Zhen Hao Spinach Soup (珍好苋菜汤) at Kopitiam Square Sengkang is popular for the generous amount of greens with eggy soup. As with the stall name which says 珍好苋菜汤 which is a pun to “really good spinach soup” in mandarin. This stall is a hit with health nuts that are into the benefits of spinach or those looking to lose some body mass.
The stall offers 5 soup selections – seafood, yong tofu, century egg with salted egg, meat ball and their signature soup a combo of the other selections. The stall front is prominent with a “tank of spinach” and is situated right near the entrance of Kopitiam Square Sengkang.
The stall has listed the health benefits of spinach such as anti-cancer, good for bones, lower blood pressure, good for skin, helps blood circulation, detox, aids constipation and slimming properties to encourage more diners to try their soup. This lighted billboard is marketing done right because below it is a tank of fresh green spinach enticing you to try them.
The type of spinach used is the Chinese sharp tip spinach – amaranth- which is less bitter and has sweetness to it. The spinach are freshly plucked daily and washed before use. Check out the tell tale signs of the fresh spinach, the end of the spinach stems are a healthy green and not browned and dried. The leaves are crisp and green with neither yellowed edges nor curled up. They select only the young spinach so that the stems and leaves remain tender and silky after cooking. Older spinach tends to have a tough, fibrous stems and rough textured leaves which are not so pleasing to the palate.
Soup is dished out piping hot as this is a cook to order system. Let’s try the spinach seafood soup at $4.50 with add-on rice at $0.60.
Spinach seafood soup – comes with 2 good size prawns, generous amount of spinach, silky egg, minced meat, sliced shitake mushroom and some wolf berries. With that amount of ingredients, it is considered a good value dish to order when you are at Kopitiam square.
The prawn is relatively fresh and sweet. There is nice firm crunch to it and this is not those artificial enhanced translucent super crunchy prawns. Those super crunchy prawns may cause some irritation to people who are sensitive to the soda powder. The prawns are not deveined and may taste gritty. Do remove the intestinal tract – the black vein running down the back of the prawn after deshelling it. The head of the prawn do have some head butter that is more liquid-like. It taste like tomalley, a little seafoody with a mild bitter after taste which some really enjoy. Overall the sweetness of the prawn and texture is pleasing. They may leave you wanting for more. Add-on is available at $2 for 3 pieces of prawns.
The spinach is soft and well cooked. The leaves kind of melt in your mouth without the need for much chewing. The stems are soft and young tender type that does not have much fibre to choke on. Great for kids and elderly who are looking to add some greens into their diet.
The soup also comes with marinated minced pork and sliced shitake mushroom. The minced pork is chewy and pairs well with the earthy flavours of the mushroom.
The egg is added to the soup when they are about to plate. The egg remains runny and melty and clings on to the other ingredients giving them an eggy aroma.
The soup has an eggy and strong creamy flavour to it similar to that of a century egg. The overall plating is pleasant with hints of red sweet wolfberries, bits of yellow custardy yolk, silky egg white, earthy beige of the mushrooms, deep greens of the spinach and the bright pink of the prawns in an off white oval bowl. There is so much happening in this affordable bowl of spinach seafood soup.
Do use your kopitiam card for contactless payment. It is a safe and save option.
There is a high turnover of the spinach due to it prominent stall location with her group of regulars and the tasty soup. In a time frame of 5 minutes, the stall hands have topped up the spinach supply at least twice. Besides the fresh spinach, the cheerful disposition of the stall holders also helps to bring in more crowds. Do give them your support and try the tasty soup today.
Operating hours:
11.30am till 9 pm
Location:
Kopitiam Square Sengkang
Zhen Hao Spinach Soup (珍好苋菜汤)
10 Sengkang Square
Kopitiam Square Sengkang, #01-35,
Singapore 544829
Zhen Hao Spinach Soup number:
84848255