Jumbo Prawn Noodle $10
Well, this is the story. Beach Road Prawn Mee was the best Prawn Mee that I knew about before I started on my blogging adventure. But over the last 3 years, as I tasted the other famous prawn mees around, Beach Road Prawn Mee kept being pushed lower and lower down on my top ten list of prawn mees. They are, no doubt, the most famous prawn mee amongst the general public. But ask any of our makan kakis and most will tell you more than a handful of places where you can get a better bowl of prawn noodles.
My last few visits to Beach Road had left me a bit dissappointed. I found that the soup had lost its complexity and tasted like it had lost a few ingredients. Visually it is still very impressive, with huge jumbo prawns adorning the bowl, but it is more style over substance.
On this occasion, I was showing Penang Blogger, CK Lam around and we were at East Coast Road to eat at Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee which I was confident is something that Singapore has that Penang cannot beat. With CK, it is always a competition to see which country's food reign supreme. So since we were in the area, I decided to tell her about Singapore's most famous Prawn Noodle with the caveat that there are still better ones around, so we should not use this as the Singaporean representative to fight with Penang's excellent Hokkien Prawn noodles. Guaranteed to lose since the prawns in Penang are truly exceptional.
Special Tiger Prawn broth - Seasonal
As you would expect, her first reaction to the Jumbo Prawn noodles was an expression of smugness that once again Penang had won. I had to admit defeat because the soup tasted more like the dishwater that the hawkers in Penang use to wash their bowls. (When you have tasted the Hokkien Prawn Noodles in Penang, you would appreciate what I mean. It is full bodied and tastes like the concentrated liquid version of a Prawn Crackers) Ours was like American coffee compared to their expresso.
But then salvation appeared when the owner and boss came and introduced himself to us. When he found out that we were having a Singapore - Penang food competition, he immediately went behind and came out with a bowl of specially prepared Wild Tiger Prawn soup. When CK tasted this one, she immediately said that this is what Hokkein Prawn Mee is supposed to taste like. The soup is very much more concentrated and had that wonderful umami kick that you crave for in a good prawn noodle broth. The owner went on to tell us that we should order our prawn noodles without bean sprouts next time because it is the bean sprouts that dilute the taste of the soup. OK, the first bowl was a 3.5/5, but the special Tiger prawn one is 4.5/5. Next time, I shall remember to tell them not to add bean sprouts.
Conclusion
Beach Road Prawn Mee is part of a triad comprising of three stalls which are run by different family members of the Patriach who started the original Beach Road Prawn Mee. The other two stalls are Joo Chiat Prawn Mee and Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee. Of the three, my favourite is Joo Chiat Prawn Mee. I think Beach Road Prawn Mee is still good, but you only get to taste it at its best if the person you order from can convey your special order to the people cooking your order. When the boss is there to make it, the taste can be quite phenomenal, so the quality of the stock is there. That really goes to show that nothing beats knowing that the hawker you are ordering from is still personally cooking your bowl of noodles.
Check out Penang's Prawn Noodles here.
CK blogs on www.what2seeonline.com
Beach Road Prawn Noodle House370 East Coast Road
S428981 63457196
8am-4pm daily
Closed on Tuesdays
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27 comments:
Hmmm...so is it the seasonal prawns, or the bean sprouts or the stock?
How to ensure I get something similar if I go to have a gamble? :D
no bean sprouts = better taste?
specious reasoning.
I agree that bean sprouts dilute the taste of almost all types of soups, but it shouldn't have such a big impact. Sounds like the owner went in to dish out something special for you that's not on the usual menu for ordinary folks like us? I hope your visit will help to ensure some consistency in food standards for non-celebs. :) Have you tried Geylang Prawn Noodles at 325 Upper Paya Lebar Road (opposite Jalan Lokam, a few shops away from Tai Seng Turtle Soup)? Both the soup and dry versions are very good.
Yes, it is my hope that they are more consistent too. But you know, their business is already quite good, so there really is not big push to improve the standards.
Yes Peace,
I tried it once but did not think much of it. Might have to give it another go.
