Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
I’m a sucker for QQ noodles, especially ban mian and mee hoon kueh. So when I heard about Prince Noodles in Lavender, I knew I had to go down to try it.
The noodles are made to order and if you’re seated at the right spot, you can even get a glimpse of them pulling the noodles right before your eyes.
Prince Noodles specialises in KL-style ban mian or as they call it in Malaysia, pan mee. While I can’t attest to its authenticity, I sure know what to look for in a bowl of QQ mian!
What I tried at Prince Noodles
The menu here is really straightforward. First, select either the soup or dry version of their signature noodles, and then choose between ban mian, you mian and mee hoon kueh.
Of course, an easy choice for my chilli ban mian fix was their Signature Prince Noodles Dry Noodles (S$5.50 for small, S$6.50 for large) with Ban Mian. To amp up the protein a little, you can choose from their extensive add-ons like Onsen Egg (S$1) or Taiwanese Meatballs (S$1). But I decided to keep it simple this time.
A closer look at the bowl and we can see that it’s topped with seasoned minced meat, fried ikan bilis and baby spinach. I’ve never seen baby spinach used in dry ban mian before, so this was rather unique!
The seasoned minced meat was on the dryer side, though. But it was not as noticeable when mixed with the sauce.
The thick black sauce mixture coated the ban mian well and was extremely fragrant and flavourful. I also loved that the dish also had the delicious aroma of white pepper.
The QQ bite of the ban mian was to die for, and it stole the show for me. It was incredibly springy and went on for years. No matter how high I lifted the ban mian on my chopsticks, it would not untangle from the rest of the noodles in the bowl.
Paired together with their house-made chilli, the noodles were simply irresistible. The chilli was extremely garlicky, but not pungent and had the perfect level of spice.
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I wanted to try the soup version of their signature dish, too, so I got the Signature Prince Soup Noodles (S$5.50 for small, S$6.50 for large) with Mee Hoon Kueh.
Like the Signature Prince Noodles Dry Noodles, it came topped with minced meat, ikan bilis and baby spinach.
The fragrant ikan bilis and marinated minced meat were extremely flavourful and went well with the clean and light broth of the Soup Noodles.
Like the ban mian, the mee hoon kueh was also extremely QQ and bouncy. I loved how each piece had the same thickness, but you could clearly tell that the mee hoon kueh had been hand-torn from its shape.
Perhaps it’s because it was soup or the type of noodle but I felt that the mee hoon kueh was slightly less QQ and not as satisfying as its dry ban mian counterpart.
The clear soup was well-seasoned and hit the spot. Somehow, the soup of the Soup Noodles was a lot more flavourful and slightly sweeter than the soup that accompanied the Dry Noodles on the side.
While both soups had the same ikan bilis taste, I’d recommend the Soup Noodles if the soup is an important factor in your noodle experience.
Like the Dry Ban Mian, the seasoned minced pork was on the dryer side, which was a shame as the dish was a winner on the whole.
Besides noodles, Prince Noodles sells dumplings, too! So, I got a plate of Chives & Pork Dumplings (S$5) as well.
For S$5, a plate of 10 dumplings was not bad at all.
Each dumpling was packed with a flavourful minced pork filling that had loads of chives — just like its name suggests. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dumplings were rather juicy, too.
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Prince Noodles. Personally, the Signature Prince Noodles Dry Noodles was much more enjoyable; worlds apart from the Soup variation. Both texture and flavour-wise, it packed a greater punch. But overall, these were pretty great bowls of ban mian and mee hoon kueh.
I know I would be back to try the You Mian in future and even the dry version of the mee hoon kueh at Prince Noodles. If you’re planning to tick Lavender off your foodie bucket list, Prince Noodles is worth dropping by, too.
Order Delivery: foodpanda
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