Imperial Fish Soup – Ang Mo Kio’s Must-Try Seafood Noodles

I recently found myself at Ang Mo Kio 628 Market for breakfast, thanks to a strong recommendation from a foodie friend. The mission? To check out Imperial Fish Soup, a relatively new stall that has been making waves for its Teochew-style fish soup and seafood noodles.

Imperial Fish Soup is led by Max, a young hawker continuing his family’s culinary tradition. His grandmother founded Hock Heng Fish Soup, which now has two outlets—one at Sims Vista Food Centre and another at Upper Boon Keng Hawker Centre—both managed by Max’s uncles.

Before becoming a hawker, Max worked as a forex dealer in a remittance firm. However, after being laid off, he decided to return to his roots and train under his uncle at Hock Heng. Together with his primary school friend, Jerry, Max took the plunge and opened Imperial Fish Soup in June last year.

Imperial Fish Soup offers six soupy options, each brimming with fresh ingredients. Their menu includes sliced fish soup, seafood soup, and fish head soup, all priced at S$5.50 per bowl. Each serving is generously packed with xiao bai cai, lettuce, tofu, tomato wedges, and seaweed, with an optional side of rice for just $0.50.

For noodle lovers, the stall also offers seafood noodles ($5/$7), sliced fish noodles ($5), and fishball noodles ($3.50). Customers can choose from seven types of noodles, including mee pok, thick bee hoon, and mee sua.

I arrived at about 9:30AM, and there was already a queue of regulars. Observing the orders, I noticed that almost everyone in front of me had chosen the seafood noodles—so, of course, I followed suit.

The dry seafood noodles did not disappoint. Tossed in ketchup, soya sauce, chili, and crispy fried lard, the mee kia was springy with a delightful spicy kick. Unlike the vinegary taste found in typical bak chor mee, this version leaned more towards sweet-savory nostalgia, reminding me of the flavours from my childhood.

For $5, my bowl came with two sweet, crunchy glass prawns, sliced batang fish, and fishballs. But if you’re feeling extra hungry, I’d recommend the $7 bowl—it’s generously loaded with even more fresh ingredients, making it well worth the price!

Beyond their stellar dry noodles, Imperial Fish Soup also serve clear Teochew-style fish soup. Made with batang fish slices, the soup is light and naturally sweet from the fresh fish. The bowl also contains generous portions of xiao bai cai and tofu, both blanched to perfection for a slight crunch.

Imperial Fish Soup’s hearty seafood noodles and fresh, comforting fish soup hit all the right notes. I’ll definitely be returning for another bowl! Plus, I couldn’t help but love their black T-shirts featuring their cheeky tagline – “Hawkers in Black.” A stall with both great food and personality? Count me in!