Song Fish Fishmonger, Bukit Panjang: Open 9 am, Cut Your Way

The Seafood Market Place by Song Fish has a walk-in counter at Bukit Panjang Plaza, #01-32, 1 Jelebu Road, Singapore 677743. It opens every day at 9 am and closes at 9:30 pm from Monday to Thursday and at 10 pm from Friday to Sunday. Those late hours are the draw: you can walk in after dinner, choose a fish from the ice and have it cleaned and cut your way while you wait.

Song Fish Dealer Pte Ltd was established in 1975, and the business grew up in the wholesale trade before it turned to shoppers. Its store locator calls the Seafood Market Place format the first seafood retail concept store in Singapore. The idea was to take the wet market fish counter, keep the choice and the knife work, and move it into a dry, air-conditioned shop inside the malls where people already buy their groceries.

That idea has spread across the island. The official list now runs to 11 outlets, with Pasir Ris Mall the newest, flagged as new on the locator. Bukit Panjang Plaza is a typical example: it sits in a busy heartland mall right next to the MRT, so most customers are families from the surrounding estates who pop in on the way home rather than food lovers making a special trip.

The service that matters most is what Song Fish calls clean and cut it your way. The catch of the day can be seen, bought, cleaned and cut however you like, and the FAQ says staff will do their best with special requests such as baby cuts for small children. In practice, that means you can buy a whole fish for one dish and leave with it portioned for three different meals.

Tell the counter how you plan to cook. A whole seabass for steaming should be scaled, gutted and scored across the thickest part so it cooks evenly. A fish curry wants thick steaks on the bone. For fish soup, ask for thin slices and keep the head and bones; a salmon bone pack costs S$4.00 and makes a quick, rich stock for porridge or a noodle soup.

The online shop gives a fair guide to what things cost. A fresh golden pomfret of 500g is S$8.90, a whole fresh barramundi, or seabass, of 500g is S$8.80, and a 400g pack of fresh threadfin steak, the kurau that Singapore families love in porridge, is S$16.80. These are the fish to buy for a weeknight: quick to cook, forgiving and good with nothing more than ginger and soy. Golden pomfret in particular is the fish to try first if you have never steamed a whole fish at home, since it is small enough for one plate and two people.

Fillets cost more but save time. A 400g fresh red snapper fillet is S$24.00 and a 400g fresh red grouper fillet is S$34.80, the second being the one to buy for a special steamed fish with no bones to worry about. A 500g cod fish steak is S$42.00, rich and silky, worth saving for an occasion when you want something that tastes like a restaurant dish without much work.

For salmon, the choice is between Norway and New Zealand. A whole side of fresh air-flown Norwegian salmon, about 800g, is S$37.00, enough to bake whole for a party of six with a simple crust of herbs. The New Zealand king salmon fillet is S$18.60, a fattier fish with a deeper colour that is best pan-roasted skin side down and served with just lemon, rice and greens.

Here is a simple rule: if the salmon is going into a sauce, a curry or a rice bowl, buy the Norwegian side and portion it at home. If it is the star of the plate, pick the king salmon. Ask the counter to remove pin bones and skin portions for children, since the cut-your-way service covers salmon as much as local fish.

Morning is the best time for whole fish, when the counter is freshly stocked and the staff have time for detailed requests. Weekday evenings are quieter than weekends, and the 10 pm closing from Friday to Sunday makes this one of the few places to buy fresh fish after a late dinner. Sunday afternoons are the busiest, as families shop for the week ahead.

If you cannot get to the shop, Song Fish delivers. Orders below S$100 pay a S$10 delivery fee, and orders above S$100 are delivered free. There is no delivery on Sundays or public holidays, so order on Friday for a weekend meal.

Bukit Panjang MRT on the Downtown Line is a few minutes' walk from the mall, so this is an easy stop without a car. Hillion Mall sits just across the way for a coffee or a quick lunch, and it connects to the bus interchange. Shop for fish last, after your other errands, so it stays cold on the trip home.

For a proper local meal, walk to Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre on Bukit Panjang Ring Road, under a kilometre from the plaza. It is a newer hawker centre, airy and popular with families, and a good place to try fish soup before you cook your own. If you have time, the nearby park connector paths make a pleasant walk toward the hills of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

The Seafood Market Place by Song Fish is at Bukit Panjang Plaza, #01-32, 1 Jelebu Road, Singapore 677743. Hours: Monday 9 am to 9:30 pm, Tuesday 9 am to 9:30 pm, Wednesday 9 am to 9:30 pm, Thursday 9 am to 9:30 pm, Friday 9 am to 10 pm, Saturday 9 am to 10 pm, Sunday 9 am to 10 pm, as listed on the CapitaLand and SingMalls store pages. Delivery is free above S$100 and costs S$10 below that. Prices quoted are from songfish.com.sg.