Household-run prawn mee stall utilizing conventional recipe from 1946

Most know Golden Mile Meals Centre to be the house of Da Po Hainanese Rooster Rice & Curry Rooster and halal-certified Ashes Burnnit, however at the moment, I found essentially the most treasured hidden gem there could be— Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles, a family-run prawn mee stall that has been round since 1946.

Frankly, should you had advised me that Golden Mile Meals Centre was house to such a historic prawn mee stall, I wouldn’t consider you. 

Out of all of the instances I’ve been right here, this stall by no means struck an impression and slunk into the background, overshadowed by its well-known neighbour. After I imply “neighbour”, I actually imply it— Da Po Hainanese Rooster Rice & Curry Rooster is actually subsequent door.

Critically, why have I by no means heard of this stall earlier than?!

Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles has a historical past that’s as wealthy because the prawn broth it serves. 

Run by the Tan brothers, this stall was initially opened by their father in 1946, who used to promote prawn noodles whereas peddling alongside the streets of North Bridge Street and Liang Seah Road.

“He did it with out sporting any sneakers,” Mr Tan Chong Siew recalled in Mandarin. “And he would carry the prawn noodles and broth by a pole, and cease to promote the prawn noodles each time folks wished to purchase from him.”

As Mr Tan’s father’s enterprise improved, the mode of enterprise advanced to a trishaw, after which a espresso store. Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles has moved round a number of instances, together with China Sq. Waterloo Road and Tanjong Pagar Complicated, with each Tan brothers serving to out with the enterprise since they have been youngsters.

“Since I used to be 10, I helped to wash the bean sprouts and greens within the morning earlier than going off to highschool,” shared Mr Tan Chong Siew. “It was so widespread for me to be late for college and my instructor all the time scolded me.”

You may catch a glimpse of Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles’ historical past by way of the various newspaper clippings that the Tan brothers have plastered throughout its storefront.

What I attempted at Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles

The menu at Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles is concise however easy— there’s your customary Prawn Noodles, Pork Ribs Noodles and Pig Tail noodles, all of which can be found in S$5, S$6 and S$8 parts.

Mixtures are additionally out there within the type of Prawn & Pork Ribs Noodles (S$6/S$8/S$10), Pig Tail Prawn Noodles (S$6/S$8/S$10) and Pig Tail Pork Ribs Noodles (S$6/S$7/S$8).

As with most prawn noodle stalls, you may select between dry and soup choices and choose what sort of noodles you’d like.

The primary dish I made a decision to attempt was Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles’ Prawn & Pork Ribs Noodles (Dry), and received the S$6 portion with yellow noodles and bee hoon.

For simply S$6, I used to be immediately impressed with the quantity I had been given. A considerable amount of noodles was accompanied by three halves of prawns, a handful of pork ribs, and a bowl of soup on the aspect.

Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles was beneficiant with the quantity of sauce that had been given with the dry noodles. I didn’t want so as to add any soup whereas tossing my noodles; it was a simple course of that resulted in deliciously shiny noodles.

This was so scrumptious that I wolfed down three to 4 mouthfuls of noodles at one go. That is what I’d think about an ideal bowl of dry prawn mee to style like: wealthy, saucy, and undeniably savoury. 

The chilli was splendidly executed— aromatic and light-weight, with only a teasing quantity of spice that made it all of the extra addictive. To high it off, I might style a touch of shallot oil, which lifted every part up.

What a terrific bowl of noodles. And I haven’t even gotten to the prawns or pork ribs but!

These have been massive prawns that had been halved for simpler consuming, and I cherished how vibrantly purple it was, whereas its flesh was white and agency. Every chunk was candy and meaty, and I particularly cherished tossing it within the noodles’ chilli sauce for that savoury contact.

Most, if not all, of the pork ribs that I’ve had with prawn noodles normally include dry pork meat on bone, however Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles’ was completely different. 

These have been tender, entire items of pork meat that have been delicate and meaty, as if that they had been braised previous to being added in. In truth, I don’t even suppose I had a single piece of pork rib that got here with the bone— all have been pure items of pork meat that I might simply pop into my mouth like sweet.

Already floored by how scrumptious Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles’ dry prawn mee was, I went straight for its soup and eagerly had a slurp.

This is able to be what Hokkiens name “tee”— candy, strong and full of flavour. I cherished the way it was full-bodied with out being salty, and I might style the briny sweetness from the prawn heads with each sip.

The lard got here in thick cubes. It ticked all of the bins when it comes to texture— it was crunchy on the skin whereas puffy and ethereal on the within, nevertheless it was a bit too smoky for my style buds.

I moved onto the soup model of the traditional Prawn Noodles, and just like the Prawn & Pork Ribs Noodles, I requested for the S$6 variant with yellow noodles and bee hoon.

Whereas many of the parts have been just like its dry counterpart— noodles, prawns and lard— this bowl of noodles was much less savoury. As an alternative, the soup served was lighter and extra drinkable, whereas nonetheless remaining aromatic and candy. I’d reckon this may be nice for folk who may not favor spicy or sturdy flavours, and would need one thing comforting and soothing for his or her meal.

One factor I had observed was that the style of the noodles had seeped into the prawn broth, leading to a barely extra alkaline (or siap) style, which I didn’t significantly get pleasure from.

Ultimate ideas

I’d undoubtedly come again for the Prawn & Pork Ribs Noodles (Dry) once more. This was such a knock-out dish that I’d extremely suggest. The dry chilli sauce was fairly spectacular and suffice to say, when paired with the tender and meaty pork ribs, I completed that total bowl in a single sitting. Plus, ordering it dry lets you benefit from the full drive of its briny prawn broth by itself, with out the noodles affecting its style.

With the most affordable bowl of Prawn Noodles going for as little as S$5, you’re actually getting your cash’s value right here at Liang Seah Road Prawn Noodles. And belief me, the Tan brothers don’t scrimp on their elements.

What a powerful feat for a prawn mee legacy that goes again all the best way to 1946!

Anticipated injury: S$5 – S$8 per pax

Fei Zai Pork Rib Prawn Noodles: Tasty bowls of pork rib prawn noodles promote out by 11am