Unlike creamy or milk-based versions, Teochew-style Fish Soup stays clear and lets the natural flavour of the fish shine through.
Here’s one place you can get a quality, fresh version of it.
Bau Mak sits quietly at Golden Mile Food Centre, under a clean blue signboard.
The stall is run by chef Kek Wan Fong, who once headed the kitchen at Naked Finn.
In case you find him familiar, he used to co-run Qing Feng Yuan 慶楓源 (now rebranded as Qing Yuan Fish Soup 慶源鱼汤) at Tiong Bahru Food Centre.
A small screen invites customers to tap and order, helping to keep things moving.
There are three main soups: Batang Fish Soup ($5.50), Fish Head Soup ($8.50), and Seafood Soup ($8.50).
You can pair them with rice (50 cents), bee hoon (50 cents), laksa noodle (50 cents), or mee suah (50 cents).
Add-ons include vegetable (50 cents), bitter gourd (50 cents), seasoned minced pork ($1), crab stick ($1), la la clams ($2), scallop ($2), prawn ($3), and extra fish ($3).
I tried the Seafood Soup ($8.50) which came in a generous mix of prawns, la la clams, crab sticks, fish slices, and seasoned minced pork (added for $1).
There were also tomatoes, seaweed, bitter gourd and lettuce, all soaking in a clear broth.
While the broth looked clean and plain, the kind you might think someone’s mum would make on a quiet weekend, it was actually flavourful and comforting.
The soup itself leaned more savoury than sweet, with a slow-cooked depth that doesn’t rely on artificial boosters.
You taste the fish bones, the tomatoes, and the time. It’s not flashy but it’s layered, with a clear base that feels well thought through.
The bitterness from the gourd and the slight tartness of the tomato cut through the richness and help balance the soup.
The ingredients were fresh, especially the prawns, which still had that natural sweetness.
I had it with rice (50 cents), which helped soak up the broth and round the meal off nicely.
The chilli, which looked Thai-influenced, added a good tangy kick if you needed it.
There’s also Handmade Ngor Hiang, going at $7 for two pieces. It seems steep for hawker food, but it’s worth a try. Or get it as part of the set.
Bau Mak may not shout for attention, but the quality of ingredients and the care in the soup make it worth a visit.
The fish is fresh and sliced properly. The broth is balanced and clean. It’s a quiet bowl, but a good one.
If you enjoy simple Teochew Fish Soup done right, Bau Mak is the kind of stall to keep in your back pocket.
Bau Mak
Golden Mile Food Centre #01-82, 505 Beach Road, Singapore 199583
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm or sold out (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Other Related Entries
Newton Authentic Song Kee Teochew Fish Porridge (Newton Food Centre)
Mr Batang Fish @96 (Amoy Street Food Centre)
You Yi Fish Soup (Havelock Road Food Centre)
Fan Ji Bittergourd Fish Soup (Hong Lim Food Centre)
Beach Road Fish Head Bee Hoon (Whampoa Food Centre)
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