Do you love both Prawn Mee and Ramen? Then you’d have to check out Ebi Bar at Cuppage Plaza for a unique hybrid experience of having Prawn Mee in a hole-in-the-wall ramen bar shop.
What makes Ebi Bar’s kitchen tick is the passion of Chef Jeff, a veteran chef who has an overwhelming love for local food and above all, Prawn Mee.
Ebi Bar’s draw is their focus on adding some modern, international flavours that the younger crowd love. Who knew Prawn Noodles can be as hip as cafe food?
Many of us love prawn mee but Chef Jeff is obsessed with it and spends his free time trying to creating the perfect Prawn Mee broth, w’re talking years of trial and error. So rest assured, Prawn Mee fans — you’re in good company.
Ebi Bar is located in the basement of Cuppage Plaza in a cosy ramen bar kinda setting, befitting of Cuppage Plaza. It’s a fuss-free place where you can conveniently order and pay by scanning a QR code.
Ebi Bar focuses on local Singaporean flavours while adding a bit of modern spark with flavours from around the world. Can you imagine Prawn Mee with Japanese or even French ingredients?
All their noodles use the same broth, which is made from frying 40kg of prawns and then simmered for hours to extract maximum flavour. Umami but also delightfully sweet, like how good Prawn Mee broth should be!
A very unique signature at Ebi Bar is their Signature “Chao Da” Ebi Noodles (S$14.90), a bowl that comes with two huge prawns charred to perfection. If you’re one of those who go crazy over wok hei, this is for you.
All that smoky goodness gives a strong fragrant kick to the broth — which is all soaked up by the long bouncy strands of handmade La Mian. So simple but so addictive.
Now for the “ramen-influences”, there are slices of protein resembling Chashu in each bowl. But they are actually tender and succulent slices of Chicken Roulade.
An interesting twist to use this French classic but it works, as the lighter flavours paired well with the heady broth. For those that want more of that protein, Ebi Bar serves a Pan Seared Chicken Noodles (S$10.90) loaded with Chicken Roulade.
Oh, and did we mention they offer broth boosters here? They offer vials of Truffle (S$2.50), Mala (S$1.90), and Miso (S$1.90) so you can let your creativity run free and customise the soup with a hit of modern flavours.
Besides noodles, there’s also a Signature “Chao Da” (Charred) Ebi Pao Fan that comes with rice soaked in the rich broth, punctuated with some crispy rice bits. It was made for takeaway during CB because rice travelled better.
Ebi Bar also serves up some nice bar grub. For instance, this Salted Mackerel Fried Chicken (S$6.90) is a lighter, less pungent cousin of the classic Har Cheong Gai but still sporting that sinful crisp.
Alterntively, if you want something to pair with a beer, get the Ebi & Vege-Crispy Fritter (S$5.90). It’s got an enjoyable sweetness from the mix of prawns and veggies and, more importantly, is airy and satisfyingly crunchy.
If you’re a Prawn Mee lover looking for a hearty bowl of Prawn Mee with cool modern twists, Ebi Bar is for you. We don’t know if it’s the best Prawn Mee in Singapore but it certainly is the most interesting, without being gimmicky.
This was an invited tasting.
Ebi Bar
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???? 5 Koek Rd, #B1-21 Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
????️ 11am–10:30pm (Tue–Sun)
The guy who will go on a 30 minute monologue about artisan coffee when you ask if they want Starbucks.