Recently I was able to taste the wild Sung Hock or Nam Koh in the local Perak lingua. This fresh water fish is found in Tapah Bidor and Slim River areas. Due to the over hunting the fish I had the luck to eat (not so lucky for fish) came up to about 600 grams only. The big ones you get at the restaurants are definitely reared and served at about one and half kilo.
Why I bring this up: the difference between wild fresh water fish and cultivated (reared) ones is that the taste especially the texture of the cooked flesh is quite different. The reared fish flesh is not so tender but rather soft and not so springy!
Ultimately,it is the cooking that brings out the best of it.
In Perak, there are a few restaurants that offer such hidden gems and they don^t come cheap.
The fish (wild version) is seasonal and advance booking is essential.
The ambience of these few restaurants leaves a lot to desired but
these servings are getting to be a rarity and will all togather disappear
in the near future.