Seng Huat Prawn Noodles Review: Old-School Hei Mee From $3.50 In Telok Blangah

Seng Huat Prawn Noodles has old-school hei mee in Telok Blangah

Nothing hits the spot like old-school does, and Seng Huat Prawn Noodles at Telok Blangah Food Centre is a gem that strikes true. With a history dating back more than 30 years, the stall with its ultra-faded signboard is run by a cute old couple, serving up delicious, old-school hei mee.

You’ll have to be the proverbial early bird to catch this worm too—their shutters come down at 1:30pm, or even earlier if they’re sold out for the day. That’s not all: they only operate four days a week!

Food at Seng Huat Prawn Noodles

While Seng Huat Prawn Noodles, which is also known as Cheng Fa Prawn And Fishball Noodles, serves both hei mee and fishball noodles, literally every patron is there for their Prawn Noodles. There are two sizes: $3.50 and $4, so we ordered one of each, in dry and soup versions.

I’m not typically a fan of hei mee soup, because I find that the flavour of the broth is diluted by everything in it. As such, this had a lighter, cleaner flavour, though it was still pretty flavourful on the whole, spiked with fried shallots. There were deshelled, fresh-tasting prawns, slices of fishcake, as well as pork slices which were nothing much to shout about.

Here, I opted for a mix of kway teow and yellow noodles, both great vehicles for the broth as they soaked it up. The yellow egg noodles did taste a tad alkaline especially after the bowl had lost its heat, but it’s nothing some soya sauce and sliced red chilli can’t fix.

Then, there’s the dry version, which you can opt to have with mee pok or mee kia! These noodle picks are different from your typical prawn mee stalls, and I was very pleased to have them available.

Digging into the bowl of mee pok revealed noodles redolent with the fragrances of both shallots and lard, and a house-made sambal that the old uncle fries himself.

They were very generous with the fried shallots too, which added crunch and aroma when thoroughly mixed in with the noodles.

Definite plus points go to their super fresh prawns; these were crunchy and sweet, best enjoyed as is, or with a dash of soya sauce.

While the dry mee kia was a winner unto itself, the bowl of soup that came alongside sealed the deal. This was unadulterated, prawny goodness, boiled with fried prawn shells and pork ribs that give the broth its body.

I usually shy away from such dark-coloured prawn soups, since they tend to end up quite sweet, but this was light on the rock sugar, so the savoury, umami notes of prawn shone through. Shallots and fried lard are also added to this, which explains the additional flavour boost.

Ambience at Seng Huat Prawn Noodles

Telok Blangah Food Centre is 14 minutes on foot from both Labrador Park and Telok Blangah MRT Stations, and must not be mistaken for Telok Blangah Crescent Food Centre. Though slightly worn at the edges, the hawker centre is well-ventilated with lots of seats. Be prepared to wait between 20 to 30 minutes for your food at Seng Huat Prawn Noodles, especially as it gets closer to lunchtime.

The verdict

At $3.50 a bowl, this was a fantastic bowl of prawn mee that I’d recommend in a heartbeat. Seng Huat Prawn Noodles is well-deserving of the hype surrounding its noodles. We don’t know how long more the old couple will keep at the hard work that comes with running a hawker stall, so drop by and try their hei mee before it’s too late.

If you’re a prawn mee fan, here are the best prawn mee spots in Singapore you should try. If you prefer hokkien mee, we ranked some of the most popular hokkien mee stalls around!

Address: 79 Telok Blangah Drive, #01-38, Telok Blangah Food Centre, Singapore 100079
Opening hours: Fri-Mon 6am to 1:30pm
Seng Huat Prawn Noodles is not a halal-certified eatery

Photos taken by Kaedynce Chew.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg