From prawn noodles to seafood grill: One Prawn & Co ups its game at New Bahru

Prawn noodles are a cornerstone of Singaporean cuisine. The comforting broth, springy noodles, and succulent prawns — it is a homely dish that can be found in hawker centres across the island. However, One Prawn & Co, which started at Golden Mile Food Centre in 2019, has elevated the experience of digging into the quintessential hawker dish. 

At the helm is chef and co-owner Gwyneth Ang, a passionate entrepreneur who carved a name for herself with her unique take on prawn mee. Her journey began with a simple desire — to share her love for this dish, jazzed up with a touch of her personality.

"Prawn noodles were my favourite dish growing up," says the 30-year-old, who runs One Prawn & Co, which is set to open in lifestyle enclave New Bahru in River Valley in early September. She also runs Zhup Zhup, a 60-seat coffee shop on Macpherson Road, which received Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand status this year.

"I appreciate local prawn noodles, but it's just different from the taste I’m used to. I also believe that good food is something you’d want to eat every day because of the stronger flavours, and this extends to my prawn noodles as well.”

This vision manifested itself through One Prawn & Co, which is renowned for its prawn mee, which has a richer, more robust broth than most regular versions. She drew inspiration from Penang-style prawn noodles that her mother used to make at home. Each 100-litre batch of umami-laden prawn broth is boiled for over 20 hours with 18kg of freshly peeled prawn heads and 30kg of pork bones. 

The meticulous preparation — from sourcing prawns to creating all their condiments in-house —  resonated with diners, quickly propelling One Prawn & Co to cult status. She also serves her dishes, which include Hokkien mee and lobster pao fan in claypots, as they retain heat much better than in regular bowls. 

The original One Pawn & Co was rebranded to Zhup Zhup in January, bringing the former name to its new sister restaurant at New Bahru. Stretching beyond its original focus on prawn noodles, the revamped One Prawn & Co will be a contemporary Asian-influenced seafood restaurant with a new slate of dishes featuring aged seafood on a wood-fired grill.

While prawn noodles will not be on the menu at the New Bahru store, prawn ramen, which uses the signature broth, will be available for lunch, while a wood-fired seafood concept is reserved for dinner.

“We're known for our broth, after all, but I want people to explore different noodle options like ramen instead of our local noodles, which are complete with interesting condiments like bamboo shoots. As for the dinner menu, I believe all cuisines go back to woodfire, so I want to explore that and present Singapore as a melting pot culture through the cuisine at One Prawn & Co,” she reveals.

But what will truly set One Prawn & Co apart from Zhup Zhup is its focus on creating a dining experience that reflects Ang’s background in fine dining. The Culinary Institute of America graduate has worked at restaurants such as Burnt Ends and Artichoke for under three years. 

She plans to use the New Bahru space to host events and collaborate with chefs, like how Burnt Ends used to organise a 12 Months, 12 Chefs series with guest chefs. 

She recalls: “It can be a space where I can bring my industry friends over, and we cook up a feast for guests, and at the same time, create opportunities for my staff to learn as well.” She adds that the 80-seat restaurant is supposed to be comfortable. “You can even come in slippers if you wish. I want guests to come here, have a good experience, have a good meal, and have a great night.”

01-10, New Bahru