Teochew Bakso (People's Park Complex)

Check out my video review here: https://youtu.be/DWfbh4FqeMY

Teochew Bakso | The Indonesian word for "meatball" is bakso, and the immediate assumption is that this stall must be Indonesian in some way but you’d be sorely mistaken.

They just sell Teochew fishball noodles here.

According to the stallholders we spoke to, they decided to name their stall as such because they were getting a lot of Indonesian and Indian tourists at People’s Park Food Centre over the weekends.

They gave the dishes names like mi bakso kering (fishball noodles dry) as they thought tourists would immediately identify with what they were selling. 

Beyond the quirky history behind the name, the fishball noodles here ($3/4) are extremely well done with a robust sauce that's big on savoury flavour, nice accents of smoky chilli and a subtle sweetness. 

There is a definite oil richness, and you can taste the fried dried prawns and onions in the sauce.

The savoury fishballs are handmade, large and come with a dense, meaty bite that is not common in many handmade ones these days. 

The downside is the noodles having a slight alkali smell to them, indicating that they purchased a non-premium grade noodle.

An interesting side point: Indonesian bakso is typically beef balls but depending on the region, you can find all kinds of varieties like chicken bakso and of course, fish bakso (fishballs).

The fishballs are big and crunchy. The noodles are well mixed with very spicy chilli. Definitely worth trying.