Da Dong Prawn Noodles Review—Does The Famous Prawn Mee Hold Up Today?

Da Dong Prawn Noodles has famous prawn mee in Joo Chiat

I’m a rather picky eater when it comes to prawns—they must have a good texture, be deveined, and most importantly, deshelled. Nevertheless, I’m well aware of what heavyweights prawns can be when it comes to the boxing ring of flavour, especially when boiled down into a rich stock as the base of prawn mee.

Recently, I ventured to Da Dong Prawn Noodles, which has stood along Joo Chiat Road for exactly six decades. Founded in 1966, the stall is now run by second-generation hawkerpreneur Watson Lim, alongside a few other energetic young men. 

A massive queue had formed by the time I arrived at 12:30pm, and it took around 30 minutes before it was my turn to order. I’ve heard that what draws these snaking queues is the super tasty prawn broth, which the crew starts to prepare from 4am in the morning!

After running the gauntlet of waiting in line, my famished stomach could not resist the wafting allure of the tantalising bowls placed in front of me. Here’s how our experience at Da Dong went.

Food at Da Dong Prawn Noodles

Unfortunately, their Big Prawn Noodles (from $13) were unavailable at the time of our visit. We opted to try a bowl each of dry and soup noodles, alongside some pork intestine soup. 

Let’s start with the Prawn Noodles (from $8), which we had in the large size soup variant. 

From the outset, the large $10 bowl was decently sized, coming with four plump prawns and three cubed chunks of pork ribs—though the price tag is enough to send some alarm bells ringing, especially for prawn mee in a coffeeshop.

As the centrepieces of the dish, the prawns certainly did not disappoint. They possessed sweet flesh and produced a firm bite, all while being deshelled and deveined well. 

I’d also argue that the broth is equally as important in a prawn mee, and it was full-bodied and smooth here—characteristic of a meticulously long boiling process of the prawn shells and pork bones. There was also a slight sweetness and deep savoury tang to the broth, which made it extremely complex and highly enjoyable. 

The yellow egg noodles had a nice bite without being too soggy or hard, or possessing too much alkalinity.

We also had the Pork Rib Prawn Noodles (from $8), which, at the same price, seems to include one more piece of pork rib compared to the regular prawn noodles of similar size. 

We had this bowl dry, which came with an accompanying bowl of broth. Mixing up the sambal chilli, shallots, oil, and pork lard produced a slick coat on the noodles, resulting in an intense and flavourful combination that wasn’t too heavy on the spice either.

The pork ribs were their Achilles heel, though; they were rather disappointing with a tough, lean, and dry meat surrounding a large portion of bones. Their flavours did not hit the mark either, being too “porky” with no hint of seasoning or marinade. Dipping them in the broth or soy sauce did little to salvage them. 

I actually enjoyed the bowl of Pork Intestine Soup ($5) the most. The innards were flavourful, chewy, and not too gamey, submerged in an even more intense rendition of the prawn broth.

Ambience at Da Dong Prawn Noodles

Da Dong Prawn Noodles is located in a coffeeshop at the intersection between Joo Chiat Road and Marshall Lane. While the location is quite breezy, there is a limited seating space despite the round tables being rather large. While they open for breakfast at 7:30am, the queues here can get insanely long during peak hours at around noon, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find seating during these times!

Da Dong is a 12-minute walk from Marine Parade MRT Station.

Da Dong Prawn Noodles – Eatbook review

While the prawn noodles at Da Dong are indeed well-crafted and of impeccable quality, the steep prices and snaking queues might give one pause. However, the bowls here are not to be missed for prawn mee fans and foodies alike, for they dish out some of the better prawn noodles we’ve had in Singapore. 

For more eats in the area, check out our Joo Chiat and Katong food guide. For a spicier noodle dish, check out our best laksa in Singapore ranked. 

Address: 354 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427600
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 7:30am to 2pm
Website
Da Dong Prawn Noodles is not halal-certified.

Photos taken by Mordecai Lee and edited by Marcus Neo.
This is an independent review by Eatbook.sg.