One Prawn & Co – Tonkotsu Prawn Noodle [MEDIA INVITE]

On a never-ending quest to create the perfect bowl of Prawn Noodle, Executive Chef / Owner Gwyneth Ang has invented her version of Prawn Noodle. Armed with more than 10 years of culinary experience in established restaurants Burnt Ends, Tong Le Private Dining and Forlino, the technique, execution and the use of fresh ingredients transcends into the kitchen at One Prawn & Co (‘OPC’)

One Prawn & Co 

The simple equation is 18kg of prawn heads, plus 30 kg of pork bones, plus 20 hours of boiling, equal to 100 litres of collagen-rich prawn broth. Unlike the Singapore version of Prawn Noodle soup, OPC version is in between Penang Prawn Noodles and Japanese Tonkotsu-style broth.

Executive Chef / Owner Gwyneth Ang 

So, how does OPC prepare the prawn noodles? The passionate and dedicated Chef Gwyneth proudly takes us through the steps.

The Jumbo Prawn

Step 1. Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot ($30). A claypot is filled with the prawn broth, followed by the jumbo prawns, tobiko prawn balls, pork ribs and shabu sliced pork. The jumbo prawns are still raw, while the prawn balls, pork ribs and sliced pork are parboiled to ensure the cooking time is in sync with the prawns. Cooked on high fire for a while, the lala is added followed by the lala juice. Once the broth reaches boiling point and foam arises, the prawn soup is ready to serve.

Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot - Boiling

Step 2. At the noodle station, the noodle is cooked together with kangkong and bean sprouts. For the dry version, shallots oil, chilli, shallots, pork lard and a dash of OPC prawn broth are added and tossed together. For the soup version, the noodle is still served separately from the soup. It is mixed with shallots oil, shallots, pork lard and a few scoops of OPC prawn broth.

OPC Prawn Noodle - Dry Version

Now the OPC Prawn Noodles are ready to eat.

The Spread

For the Shabu Sliced Pork & Prawn ($14), regular prawns are used. It followed a similar process, the claypot is filled with prawn broth, regular prawns and shabu sliced pork. Unlike the Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot, no lala juice is added on this broth.

OPC Prawn Noodle - Soup Version

My Noodle - Yellow Noodle + Bee Hoon

When we slurp the broth of the two claypot, we realised the unique difference. The Shabu Sliced Pork & Prawn, the broth is robust, sweet and packed with prawn and pork flavour. LD noticed that the pork flavour is stronger than the prawn flavour, resulting in a broth that is similar to Tonkotsu ramen broth. The regular prawns are fresh and crunchy, while the shabu sliced pork is tender and succulent.

Shabu Sliced Pork & Prawn 

Regular Prawn

Meanwhile, the Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot have all the flavour characteristic above. However, it has a very distinct seafood sweetness that comes from the lala juice. The jumbo prawns are fresh and cooked to perfection, while the prawn balls is bouncy and loaded with flavours. The pork ribs are very soft to the point of form tender.

Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot, Dry Noodle, Beancurd Skin and Pork Lard

Jumbo Prawn

Lala

Prawn Ball

Chef Gwyneth uses the claypot as it has good heat retention over a long period. Plus, the broth remains consistent from start to finish. It was delicious and comparable to the top ramen broth in Singapore.

Pork Ribs

You can also add a beancurd skin ($1 each) to your order. Dunk it in broth, like how you do it in a steamboat session and the beancurd skin will easily absorb the broth. You can taste the umami flavour in a different texture.

Ngoh Hiang Station

OPC also sells Ngo Hiang. We choose the small Tasting Platter ($8.50) consisting of Ngoh Hiang, Handmade Fishcake, Fried Beancurd, Sotong Youtiao, Crispy Prawn Crackers. In general, the ngoh hiang is good, however, it is lacking the OMPH factors, especially in the crispy prawn crackers. For us, the Ngo Hiang here can be improved. We will order it as a side dish, but not a die die must-eat dish.

Small Tasting Platter

Small Tasting Platter

We went back a few days later during their peak lunch hour and we queue for around 30 minutes to get a seat. As we are queuing, a team member of OPC passed us the menu. Once we are getting closer to being seated, a team member from OPC will take your order. Once we are seated, our order was served within 5 minutes.

The Menu

Occupying a whole shophouse, the kitchen takes up the majority of the area inside the shop. Most of the seats are located along the walkway outside the shop. Due to safe distancing measures, OPC is able to cordon off the walkway area, making it like part of the shop.

One Prawn & Co 

Overall, Prawn Noodles at OPC are unlike other prawn noodles in Singapore. It is unique, delicious and at ramen esque standard. From the queue forming during lunchtime, a lot of customers agree on this. Prawn Noodles lovers, you don’t want to miss out on this. Cheers!!

Thank you very much Protegie Consultancy, Chef Gwyneth and OPC Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 6.25/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25; $26 - $50

One Prawn & Co by Red Marble

458 Macpherson Road

Singapore 368176

T: +65 9639 8668

W: https://www.oneprawnnoodle.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/oneprawnnco

IG: @Oneprawnnco

OH:

Tue – Sun: 11.00 – 21.00

Closed on Monday

I Want My Noodle – Asian Fusion Bakmi

My Fried Duck Noodle @ I Want My Noodle

I will dedicate this post to my uni friend HK. A rice and noodle fanatic. I will probably never find or try I Want My Noodle if not because of his crazy cravings for Bak Chor Mee in Orchard Road at 8PM in between his shopping spree in Singapore.

