun, 7am to 3pm
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW15)

1. Ah Ter’s history from ieatishootipost: https://ieatishootipost.sg/ah-ter-teochew-fishball-noodle-bar-forerunners-hawker-cuisine/ ↩︎