Joo Chiat Prawn Mee : Lost & Found

This stall used to be at 15 Crane Road in Joo Chiat but closed in January 2015.  Madam Lee Xiu Chun, the owner, is running the stall with her son-in-law. Mr Lee Pi Duan, her father, started Beach Road Prawn Mee in the coffee shop opposite Blanco Court in 1936 after a friend from Xiamen, China shared the recipe and taught him in cooking it. Her was likely to be the first to serve this unique Singapore style hawker dish. He was also the one that taught the founder of 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles to cook the dish. Mr Lee Seng Hoon, her eldest brother took over the stall after her father passed away in 1956 before moving to Beach Road. He created the dry version of prawn mee and John Lee, his eldest son, started Beach Road Prawn Noodle House at East Coast Road. The same recipe is supposedly also used by the other family members, the Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee in Jalan Ayer by the son of her older sister and Blanco Court Prawn Mee in Jalan Kayu by the other sister. 

I ordered the medium portion of Pork Ribs Prawn Mee for $5 and opted for yellow noodles, the kway teow was already sold out and so the other option is bee hoon. The smallest portion is for $4 and the largest portion is for $6. There are also Pork Rib Pig's Tail Mee ($5/$6) and Pig's Tail Prawn Mee ($5/$6) on the menu.

My dining companion tossed the noodles and had his first mouthful followed by another then said, "It is nice. It would even be better if there are crispy lard added." I did not get to try when they were at their previous location so this would be my first time eating at this stall though I have tried the other prawn noodles that mentioned earlier. It was quite enjoyable, the level of spiciness was manageable and it complimented the nicely cooked yellow noodles well. The pork ribs were of the right texture, tender enough but not overly so. The prawns were of medium-sized and it tasted relatively fresh. It was topped with fried shallots. 

The soup tasted of a slight hint of prawn flavor, nicely flavored. 

This stall is a worthy option for lunch if you happen to be here. 

JOO CHIAT PRAWN MEE

Block 503 West Coast Drive #01-35 Ayer Rajah Food Centre SINGAPORE 120503

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Cheng Ji : Pork Trotter Bee Hoon

I have heard of the Pork Trotter Bee Hoon from this humble stall manned by a middle-aged lady all by herself and how good it is. I came with my dining companion for lunch on a rainy day. There was just another customer at this stall. I decided to have the Pork Trotter Bee Hoon, it is known as Pork Leg Bee Hoon there, there are choices of $5, $8 and $12 and I went with the smallest portion. I also ordered the smallest portion of Fried Kway Teow for $3, there are $4 and $6. I was asked to come back later to collect. Both were ready when I came back about minutes later. 

My dining companion took a mouthful and said, "It tasted exactly like what you cooked at home." He added, "It is not common to find this dish at hawker stall though and for those that do not cook, this is a rare find." 

This is a homely dish, it has been a childhood favorite and always is a simple pleasure. The familiar taste is quite comforting. The main ingredients are simply the canned pork trotter, bee hoon, and bean sprouts with a handful of greens. It is definitely more economical to cook this dish at home. I usually get the Narcissus brand of canned pig trotter for about $3.50 and a packet of mee hoon is about $1.50, serve it with belachan chilli. 

The Fried Kway Teow was quite disappointing, it was slightly dry with no hint of wok flavor. It tasted like the economical Kway Teow Mee available at those stalls serving breakfast. 

CHENG JI

2 Adam Road #01-24 Adam Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 289877

Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)