Xin Yuan Ji Restaurant on Tan Quee Lan Street

Xin Yuan Ji Restaurant
31 Tan Quee Lan Street
Tel: 6334 4086
Opening Hours: 1130am to 1130pm daily

So I have to tell you guys about my favourite fish soup place – it’s called Xin Yuan Ji, located on Tan Quee Lan Street, which is just by Bugis Junction. Fish soup for me usually means pieces of fried fish (who even knows what kind of fish they use) soaked in delicious, milky, brothy soup, accented with a handful of leafy vegetables. It’s great comfort food, especially on rainy days. There’s nothing quite like it when you’re craving that delicious broth!

Here’s a look at the interior:

  

As you can see from the photos, the restaurant is of a decent size, and very family-friendly. However, be prepared to find yourself at the back of a snaking queue, especially if you’re going on a Friday night, which was what I did a couple of weeks ago.

730pm on a Friday night.

It’s dark but you can just make out the long line of hungry people outside the restaurant – it’s worth waiting for, folks! It is! I have to warn you though – you WILL spot a few (yes, a few) lizards on the walls and food signs outside the restaurant. I would counsel you to just ignore them and focus on the food. I can’t believe I’m even saying this, since I’m usually pretty squeamish about creepy crawlies, but I’ve never seen them inside the restaurant, and I haven’t had any traumatic experiences yet, so soldier on, and cherish the little bit of excitement this adds to your dining experience, folks.

On to the food. I usually get the Fried Fish Soup (For the life of me I can’t remember how much it is, sorry! I’ll update when I go back there!) Here’s how it looks like:

The soup is SO tasty; I think they cook it with the fish bones and probably add ikan bilis as well, which makes for a rich, full-bodied, and VERY flavourful broth. 9/10

My partner and I also ordered the Sambal Kangkong (S$8):

IT WAS SO GOOD!!! The kangkong was bursting with flavour, and you can really taste the dried shrimp with every bite. I also felt that the vegetables had been cooked long enough to have soaked all the flavours, but not too long as to be limp. No sir, these were perfect. Juicy, crunchy, moderately spicy, and all-around delicious. Please always order this!! 10/10

In short, Xin Yuan Ji is a low-key, casual dining spot that offers stellar food at very affordable prices. It is wonderfully accessible from Bugis MRT station, and is the place to go for a hearty meal. Try it soon! I hope you guys will like it too 🙂

I give this place a 90%, we spent about S$11 per person.