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When a reader sent in a recommendation for a S$2.50 prawn mee stall, I was sceptical, to say the least, thinking that prices must have either risen or that the portions given would be little. Oh boy, was I wrong.
This is one hidden gem that I’m more than happy to recommend— and it’s none other than Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee, which is located at Pek Kio Market & Food Centre.
Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee sported the longest queue in the entire market, and I counted approximately 15 persons in front of me when I joined the queue.
The biggest draw? Their prawn mee, with prices starting from as low as S$2.50. I gather this must’ve been in an effort to serve the elderly and low income families in the Pek Kio area.
Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee offers 3 sizes of prawn mee: S$2.50, S$3 and S$5.
While queuing, I couldn’t help but notice how kind the stall owners were— despite the long queues, they gladly gave out free soup refills to those who asked for it, and even hand-delivered bowls of prawn mee directly to the elderly sitting nearby!
What I tried at Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee
I got myself Prawn Mee (Dry, S$2.50) with yellow noodles and bee hoon, and for comparison, I ordered another bowl of Prawn Mee (Soup, S$5) and asked for kway teow noodles.
Just based on first impressions alone, I was instantly shocked. This bowl of Dry Prawn Mee most definitely was worth more than S$2.50!
Admittedly, I was only given one prawn, but Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee more than made up for the lack of it by giving a decent amount of noodles, lean pork meat and fishcakes.
In some odd sense, Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee’s Dry Prawn Mee reminded me of bak chor mee because of the biting, spicy chilli and fragrant shallot oil. This was spicier than expected, and after a couple mouthfuls, I found myself sweating from the bright yet addictive spice.
Each strand of noodle absorbed the chilli-laden sauce, creating a gritty-like texture. To elevate the entire experience, toss in a few spoonfuls of prawn broth into the dry noodles for a kick of umami, briny flavour.
Considering the S$2.50 price tag, I was incredibly impressed with the amount of lean pork slices and fish cakes that was given, as well as the fried shallots that topped my bowl of Dry Prawn Mee.
Though the lean pork slices were dry thanks to the nature of its cut, I enjoyed chewing on them, as it added that well-needed touch of meatiness to the whole bowl.
The knock-out star of my entire meal was the small bowl of soup that was given with my Dry Prawn Mee.
This was briny, full-bodied sweetness that could only be achieved with hours of boiling. I could taste a strong roastedness from the prawn heads, as well as a wonderful umami-filled robustness with every sip.
Don’t belittle or underestimate the S$2.50 price tag, because you’re seriously getting quality food here at Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee.
In a bid to compare Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee’s cheapest and most expensive dish, I ordered the Prawn Mee (Soup) in its largest size of S$5, and requested for kway teow noodles.
As compared to my bowl of S$2.50 Dry Prawn Mee, the biggest difference would be the amount of prawns. I counted 8 pieces of halved prawns, which would add up to 4 whole prawns! Literally 4 times the amount of prawns that had been given with my Dry Prawn Mee— very impressive.
Apart from that, everything else (the noodles, lean pork slices and fish cakes) was given in the same amounts.
As opposed to the robust bowl of soup that had been given with my Dry Prawn Mee, this was much lighter and cleaner. Though this was notably less salty, it still retained that pleasant, briny sweetness that made each sip comforting.
After some time, the kway teow noodles had absorbed some of the soup and grew in size, forming an intimidating mountain. Despite being a soup-based dish, I appreciated the generous amount of fried shallots that had been given as it added a silky oiliness to the noodles.
Final thoughts
Not only are Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee’s S$2.50 prices one-of-a-kind (especially in today’s economy), its portions and tastes weren’t compromised either.
In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed my bowls of Dry and Soup Prawn Mee, as I could taste the amount of hard work that had gone into the robust prawn broth, as well as the spicy and positively addictive chilli.
With such a kind heart in ensuring that prices stay affordable for everyone, Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee is one stall that I cannot recommend enough. Note that they tend to sell out by 1pm, so come early to brave the snaking queues!
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