That's true doc ... it's just sad that when the business is brisk, some owners reserve their best stuff only for a handful. I respect passionate food stall owners who willingly share their "kang hu" with one and all. :)
'concentrated liquid version of a Prawn Crackers' ... i gotta hand it to you for the great choice of words. =)
makes me want to go to Penang just to try the hokkien prawn noodles
Anna
Hey thanks for your comment Anna+Adeline! I was wondering if anyone liked that!
Its the same at Wah Kee, the champion in your list. The soup version with noodles and veg always taste much more diluted. Its the special metal bowl with just the prawns that is the potent prawn brew.
But the soup all come from the same pot.
The cynic in me agrees with Peace, "Sounds like the owner went in to dish out something special for you that's not on the usual menu for ordinary folks like us?"
Haha this is hilarious =) I just came back from Penang so the memory of its delicious prawn mee is still fresh in my mind...
I need to learn this trick! How to get food stall bosses to try to impress us... I like =)
Well, carrying a big camera always helps.
I think must carry DSLRs and keep snapping photos of the food, and also must have this intense frown on the face. :D
Helps to have famous Penang blogger who is wearing the official Penang blogger T shirt too!
And if the soup is diluted, you whip out your laptop and start typing furiously while making tsking noises coupled with disapproving head shakes!
Yup, I have tried this stall before... the noodles is really nice!
I have never had said soup! It looks delectable.
Congratulations on your blogging award nomination. That is very exciting : )
o.k. .. just have to tell you that I LOVE YOUR TAG LINE:
Never waste your calories on yucky food!!!
Love it:)
Anyone tried the "Fei Chye Pai Kuat Har Mee" at the junction of Pasir Panjang Rd and Pepys Rd. inside the coffee shop. My first mouth of the soup brings me back to 40 years during my childhood. Opening hours : Mon - Fri 07.30~11.30am. Sat. 07.30~10.00am. Close on Sunday.
Consistency is key.
Occasionally good is no good.
youtube.com/market2garden
mooohahah.... think they are trying too hard to impress lah... i think the effect went to other way for readers like us.
i reckon if the other prawn noodles sellers are reading this...they are going to tell me the same thing the next time we tell them their prawn noodles are not nice....moohahaha
A point in this post have prompted me to post a comment here.
I am not sure I agree with the owner that bean sprouts dilute the prawn soup. The Penang prawn noodle tastes just as good with bean sprouts. My enjoyment of a good bowl of Hokkien prawn noodle in Penang would be incomplete without the bean sprouts. IMHO, I believe it's more the ingredients & duration to boil the soup.
Being a Penangite working in Lion City, I crave for a good bowl of Prawn Hokkien Mee (soup version) but I have to be honest to say that I've not had a bowl in this country that can satisfy my hankering :(
Having said that, I have tried the prawn noodles at both Beach Road & East Coast Rd. You are right that the one at Beach Road is totally sub-standard (my S'porean friends who highly recommended it got quite an earful fm me!). However, I truly enjoyed the dry version of the one at East Coast Rd. The chilli is awesome. The soup version didn't impress me though. I am planning to take my parents (who are visiting from Penang this week) to try out the dry version at East Coast Road this weekend.
To end this conment, I'd like to state that I still enjoy the huge variety of food that S'pore has to offer. Penang may have the quality but S'pore wins hands down when it comes to variety. :)
Try the soup from Wah Kee!
Wah Kee, eh? Ok. Will try it out soon and see if it's really "Best of the Best" :)
Read in your earlier posts that its soup is similar to lobster bisque. Hmmm...will save my comments till I try it out. Thanks for the recommendation. :)
@Eleen, consider ordering the $8.00 or $10.00 version from Wah Kee as the soup is served on a small metal wok is definitely different from the $3-5.00 orders. I always reasoned, since I made the distance there, might as well order the upsized ones.
I was just at Wah Kee last Saturday morning after duty for breakfast with bro.
Best bowl of 'bisque' broth in my books.
The cut chilis provided in the small containers had this funny bad smell... they were probably dumped in there immediately after cutting and thus leaving a lot of moisture inside the containers. Not good!
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