The lobsters, crayfish and prawns of Sumo Big Prawn Mee have been making a huge splash on social media recently. Word has it that the newly opened stall has been dishing out humbly-priced $25 lobster prawn mee in the humble Blk 628 Ang Mo Kio hawker centre. I happened to be in the neighbourhood last week. Being a huge lover of prawn mee, I naturally joined the naturally super long queue to find out more.

Just by standing in the queue, the aroma from the cooking of the robust prawn soup has already set my noses working. I've always thought umami is a form of flavour. But on that very day, I learnt that umami is also a form of scent.

Sumo Big Prawn Mee offers five types: $5 prawn mee, $8 big prawn mee, $13 crayfish mee, $18.90 lobster mee (current price is $24.90 as the Asia lobster is out of supply season and they are using the more expensive Colombia lobster) and a $16.90 set meal (not available when I visited). I was not in the mood for an extravagant meal so I ordered the $8 big prawn mee. You can choose either bee hoon or yellow noodle or both. 

The soup is thick, robust and packs a punch of rich crustacean essence. The savoury soup is rather light on the other ingredients such as shallots. Hence, I could really taste the pure sweetness of the seafood in the broth. Slurped the soup to the last drop.

For $8, I got 4 big prawns. The meat is fresh and firm. Sumo Big Prawn Mee has also semi peeled the prawns, much to my convenience. There are also generous amounts of fresh la la clams which elevate the seafood flavours of the soup.  

Just take note that the queues can get super long during peak hours, especially on weekends. According to social media sources, the queuing time can be up to 1 hour.

Although the prices are more premium than your usual bowl of prawn mee, you can trust that the ingredients are also more premium. The long queues proved that premium pricing is a feasible feastible idea in a hawker centre setting. Especially for the $25 lobster mee which you get 1 entire lobster + prawns + clams. So cheap and good. I can't wait to try it some day.

If you are a prawn mee lover, I strongly recommend you to make the journey to the North to try Sumo Big Prawn Mee regardless of where you stay. It's definitely not your usual prawn mee.

Address: Blk 628 Hawker centre Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-72 Singapore 560628

Pic from Mellben Seafood website

When I told mama I was going to bring her to Mellben for Mothers' Day, she thought I meant Melbourne. Oops.

Anyway Mellben also very good what. 

One of the ways you can tell if it is a family is if they love the same food. For mine, our love is seafood. Hence, no need DNA test. Hence, family dinners are easy to plan- everybody happy with seafood.

I have a social responsibility to warn you before visiting Mellben. 

Warning #1 - Queuing is unavoidable. Unless you go on weekdays which they accept reservations.

Don't want to queue? Can.. come at 10.45pm lor (time for last order)

Warning #2 - Waiting is unavoidable. unless you are some king. Or unless you saved the world. Then maybe. Otherwise...

After we got our seats, we waited for like 45 minutes for our food!

Warning #3 - No guarantee on the quality... Mellben will thank you for understanding.

Although the menu boasts of a wide variety of seafood, the main star of Mellben Seafood is the claypot crab bee hoon. 

But first, coconut juice ($4+ each) is always a must when we eat seafood. While it was refreshing, the inner flesh was a bit hard to scrap though. 3.5/5

Crab #1 - Claypot Bee Hoon crab

It was a unanimous thumbs-up for this. The buttermilk broth was robust and slightly peppery. I think there was also coconut milk but it was not very overwhelming or too much. The overall combination was savory and tasty. 

And the Bee Hoon - so silky and smooth that I had a problem holding them with my chopsticks. Awesome.  4.5/5

And not to mention the main star - the crab- very fresh and fleshy. Sweet and succulent. I only have one more word for the meat quality - solid!

As I am the princess, I have my crabs cracked and presented to me. I just eat. 

Crab #2 - Chilli crab

Mellben's chilli crab is seriously not for the wimps. The sauce is super duper spicy that it puts other chilli crabs in shame. My tongue was on flames. And soaking up the fried piping-hot mantou ($4+ for 10) in the sweet eggy spicy sauce? Shiok! But too spicy lah. Can only eat a few. 4.5/5

And guess what? I made a new discovery.. 

Some of the chilli crab sauce accidentally dropped into my bowl of Bee Hoon soup.. The outcome --> butter milk chilli crab sauce that's spicy and milky! And not overly spicy as compared to chilli crab only. It's like the combination of two power essences. Divine! Don't say I never share...

While the price depends on the daily market rate, the two crabs (1 kg each)  cost $110+ that day.

We loved the cereal prawns ($20+, below) too. Crispy and coated with fragrant cereals, the king prawns were huge, succulent and sweet, and full of wok-hei. The problem was there were too little prawns. We finished the whole thing including the cereals. 4.5/5

For a non-seafood change, we ordered the venison meat ($15+, below). The venison meat was gamey, yet tender and savory with the sweet soya black sauce. 4/5

Please don't misunderstand that we are a carnivorous family. We also ordered some vegetables such as bamboo shoots. Which was good too. Which I forgot to take photo.. 

Ok that's all we ate at Mellben. Looks little but actually it was a lot for 4 pax. We were damn full.. I guess the tummies in my family are all small and not very stretchable. 

Mellben AMK - Right at the ground floor of a HDB flat. 

Note: Mellben charges 7% GST but no service charge. 

Address:

232 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 S'pore 560233