I Want My Noodle

As per usual, I did my research before I wrote this review. I found out that the noodle here is made from scratch daily. The owner, Derrick Kuah left his cosy job, to pursue his love in F&B Business. He learns the noodle-making skills from his Mother-in-Law in Indonesia for a few years and perfected it in Singapore. The noodles are made daily using flour, egg and water, without using alkaline.

The Flour

Since we were very hungry, we ordered a few noodles to share. My Truffle Oil Noodle ($9.90). Dry noodle topped with braised mushroom, onsen tamago, bak choy and drizzled with truffle oil. The presentation is Instagram worthy, as the onsen tamago is cooked to perfection.

My Truffle Oil Noodle 

The noodle reminds me of Bakmi Keriting, popular Indonesian curly egg noodle. Also similar to the noodle used in Kolo Mee. The noodle is cooked to al-dente, bouncy, tasty and delicious on its own. Of course, it is absent of any alkaline taste. Once you break the egg and tossed it with the noodle, it adds to the silkiness of the noodle. The truffle oil is mild, yet it works in tandem with the braised shitake mushrooms.

My Fried Duck Noodle ($15.90). An interesting fusion noodle dish. The noodle is served “kosong”, only tossed in oil and flavoured oil. The fried duck is crispy externally and fork-tender internally. The special herbs are well infused till the flesh, showcase an excellent confit skill. Served together with the duck is fried tofu filled with vegetables. For chilli lovers, there is a special homemade chilli to go with the noodle and duck.

The Noodle "Kosong"

The Duck, Tofu and Chilli

My Aromatic Prawn Noodle ($14.50). A dry version of prawn noodle, complete with the crispy pork lard and chilli. It is also served with stick prawn crackers and a slice of lime. The prawns served are big tiger prawns and the chilli is powerful. On top of it, the sauce tossed in the noodle is fragrant and flavourful, even without the chilli.

My Aromatic Prawn Noodle 

The Prawn Noodle Chilli

From all the three noodle dishes, I find the noodle portion is very small. If you are a big eater like me, I suggest you add an extra serving of the noodle for $2.50.

Handmade Meatballs Soup ($6.90, 5 pcs). The pork ball is juicy, tasty with a bit of crunchiness externally. The broth is robust, sweet and you can taste the radish in the pork soup.

Handmade Meatballs Soup

The restaurant is décor industrial theme and it is very open. I like the antique bicycle at the front. The seating area is spacious, while the outside of the noodle house is filled standing posters showcasing the menu or the ingredients. Service is minimum. Once you get the menu, you place the order on the cashier and make payment first.

The Kitchen

Overall, the freshly made egg noodle here is definitely a winner. I will come back for their duck confit noodle and also try their famous double roast noodle, plus taking better photos. Taking into account the freshly made egg noodle daily, the pricing is reasonable. Just consider how much you will pay for freshly made ramen or pasta. Cheers!!

Menu - Page 1

Menu - Page 2

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 6/10 (Media Tasting)

Ambiance: 7/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

I Want My Noodle

1 Scotts Road

#03-14/15, Shaw Centre

Singapore 228208

T: +65 6235 2331 / 9758 3037

W: http://iwantmynoodle.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/iwantmynoodle/

IG: @Iwantmynoodle

OH: Daily 11.00 – 22.00 (LO 21.00)

[CLOSED] Gu Cheng – Penang's Food Family Recipe [MEDIA INVITE]

Gu Cheng Singapore

Penang, Malaysia, a heritage city renowned for its delicious local food. When you ask the local where to “jiak” in Penang, the list will more likely to be a mile long. My multiple visits to Penang also never absent of a good chow there. So when there is a tasting of Penang Food, I did not hesitate to say YES.

Prawn Paste Chicken

Gu Cheng is a new family cafe serving Penang food recently open at Crawford Lane, across Textile Centre. The recipes are based on the Cindy's (the owner) family recipe. To ensure the kitchen churned out the home flavours, Cindy's Mother is the appointed Chief Quality Controller.

Crispy Tofu

We started with Penang Laksa ($7.80) & Penang Hokkien Mee ($8.80). Penang Laksa is also known as Asam Laksa. It is a combination of tangy and spicy flavours that perk up this dish. The broth of the laksa has that touch of spiciness and tanginess, which entice your appetite. Gu Cheng's recipe uses combination of mackerel and sardine, so you can taste two different flavours in the fish. They are not stingy with the fish, so you can taste it in every scoop of the broth. I only wish that there is more “heh ko sauce” (sweetened prawn paste) to give it more Omph!!

Penang Laksa

Penang Laksa
Hand Model: Purple Taste

River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodle – Two Different Flavours Under One Roof

River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodle ('RSPN') is one of the most highly rated Prawn Noodle / Mee place in Singapore. A quick google will find that there are lots of glowing reviews of this establishment. This place can be consider as an 'almost' 24 hours eatery. The reason being that it is run in 2 shifts. The morning/afternoon shift is run by the sisters from the stall in middle part of the coffee shop, while at night to the wee hours in the morning, the brother run the front stall. Quite a unique arrangement.