Adam Rd (三哥) Prawn Noodle: Oldest bro of famous Adam Rd Prawn Mee goes solo at Newton

“Big and juicy prawns!” Was the first thing that caught my attention among the numerous reader-recommended stalls. I now had a newfound desire to discover the truth.

How big and juicy can a prawn be?

Let’s meet Jack Teo, 63, owner of Adam Rd (三哥) Prawn Noodle at Newton Food Centre. He is also the eldest brother of Teo Aik Cheng and Teo Aik Hua, both of whom run a Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed stall — Adam Rd Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle and Zhi Wei Xian Zion Big Prawn Noodle respectively.

Having learned the prawn mee trade from his father at the ripe age of 13, Teo used to run the famed 2nd-gen Adam Rd Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle together with his twin brothers for over 20 years.

Before opening his solo venture, he helmed the evening shifts at Adam Road selling prawn mee along with other seafood dishes. Describing how the family-run hawker store boasts a loyal customer base that continues from generation to generation, “Once the store opens at 6.30pm, there are long queues till 10pm,” he exclaimed.

Unfortunately, business is not as faring well at Newton.

What I tried at Adam Rd (三哥) Prawn Noodle

With an insatiable hunger to know why, I headed down to Newton Food Centre to try the said “big and juicy prawns” from Teo’s stall.

Upon seeing most of the stalls closed around 11.30pm, I was keeping my fingers crossed that Adam Rd (三哥) Prawn Noodle would still be open. Thankfully, after a couple of re-routes, I finally came face-to-face with a jovial man sporting an iconic neon green polo shirt. It was none other than Jack Teo, the oldest bro.

Stumped for choice, I decided to go with his top recommendation — a soup-based Prawn Noodle with Pork Rib & Prawn (S$7/ S$10/ S$15). Like other prawn mee stalls, you will be given an option of dry or soup-based.

Other prawn mee choices include All Prawn (S$7/ S$10/ S$15), Pork Belly & Prawn (S$7/ S$10/ S$15). For the adventurous eaters, do you fancy Pig Tail & Prawn (S$10/ S$15/ S$20)?

The servings are quite sizeable too. For S$7, I got 4 Tiger King Prawns and 2 Pork Ribs nestled above a portion of yellow noodles and a side of kangkong.

Before handing me the warm bowl of prawn mee, Teo reminded me not once, but twice to savour the traditional broth that is made using the same Adam Road family recipe before diving into the other ingredients.

Being the sceptic that I am, his words fell on deaf ears as I hungrily shoved the aromatic prawn broth into my mouth.

But something told me to try what he suggested. Lo and behold, there was a subtle transformation after some time of appreciation — I could taste the richness of the prawns infused in this once ordinary turned addictive broth.

Moving on to the real deal, the prawns. It was seriously one of the biggest hae I have ever seen. These Tiger King Prawns are massive and half-peeled for you — YAY! It wasn’t really juicy as described but it tasted very clean, soft (not mushy) and definitely fresh.

After much experimenting, I enjoyed eating the fleshy prawns together with the broth as it imparts a briny yet robust flavour!

I find it a pain to see pork ribs with no meat and all bone. However, the pork ribs at Adam Rd (三哥) Prawn Noodle are surprisingly fall-off-the-bone tender with a slight chew and I loved how there was ample pork on both ribs.

Although the crunchy kangkong added texture to the dish, I would have preferred if the yellow noodles had a springier consistency.

Overall, the essence of the traditional broth has left a really good impression on me and I’m eyeing to try the Pork Belly & Prawn the next time I crave for hae mee.

Plus points for the 4 big prawns too.

Final Thoughts 

When asked how Teo’s cooking method of prawn noodles compares to his brothers’, he replied that while everyone has different cooking styles, what matters most is whether the prawns are fresh!

Although the crowds are not thronging like they used to, Teo is determined to let Singaporeans and tourists know that prawn mee is a notable Singaporean dish besides Ba Kut Teh or Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Try the tasty prawn broth goodness for yourself, and you might just spot the man in a neon green polo shirt continuing a prawn mee legacy.

Expected damage: S$7 to S$15 per pax

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