One Prawn & Co, Macpherson: Super shiok prawn noodles with a clay pot twist

Located on the corner of Macpherson Road is the new trendy prawn noodle house that’s no stranger to the industry. One Prawn & Co opened its doors in mid-January 2022 and adheres to the concept of casual dining, with condiments and napkins laid on every table. The staff even bring you to your seat and take your orders, and payment is to be made once you’ve finished your meal.

The modern prawn noodle house is run by Chef Gwenyth who also owns One Prawn Noodle at Golden Mile. I must say, this is a serious upgrade from her first hawker business and notably one that focuses on service.

Like I always do prior to visits, I searched for One Prawn & Co’s menu online which I failed miserably at. So, for the benefit of enthusiastic diners (and individuals like me who have social anxiety while ordering), check out their menu here and plan your order to maximise on getting the best of all worlds!

What I tried

First up: Dry prawn noodles with Braised Pork Ribs and Small Prawns (S$8). With chilli, of course. It’s a classic combination that can’t really go wrong and I was eager to see how the concept of clay pot soups worked here.

My portion came with two small prawns and two hunky braised pork ribs served in a piping hot bowl of soup. Separately, I had a bowl of beehoon mee (thin vermicelli noodles and yellow noodles) coated in a spicy, sweet and tangy chilli sauce and lots of lard bits.

I couldn’t help myself but dive straight for the luscious broth first. If there’s any component that is pivotal in hae mee, it’s got to be this.

Three words: rich, robust, and shiok. The first slurp had me going for seconds immediately. Not too sweet nor too salty, yet altogether flavourful, full-bodied and hearty. Easily a dream meal on a rainy day that’ll have you saying shiok after every spoonful.

The prawns came whole but were easy to de-shell. I happily took the pair and tossed it in my dry noodle mix, just to coat it with the lard and chilli. So simple, yet so tasty.

Prawn lovers, you might want to consider the Jumbo Prawn Noodles (S$13) or One Prawn & Co Prawn Noodles (S$8) if fresh prawns are your fancy.

As for the two chunky hunky pork ribs, they weren’t as tender as I expected it to be. It was a little tough in between bites but overall, not something that would stop me from returning to One Prawn & Co. I would probably skip on the pork ribs, though.

It’s worth mentioning that all prawn noodle bowls ordered here comes with the iconic clay pot of soup— even if you order the soup version!

To change things up a bit, the second bowl I ordered was the Mix and Match (S$9), going surf ‘n’ turf style with tobiko prawn ball and shabu sliced pork.

Before we dive into taste tests, I simply have to take this moment and appreciate how Chef Gwenyth is so generous with the lard bits in every bowl. I mean, look at this! I just had to include a closeup shot to give thanks to these sinful, umami gems. This is easily what makes it or breaks it for me when it comes to prawn noodles.

Going with my steady combination of noodles (mee and thin beehoon), I opted for the soup version with no chilli and to my surprise, it was served in soup, with the clay pot of ingredients on the side. Soup lovers, this might just be the one for you.

This might sound weird, but the experience with my choice of toppings reminded me of the endless hotpots during Chinese New Year— but with the most premium choice of broths.

Since the clay pot retains the heat pretty well, the shabu sliced pork became a tad overdone. The tobiko prawn ball, on the other hand, was soft, fresh and not overly ‘prawny’, as one would expect from handmade seafood balls. Altogether, an enjoyable combination saved by the rich stock.

A cute little find within One Prawn & Co has to be their Ngoh Hiang stand. It’s part of their extended menu so diners can enjoy their hearty soup bowls while snacking on the Mixed Platter (S$11.50). Very reminiscent of most prawn noodle houses and hey, I’m so here for it.

I’d say just run with the all-in-one platter rather than selecting individual items. It’s got all the good stuff— ngoh hiang roll (my favourite of the lot), fried beancurd, crispy prawn cracker, century egg, handmade fishcake and QQ sausage. The perfect complement to an indulgent bowl of hae mee. 

Final thoughts

Will I return? 100%. I’ve already got my order prepared and it’s definitely going to be hae mee with Tobiko Prawn Ball and Small Prawns (S$8), dry version with beehoon mee. Not only do you get the savoury chilli, but you also get a whole clay pot of soup to enjoy as well. Easily the de-facto option to get when at One Prawn & Co.

Do bear in mind that the queue can get pretty long during peak hours, so rock up early at 11am or drop by for a late lunch after 2pm. Come hungry and save some stomach space for the ngoh hiang too!

Expected damage: S$8 – S$13 per pax

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