PUBLISHED June 29th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED July 2nd, 2021 11:24 am
Soup lovers, there’s a new pilgrimage to make in Singapore town for a belly-warming bowl of seafood soup with none of the nasty stuff like MSG and preservatives. A combination of our love for hawker food, a comfortable dining environment (air-conditioning!) and the #eatclean movement, Milkfish is a fast-casual concept that recently made its debut in the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre – and we’re fairly certain there will be more branches coming our way.
Most fish and seafood soups in Singapore use batang (mackerel), grouper, or even pomfret, but Milkfish puts its eponymous species in the spotlight. Popular in Taiwan and the Philippines, milkfish is the backbone of the nourishing, slow-simmered liquid at Áo Broth brews on their behalf. The fish’s gelatinous belly fat and fresh clams distill into a creamy consistency with a delicate and sweet flavour, so there’s no need to request for milk addition here.
The star at Milkfish is undoubtedly the Signature Soup (S$12.80), featuring firm slices of fresh red snapper, clams, and a whole prawn alongside tofu, greens, and a house-made minced pork patty. The latter bulks up the protein in the bowl but comes across as superfluous if you’re in the mood for seafood, since the portion is more than generous for small eaters. We love that it was served with the perfect condiments on the side – cut chili padi, spring onion, and a homemade chili sauce. Throw in a couple of slices of cut chili for more oomph!
For a well-rounded meal, top up S$4 for the Signature Soup Set that adds carbs (including multigrain rice or brown rice vermicelli at no additional cost), marinated chilled tomatoes, oriental salad, and tomato plum soda to your table. If you’re feeling fancy, the Premium Soup Set (S$32.80++) loads the bowl up with more fresh seafood delights – think half a lobster, whole 10-head abalone, and a good-sized scallop.
The clean, healthful flavours of Milkfish’s soup carry through its other menu categories as well. People who don’t enjoy veggies might find themselves coming around on the Chilled Sesame Spinach (S$3++) – the leafy green is delicious with the secret housemate sauce and subtle nuttiness of sesame.
Other small and sharing plates we enjoyed include the Chilled Tofu (S3++), moreish with crumbs of century egg, meat floss, and a dark savoury sauce (also secret, we tried asking). Crispy but not oily, the filling of the Deep Fried Prawn Rolls (S$6++) sports a good ratio between prawn, pork and root vegetables.
Curious what milkfish actually tastes like? Try the lightly seasoned Grilled Whole Milkfish (S$19++) and you’ll find mildly sweet and firm flesh though we’ll probably try the Hamachi ‘Yusheng’ (S$18) when we return.
If you still have room for sweets, either the aromatic Cold Taro (S$4.80++) with sago or collagen-rich Peach Gum (S$5.80++) with white fungus will satisfy any Cantonese tong shui craving. There’s also the classic Osmanthus Jelly (S$4.80) and homemade Mochi (S$2.20 per piece) for sharing.
Milkfish is located at #B1-44F, Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Road, Singapore 179103, p. +65 6254 4946. Open Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-9.30pm, Sun 11am-9pm. Delivery available via Grab, Food Panda and Hungry Panda.