Chaoyang Prawn Noodle: Is this really one of the best in Toa Payoh?

I seem to be on a prawn kick lately, trying out different prawn noodles across the island. I have yet to find the prawn noodle that truly speaks to my palate, but eventually, I think I will. This time, I decided to check out Chaoyang Prawn Noodle – according to some reviews, this was described as “one of the best prawn noodles” in the Toa Payoh area. It sounded promising, so off I went.

Chaoyang Prawn Noodle is located at 75 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh Food Centre, which is a popular supper destination for residents in the area. While the stall wasn’t busy, I did see a steady stream of diners walking up to order bowls of their prawn noodles.

What I tried at Chaoyang Prawn Noodle

I made my way over, and after considering the menu, I asked for a bowl of Big Prawn Noodle (S$12), but the friendly auntie told me that it wasn’t available. I also noticed that they didn’t seem to offer the version that came with crayfish anymore, which is a pity because it sounded absolutely delicious.

She recommended I try the Pork Rib Prawn Noodle (S$7) instead. I’m not a big fan of pork ribs, but Auntie knows best. I chose the soup version with yellow noodles, and a steaming hot bowl was placed on my tray just a few minutes later. Colour me impressed with how fast the stall owners were!

I spotted shallots, cubes of fried pork lard, beansprouts and chunks of stewed pork rib. There was no kang kong served in this version.

Well, since it’s prawn noodle soup, the first order of attack is the broth. The broth here is quite dark and doesn’t have the visible red sediment that some other prawn noodles have. It’s a little lighter in flavour, not too salty, with a distinctive peppery aftertaste. I prefer a stronger prawn flavour and sweetness in mine. I found it quite oily, too – possibly due to the pork lard and pork ribs.

The yellow noodles were cooked to a good consistency, al dente and not aggressively alkaline. The portion was generous, and I wasn’t able to finish them all.

The prawns are served sliced in half and I counted a total of 6 halves, which equals 3 whole prawns. They were conveniently deshelled, something I appreciated. I found them to be fairly normal – not particularly sweet or anything of the sort. 

Fort Canning Big Prawn Noodle: Jumbo prawns and thick pork lard in rich soup

The pork ribs were so tender I could separate the flesh with my chopsticks. The taste reminded me heavily of the canned stewed pork my mother would use to fry bee hoon with, but much fresher— very nostalgic and comforting. I wished there was more of the meat as I ended up with plenty of fatty pieces and cartilage in my serving. 

I also found some slivers of lean pork, which I felt went well with the soup. My only quibble with these was that there wasn’t more of them! 

Final thoughts

This was not a bad bowl of prawn noodles, but I don’t know if I can say I agree with it being “one of the best”. It may simply be that I prefer a different flavour in regards to the broth, or that this particular style is not to my liking. I do wonder if I would have liked the Big Prawn Noodle more instead. Perhaps next time I’ll get a chance to try it.

Expected damage: S$5 – S$14 per pax

Hong Lim Prawn Noodle: Highly-raved spot serving up gao, umami-packed prawn noodles