Bahru Beginnings

Two homegrown F&B businesses herald a new chapter with their stores at lifestyle enclave New Bahru in River Valley.

- JOCELYN TAN

ONE PRAWN & CO

01-10, 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 coowner Gwyneth Ang, a passionate entrepreneur who has 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 spunky 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 through One Prawn & Co, which is renowned for its prawn noodles, 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.

The original One Prawn & Co was rebranded to Zhup Zhup in January, while its sister restaurant at New Bahru took up the original name. 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.