Chai Kee (財記), Hong Lim Food Centre

Noticed Chai Kee (#01-69 Hong Lim Food Centre, 531A Upper Cross Street) from our previous visits to Hong Lim Food Centre and made a note to come back; to what looked to be pretty credible looking local fish soup

Watch out for the pot of fried shallots at the front.

What caught our eye were the prawns on display. They were huge.

The proprietress told us those prawns come in at about 9am. So we waited for the bugs to arrive.

That wait culminated in their seafood soup with ee mee. Seafood soup at this stall meant just a duo of sliced batang and prawns. Both of which were of respectable quality. The broth was gentle with a seafood sweetness and a hint of ti poh. Personally, I felt that a splash of chilli-ed light soya sauce along with fried shallots in their oil added a depth which enhanced the flavour.

Added fried fish roe to this.

Prawns were solid and meaty with study shells that readily gave up the meat with a bit of light tugging. The bite on these bugs were satisfying.

Here's the fried fish roe which was hidden beneath the noodles.

A few days later...😬

Came back for a bowl of sliced fish bee hoon with fried fish roe. Their fish roe's kinda expensive. It's a dollar a piece and the standard option is $4. For $4, one gets a whole lot more fried fish roe at Cai Ji.

While the quality of the food was undeniable, one cannot help but compare the portions of sliced fish to the chunkier ones from the likes of Cai Ji, 453 Fish Soup or Mr Batang. This shop was noticeably more expensive.