The big prawn mee kia ($20) comes steeped in broth, flanked by a serving of soup and a shower of pork lard. The respectably-sized prawns were fleshy and succulent. Noodles were completely starch-free and their bouncy texture made the slurping much more enjoyable! What stood out most for me was the soup. It smacked strongly of seafood and was sweetened by the addition of prawn shells (at least 4 variants) and clams. Oddly though, the broth carried a slightly different taste, which wasn’t objectively bad, but just nothing as thrilling as the sharply-flavoured soup.

My boyfriend, who all but forswore seafood, tried the regular prawn mee ($6) with yellow noodles. I ended up finishing his three prawns and honestly, I don’t think I tasted a difference between his prawns and my prawns leh. So the $14 differential was for… one more prawn???

To be sure, I haven’t many gripes about the food here. But I’m not wholly sure that the air-conditioning (you end up smelling like seafood) and iPad service justifies a price hike of $2-$3, especially considering how badly illuminated the place was at night. Might be better to just visit the Pek Kio stall: for the unadulterated original, and for aunty’s infectious jollity.

🏅 8/10
💭 Must try