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In most prawn mee circles, the name Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee is treated as sacred. Heralded as one of the best prawn mee hawkers in Singapore, foodies of all walks of life take pilgrimages to their new stall at Kim San Leng Eating House along Owen Road.
Allow me to give you a brief history lesson about the stall. It has a storied 58-year-long legacy and is run by second-generation owners. They originally announced their closure last year due to renovations in the coffee shop they were in, but reopened on 11 Sep 2025 in a new location! This was also when I first learnt about their story.
Ever since I first wrote about Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee’s reopening, I wondered what makes this particular stall so special. I’ve contemplated paying a visit for quite a while, but never really found the time to pop by until today. So how does this prawn mee legend square up?
What I tried at Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee
Most dishes here at Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee come in 3 sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. This applies to most dishes, except for 3.
Their signature Pork Rib Prawn Noodle (S$5.50 for Medium, S$6.50 for Large), Pork Rib Noodle (S$5.50 for Medium, S$6.50 for Large), and Pig Liver Noodle (S$5.50 for Medium, S$6.50 for Large). These dishes are only available in Medium and Large sizes. You also have the option of Yellow Noodles, Bee Hoon, and Kway Teow to accompany the broth. Your standard affair, no surprises here!
Of course, I went for the Pork Rib Prawn Noodle in Medium size and with Yellow Noodles. Initially, I thought that I was given the wrong size, as the bowl was so big. If this were the Medium, I dare not fathom how big the Large bowl was.
The broth had a gentle brown colour to it. I couldn’t really tell from a single glance how strong or diluted the broth was, but I was a little worried. A review I read claimed that the chef dilutes the broth using water, which ruined the taste for them.
After I took a sip, I found the broth to be rather well-balanced, with a slight hint of dilution. It was still incredibly rich and flavourful with savoury goodness from the soaked pork ribs, and mild prawn notes.
Unfortunately, the Yellow Noodles were a bit of a mixed bag for me. They did not really absorb and carry the porky broth quite well, and marched to the beat of their own drum in terms of flavour. Thankfully, there was not a single lick of alkali taste, meaning the chef prepared the noodles well. Some may consider that a low bar, but I find it very important.
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I was a little disappointed with the pork ribs. There were 4 pork ribs of inconsistently varied sizes in the bowl, with a rather tough texture. As much as I hate to say it, the pork ribs were not melt-in-your-mouth soft and were instead hard to bite into.
Maybe I visited the stall too early, and the pork ribs weren’t fully prepared yet.
Also, why were the prawns so tiny? There were a total of 5 in my bowl, but all were roughly half the size of an adult thumb. For a stall with ‘prawn mee‘ in their name, the prawns they served were rather minuscule. The prawns tasted average, but I could not get over the size. Perhaps it’s just a nitpick on my end.
Chilli was also available, and was recommended by the woman who took my order. At first glance, it looked like your run-of-the-mill noodle stall chilli, and in some ways, it is.
It was rather unremarkable with the prawns and the pork ribs, adding a strong soy sauce and spicy flavour, but nothing much else. I did, however, enjoy the chilli with the pork broth and noodles. I will admit, I did swallow a few seeds, which made my mouth burn red-hot.
Final thoughts
Sadly, I don’t think Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee lived up to the hype surrounding it, at least for me. While the broth was wonderful to sip, it’s hard to excuse the tough pork ribs and tiny prawns. Could it be that I visited too early, or the chef was having a bad day?
No matter, I’d like to hear from regular customers — why do you love this stall so much? As I always say, taste is subjective.
Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$6.50 per pax
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