Walk through any wet market in Singapore and you'll notice pomfret usually costs more than the everyday fish beside it. There's a reason for that, and it isn't marketing. Pomfret earns its reputation through a few real qualities: how it eats, how much usable flesh you get from each fish, and how well it holds up in a good broth. So is pomfret a premium fish? Yes, and here's what actually stands behind that.
The Texture Does a Lot of the Work
Pomfret is a flat, silver-skinned fish with fine, tender flesh. That softness is the first thing that sets it apart.
Most fish soup around Singapore uses batang, a firmer fish that gives a clean, dependable chew. Pomfret sits at the other end. The flesh is finer, so it flakes apart gently rather than holding a firm bite. In a hot broth, it turns silky instead of stringy. That soft, almost buttery mouthful is part of why diners treat it as a step up from the usual bowl. It feels considered rather than everyday.
A Mild, Clean Sweetness
Good pomfret has a gentle, clean sweetness to it. It doesn't taste strong or overly fishy the way some oilier fish do.
That mildness is a mark of quality, not blandness. A soup broth hides nothing, so the fish has to carry its own taste with no sauce or searing to lean on. When pomfret is fresh and handled well, that quiet sweetness comes through on its own. A fish that tastes clean and sweet with so little dressing up is exactly the kind that diners are willing to pay more for.
Lower Yield Per Fish
Here's a practical reason that often gets missed. Pomfret is flat, with a large frame relative to the amount of flesh it gives.
You don't get as much usable meat from each fish as you would from a fuller-bodied one. So more fish is needed to fill a bowl, which naturally lifts the cost. That's part of why a proper pomfret bowl carries a higher price than a standard sliced fish soup. At Hup Lok on Havelock Road, that shows up as a generously portioned fish soup where the fish is the point, not an afterthought floating in the broth.
How It Behaves in a Collagen Broth
A delicate fish needs a broth that supports it rather than one that buries it. This is where pomfret really shows its worth.
Plenty of fish soup gets its rich, white look from evaporated milk. It works, and many of us grew up on that dairy note. But a milky broth can sit heavily over a fish as gentle as pomfret. At Hup Lok, the broth is built from batang bones and a siput (shell) base, cooked down until the collagen thickens it naturally. It isn't thickened with milk. It's thickened with the fish itself.
That gives the broth real body and a gentle stickiness on the lips, with no dairy flavour covering the fish. The pomfret's sweetness still reads clearly through it. A premium fish deserves a broth that lets it lead, and a clear, collagen-built base does exactly that.
Grandpa's Pomfret Fish Soup
The signature bowl at Hup Lok is Grandpa's Pomfret Fish Soup, named after the founder's own father. It shows what happens when the extras support the fish instead of masking it.
The soft pomfret and the collagen broth are finished with shiitake, julienned ginger, tomato, salted plum and a splash of hua tiao wine. Each does a single job. Shiitake adds savoury depth. Ginger lifts the broth and cuts any richness. Tomato brings a gentle acidity. Salted plum gives a sour-savoury edge. The hua tiao wine rounds it off. None of them fight the fish. They frame it, which is what a delicate fish needs.
Why Sourcing Matters More With Pomfret
A soft, mild fish has nowhere to hide. If it isn't good, you taste it straight away. So where the fish comes from counts for more here than with a firmer, stronger-tasting slice.
The founder's family has traded fish in Singapore for three generations. His father started as a street fish hawker around Mohamed Sultan and River Valley, and that trade grew into a wholesale seafood business, Haixian, now approaching its 50th year and run by his brother. Hup Lok sources local fish through Haixian and brings in Japanese seafood direct from suppliers, cutting out layers of middlemen. Each layer typically adds 20 to 30 percent in margin, so fewer hands means a shorter journey to the kitchen. The founder has said he'd rather close the restaurant than serve fish he isn't proud of. With a fish this delicate, that standard is the whole game.
One Habit to Protect a Premium Fish
Pomfret's softness is its strength, but it asks for one small thing from you. Eat the fish early.
In a hot broth, fish keeps cooking after it reaches your table, and pomfret is tender to begin with. Leave it too long and the delicate flesh turns dry and firm. Take it first, while it's still silky, then work through the broth at your own pace.
So pomfret earns its premium standing honestly, through texture, sweetness, lower yield and how it sits in a good broth. To taste it for yourself, read more about the Fish Soup at Hup Lok, then drop by Havelock Road and order Grandpa's Pomfret Fish Soup. Eat the fish while it's hot.
