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Sunday, 10 April 2022

One Prawn & Co – Tonkotsu Prawn Noodle [MEDIA INVITE]

On a never-ending quest to create the perfect bowl of Prawn Noodle, Executive Chef / Owner Gwyneth Ang has invented her version of Prawn Noodle. Armed with more than 10 years of culinary experience in established restaurants Burnt Ends, Tong Le Private Dining and Forlino, the technique, execution and the use of fresh ingredients transcends into the kitchen at One Prawn & Co (‘OPC’)

One Prawn & Co 
The simple equation is 18kg of prawn heads, plus 30 kg of pork bones, plus 20 hours of boiling, equal to 100 litres of collagen-rich prawn broth. Unlike the Singapore version of Prawn Noodle soup, OPC version is in between Penang Prawn Noodles and Japanese Tonkotsu-style broth.

Executive Chef / Owner Gwyneth Ang 
So, how does OPC prepare the prawn noodles? The passionate and dedicated Chef Gwyneth proudly takes us through the steps.

The Jumbo Prawn
Step 1. Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot ($30). A claypot is filled with the prawn broth, followed by the jumbo prawns, tobiko prawn balls, pork ribs and shabu sliced pork. The jumbo prawns are still raw, while the prawn balls, pork ribs and sliced pork are parboiled to ensure the cooking time is in sync with the prawns. Cooked on high fire for a while, the lala is added followed by the lala juice. Once the broth reaches boiling point and foam arises, the prawn soup is ready to serve.

Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot - Boiling
Step 2. At the noodle station, the noodle is cooked together with kangkong and bean sprouts. For the dry version, shallots oil, chilli, shallots, pork lard and a dash of OPC prawn broth are added and tossed together. For the soup version, the noodle is still served separately from the soup. It is mixed with shallots oil, shallots, pork lard and a few scoops of OPC prawn broth.

OPC Prawn Noodle - Dry Version
Now the OPC Prawn Noodles are ready to eat.

The Spread
For the Shabu Sliced Pork & Prawn ($14), regular prawns are used. It followed a similar process, the claypot is filled with prawn broth, regular prawns and shabu sliced pork. Unlike the Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot, no lala juice is added on this broth.

OPC Prawn Noodle - Soup Version
My Noodle - Yellow Noodle + Bee Hoon
When we slurp the broth of the two claypot, we realised the unique difference. The Shabu Sliced Pork & Prawn, the broth is robust, sweet and packed with prawn and pork flavour. LD noticed that the pork flavour is stronger than the prawn flavour, resulting in a broth that is similar to Tonkotsu ramen broth. The regular prawns are fresh and crunchy, while the shabu sliced pork is tender and succulent.

Shabu Sliced Pork & Prawn 
Regular Prawn
Meanwhile, the Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot have all the flavour characteristic above. However, it has a very distinct seafood sweetness that comes from the lala juice. The jumbo prawns are fresh and cooked to perfection, while the prawn balls is bouncy and loaded with flavours. The pork ribs are very soft to the point of form tender.

Five Fortune Jumbo Prawns Claypot, Dry Noodle, Beancurd Skin and Pork Lard
Jumbo Prawn
Lala
Prawn Ball
Chef Gwyneth uses the claypot as it has good heat retention over a long period. Plus, the broth remains consistent from start to finish. It was delicious and comparable to the top ramen broth in Singapore.

Pork Ribs
You can also add a beancurd skin ($1 each) to your order. Dunk it in broth, like how you do it in a steamboat session and the beancurd skin will easily absorb the broth. You can taste the umami flavour in a different texture.

Ngoh Hiang Station
OPC also sells Ngo Hiang. We choose the small Tasting Platter ($8.50) consisting of Ngoh Hiang, Handmade Fishcake, Fried Beancurd, Sotong Youtiao, Crispy Prawn Crackers. In general, the ngoh hiang is good, however, it is lacking the OMPH factors, especially in the crispy prawn crackers. For us, the Ngo Hiang here can be improved. We will order it as a side dish, but not a die die must-eat dish.

Small Tasting Platter
Small Tasting Platter
We went back a few days later during their peak lunch hour and we queue for around 30 minutes to get a seat. As we are queuing, a team member of OPC passed us the menu. Once we are getting closer to being seated, a team member from OPC will take your order. Once we are seated, our order was served within 5 minutes.

The Menu
Occupying a whole shophouse, the kitchen takes up the majority of the area inside the shop. Most of the seats are located along the walkway outside the shop. Due to safe distancing measures, OPC is able to cordon off the walkway area, making it like part of the shop.

One Prawn & Co 
Overall, Prawn Noodles at OPC are unlike other prawn noodles in Singapore. It is unique, delicious and at ramen esque standard. From the queue forming during lunchtime, a lot of customers agree on this. Prawn Noodles lovers, you don’t want to miss out on this. Cheers!!

Thank you very much Protegie Consultancy, Chef Gwyneth and OPC Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 8.5/10
Value: 6.25/10
Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)
Ambiance: 6.5/10
Budget per Person: $11 - $25; $26 - $50

One Prawn & Co by Red Marble
458 Macpherson Road
Singapore 368176

T: +65 9639 8668
OH:
Tue – Sun: 11.00 – 21.00
Closed on Monday

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