Prawn Noodles

Welcome to another review on the food found in Singapore's hawker centre. Today I shall be reviewing the famous River South(Hoe Nam) prawn noodles. They can be found at 31 Tai Thong Crescent, Singapore 347859. They in my humble opinion make the best bowl of prawn noodles around as until now I have not tasted a better bowl than theirs. They have been around for a long time and for something to stay as popular as that it has to mean something. But before delving into the wonderful soupy goodness that is prawn noodles, some background information on the dish itself. The origin of this dish is not very clear but it is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia. The dish is made up of egg noodles that are served in richly flavoured dark soup stock with prawns, pork slices, fish cake slices, and bean sprouts topped with fried shallots and spring onion. The stock is made using dried shrimps, plucked heads of prawns, white pepper, garlic and other spices. Traditionally, lard is added to the soup, but this is now less common due to health concerns. A "dry" (without soup) version is also available and this version usually involves flavouring the noodles and toppings with vinegar, soy sauce, oil and chili if desired. The dish is also usually served with freshly cut red chili slices in light [soy sauce] and lime.


Now for the moment you all have been waiting for the dish itself.

The first thing that i noticed about the prawn noodles from this store was that the broth did not have as much of a fishy smell as compared to others. The smell was still there but it was not as prominent. For me that is a big plus as I do not like that smell. The noodles were cooked the right amount just as it should be and the prawns were quite nice. Coming from a person that does not usually eat seafood I think that's quite an achievement. All in all I think that this is a very well balanced dish with just the right amount of everything. One thing that might set you back a little however is the price. The smallest bowl you can order is about $5 but you will not be disappointed by it trust me on this one I have been going to their store for almost 5 years and not once have they let me down when I need a prawn noodle fix.

Final Rating
5 / 5

Question of the day: Where do you like to go to eat prawn noodles?