Trying the $2.50 prawn mee from Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee
Dread it, run from it—inflation arrives all the same. The rising cost of living has been particularly worrying post-COVID, and the average person has to bear the brunt of its effects. These effects can be felt everywhere, from soaring housing prices to our hawker food being noticeably more expensive than it used to be.
It has to be said that compared to many other countries, we Singaporeans are lucky to have so much affordable and delicious food around us—$4 for bak chor mee is still cheap compared to a plate of pasta in Europe. That being said, if you’re looking for even cheaper food in Singapore, where can you go?
We recently discovered Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee, a stall in Pek Kio Market & Food Centre that’s famous for their, you guessed it, prawn mee. Now we all know that seafood in general is expensive, and yet the stall has a $2.50 option, which isn’t just a bargain for prawn mee—it’s incredibly cheap for a hawker dish, period.
And so being the cheapskate that I am, I dropped by the stall during lunch and ordered myself a bowl of this $2.50 prawn mee. At first glance, it looked like a standard rendition of the dish with but one glaring difference: there was just a single prawn sitting atop a pile of noodles.
Still, that singular prawn was pretty good. It was crunchy, sweet, and quite fresh. I also appreciated that it was peeled—it meant I didn’t have to buy tissue paper to wipe my hands after peeling it myself. Yes, I was in full cheapo mode for this meal.
Prawn mee doesn’t work with a lacklustre broth, so thankfully, the one here was excellent. The rich umami of prawn was apparent in the aromatic and flavourful soup, and that made me finish every last drop of it.
The yellow noodles were tossed in a piquant, savoury chilli sauce that had pleasant hints of sweetness. It also had a strong spicy kick that lingered in my throat. I didn’t want to spend that additional dollar and a half, but I needed teh peng to quell the burn.
Tender fishcake and pork slices were present in the bowl, and they helped the dish as a whole be a little more substantial.
So, how did this prawn mee fare overall? I would honestly have to say it was superb, irrespective of the price. Though it had just one prawn, the flavourful noods and soup more than made up for it.
At just $2.50, this bowl of prawn mee was an absolute steal.
If you’re in the mood for more of the dish, read our 21 best prawn mee stalls in Singapore listicle. For cheap Western food in Kallang, read our $5 Western review.
Address: 41A Cambridge Road, #01-41, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, Singapore 211041
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am to 8pm, Sat 11am to 3pm
Website
Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Melvin Mak.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.
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