Tiong Bahru Fishball Noodle – Best Halal Fishball Noodles in Singapore

Finding fishball noodle stores in Singapore is easy. Finding great fishball noodle stores in Singapore requires some effort. Finding quality Halal fishball noodles, however, is like playing a game of treasure hunt with only a handful of clues, and I finally found the place where it tastes both great and affordable. At least as affordable as it can be in the CBD.

Enter Tiong Bahru Fishball Noodle, located at Telok Ayer Street.

Experience

Located a few hundred meters away from the entrance/exit of Telok Ayer MRT Station, I happen to stumbled upon Telok Ayer Coffee Shop on my way to another store (which you’ll find out soon in the next review). Situated nearby historical and cultural landmarks such as Thian Hock Keng Temple and Nagore Dargah, seeing this quaint coffee shop along this narrow street was an interesting sight.

What caught my eye was Tiong Bahru Fishball Noodle’s poster on one of the pillars selling the typical fare for fishball noodles store, but what intrigued me even more was their Chicken Bak Chor Mee. Bak Chor Mee, with minced chicken meat? The poster made it seemed that they’re very convinced to feature it as one of their main dishes. I like that confidence. The display picture of the dish made it look like it’ll be a large serving even for regular size.

Taste Test (Chicken Bak Chor Mee – $5.80)

And boy, I was right with the above statement. The bowl looks and feels massive as soon as I carried it all the way to my table. Must be the generous serving of chicken minced meat that strongly gave that impression. 😅

I have to say, I’m content with how the minced chicken meat works in its favor in this dish. With a balanced ratio of meat and fat, it doesn’t taste too dry since chicken, if prepared by a less skillful cook, can taste bland and arid without the right proportions.

While not mind-blowing, the fishballs were passable where it does deliver a satisfying bouncy texture. Seeing the shape of the fishballs, it’s easy to tell that they’re not factory made, so kudos to Tiong Bahru Fishball Noodle for creating them by hand. Wished they gave a few more fishcake slices to make the dish more complete but that’s just me being picky. They remind me a little bit of the fishcakes I ate at Malaysian Hup Kee Fishball Noodles with its skin slightly peeled off and I can never get tired of its flaky texture.

Asked for no chili, and hence a copious amount of vinegar and fish sauce on my noodles. The fried wanton was one of my favourite ingredients; with its deep-fried paper thin skin that was absolutely a delight with that crispy crunch, and all I wished for was a little more meat filling to make it more filling.

It’s been a long while since I encounter braised shiitake mushrooms on a noodle dish, and at this point, does it seemed like there’s too much going on with the fishball noodles? As far as braised mushrooms go, they are pretty abundant and are packed with plenty of flavours that keeps you wanting more each bite. Say anything about the fishball noodles here, but they’re never bland as far as I could tell, which is both a strength and a weakness as you’ll find out soon enough in the next section.

Final Thoughts

If there was one element that I wasn’t wholly satisfied with, the sauce was a little too vinegary for my preference, affecting the noodle’s taste profile to the point it became overbearing towards the end of my meal. Other than that, I enjoyed the meal and the experience was pleasant from start to end. After this brief stop at Telok Ayer Coffee Shop, I’m looking forward to try more Halal fishball noodle stores at more established spots like Bounce and Top 73+1 Fishball Legacy, and hopefully they can be as good or better as what Tiong Bahru Fishball Noodle has to offer.

For now, I’ll probably return to Telok Ayer Coffee Shop when I have the time to try the Yong Tao Foo and Nasi Lemak. Place looks fairly new (most likely recently refurbished) so I’ll suggest to drop by here if you’re around the area.

Address & Opening Hours

Address

Telok Ayer Coffee Shop
121 Telok Ayer St, #01-01, Singapore 068590

Opening Hours

Opening 24/7
Nearest MRT Station: Telok Ayer (DT18)
This store is halal-certified