7 to 11. I had always wanted to try out the well-received 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles at Tekka Food Centre, but needed to clear out some work before that can happen.
You see, the stall is opened only from 7am to 11am during weekdays, and closed during the weekends.
This hae mee stall is helmed by a young hawker Ruifang who graduated in finance and economics, but made that career switch (though she said she felt paiseh to be labelled as “young” as she is already in her 30s with kids).
The history of this particular prawn noodles can go back as far back into the 1950s when Ruifang’s grandfather started selling it along the streets of Balestier.
When her grandfather fell ill (sometime in 1973), Ruifang’s grandmother and father took up a stall at Whampoa Food Centre.
The stall at Whampoa Market is currently helmed by her aunties.
There are both dry and soup versions of their famous prawn noodles, and you have the option to choose from different types of noodles as well.
The price of their signature Prawn Noodles start from $4 depending on your order and serving size.
What I liked about the dry Prawn Noodles was combination of the spicy chilli sauce, sweet ketchup, and mixture of fried garlic and shallots which added light crisp.
There are customers who enjoy their soup version more. I found the soup light, not too greasy and zhong kou wei, that you could finish the entire bowl without having a heavy feeling.
The sweetness of the soup comes from the incorporation of Manilla clams, and I think some folks would appreciate this for not being too salty as well.
If you love your prawn noodle soup gao gao, you would prefer this to be more rich and punchy.
There is this particular simple, old-school taste about the Prawn Noodles that you are likely not to find elsewhere.
545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles
665 Buffalo Rd, #01-326 Tekka Food Centre, Singapore 210665
Opening Hours: 7am – 11am (Mon – Fri), Closed Sat, Sun
Other Related Entries
Beach Road Prawn Noodle House (East Coast Road)
Zion Road Fresh Taste Big Prawn Noodles
Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodle (Pek Kio Food Centre)
One Prawn Noodle (Golden Mile Food Centre)
Loyang Way Prawn Noodles (Loyang)
* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
