Piao Ji fish soup is worth the wait

Audrey Phoon | The Business Times | Sat Dec 19 2009

Singaopore, December 19, 2009

Piao Ji Fish Porridge
#02-100 Amoy Street Food Centre

IT'S easy to spot the two best fish soup stalls, Piao Ji and Han Kee, on the second floor of this food centre - they've always got the longest queues, which start forming from as early as 11am. (Indeed, both businesses were so busy when we visited that they declined to be interviewed, saying that they couldn't handle any more customers.)

A typical lunch-hour wait at Piao Ji is 30 minutes or more because each portion is prepared individually, but the combination of fragrant, delicately spiced soup and fresh fish slices (from $5 per bowl) is worth the time spent in line.

The stall makes its broth with fried galangal and onions as well as bits of lard, which reduces the health quotient a little but adds lots of flavour; those who want to go the whole hog can also request fish roe in their dish for an extra $1.

As with the prices, presentation here is also several notches above the stall's counterparts - each portion of fish soup is presented in a rather elegant, white oval ceramic dish instead of the usual fluoro- hued melamine ware.

Piao Ji Fish Porridge
#02-100 Amoy Street Food Centre
7 Maxwell Road
Open from 10.30am to 3pm (closed on Thursday)