Soo Mei (蘇眉) Feast!

The much anticipated "Soo Mei"!

This is a fresh water fish which nobody recognizes!

"Soo Mei" (蘇眉) is a Chinese term for "Humphead Wrasse" or "Napolean Wrasse" and this reef fish is getting very rare and is probably the most expensive fish in Brunei (maybe the whole world as I have read reports that it is facing extinction!) as demand for such fishes are very high amongst the Chinese community worldwide. So when a friend bought one from a local fisherman last night and invited us over to Thiam Hock Restaurant to try it, we definitely wouldn't let go of the chance! I wouldn't have been so enthusiastic if I had known that it is an endangered species! This "Soo Mei" is more than 2 kilos in weight and when steamed; its flesh is smooth and very tasty. My friend also bought a fresh water fish which nobody seems to recognize; however its flesh was very sweet. But we have to be very careful when eating it as it was full of bones!