Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
When it comes to which prawn mee is the best in Singapore, I’m sure we’re all ready to “throw hands” at anyone who dares contend against our favourite. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for a bowl of prawn mee to cost a hefty S$8 or more.
The fault lies in the novelty of jumbo prawns — people don’t seem to mind paying more for larger crustaceans. But if you’re a traditionalist, you would know that the mark of good hae mee lies not in prawn size but rather the rich and full-bodied quality of the broth.
With an increasing number of our hawker favourites attaining “premium” statuses and Michelin stars, our hidden gems seem to be easily overshadowed. Remember 58 Prawn Noodle along Bedok reservoir we reviewed recently?
If you enjoyed that, you’ll be glad to know we found another one of its kind, this time way more affordable at only S$3.50. Located in a coffee shop along Bendemeer road, this prawn mee stall is known affectionately as the No Name Prawn Mee stall.
Don’t be quick to undermine this stall with its generic name of ‘Prawn Noodle’. Helmed by the young lady boss, Ms Lee, alone, she learnt the secrets of good prawn mee from a chef many years ago. The secret, I must say, is definitely the cauldron of chilli that she cooks for hours every day.
As someone who is extremely picky about spicy foods, only certain kinds of spice appeal to me. That includes the sweet and spicy sauce of chilli crab, the garlic chilli of chicken rice and now this. Unlike the unforgiving numbness of ma la dishes, the spice here builds up slowly with each mouthful.
The combination of the fragrant punchy chilli and crispy lard cubes tossed with the noodles made it irresistible. In essence, the chilli could simply be described as shiok.
The soup that came with the dry mee was a flavourful bak kut broth. Most likely boiled with prawn shells and pork bones, the pepper and other spices, this resulted in a piquant soup. It made a good pairing with the dry mee, combating the spice of the noodles.
Prawns in the dry mee were halved, just like how they did it before the days of jumbo prawns. The natural sweetness of the prawns definitely compensated for their size. Ms Lee says that she insists on only using sua lor prawns, known for their natural savoury flavour and tender texture.
Having enjoyed the peppery bak kut soup, we went in with high expectations for the Prawn Mee Soup With Pork Tail (S$5/S$6). It was definitely a more prawn-based soup than the one that came with the dry mee.
While it was tasty, it lacked the robust flavour I was expecting. The concentrated flavour of the cholesterol-rich part of prawns was not brought out and remained rather light. Those who prefer lighter flavours will definitely enjoy this soup version.
In comparison to the tender pork ribs, the pork tail did not heighten the broth’s flavour as much. It was nevertheless a super satisfying delicacy to enjoy, especially sucking off the collagen-rich parts near the bone.
Some may argue that what makes a stellar bowl of prawn mee still lies in the quality of the broth and I do not disagree. So when it comes to this stall, I’ll say: skip the soup version and go straight for dry mee.
For a cheaper price, you can avoid the disappointment of a lacklustre broth and dive straight into a satisfying bowl of fragrant chilli mee.
Expected Damage: S$3.50 – S$6 per pax
