Down by the river, up the hill in the fabulous Kim Yam area, where there was once a Catholic school precinct is now a cluster of interesting restaurants. One Prawn & Co is one of them. I was there for their tasting menu. Of course, with a good friend to catch up and talk life. In this case, we combined poly-crisis and prawn. An alliteration I wasn't expecting.
Walking in, my eye goes to the open kitchen. Three chefs in quiet teamwork are working flame, grill and coal. So we chose the banquette seating at a lovely round corner that let us sit, chat and see straight into the action. Their concept is integrating smoke and flame into every course. I was curious, having been to places where that ambition wasn't quite met. Here, smoky is subtle.
Spacious in modern and low-key style. Beige tabletops, a central bar table in black, simple grey concrete floor. A design that deliberately steps back. Well-vented, so the aromas of grilling stayed appetising rather than dominant. And enough distance between tables that conversation felt easy. You could actually hear your companion, which in Singapore is not always a given.
We began with two appetisers. First, a cracker topped with subtle pieces of salmon and fish roe. The textures played beautifully in the mouth, and the smokiness, had I not known it was part of their approach registered only as a quiet marker. Present, not overpowering. Then a prawn toast on a sourdough base, topped with fresh greens and elegantly thin slices of radish. A balancing of the prawn toast richness with freshness.
What struck me across every course was the fusion direction. These dishes come in from the Asian side, fusing westward. Not the other way around. The burrata arrived not with the usual tomatoes and balsamic, but with young long beans for fresh texture, tiny whitebait for salty crunch, and an element that nodded to century egg. A Singaporean take on an Italian classic. I’d eat it again.
The steak was beautifully softened and smooth with just the right cut and cook for a tasting menu portion. Served on a cream-based sauce with a sprinkle of crunch on the top and hiding finely cooked onion. Grilled over flame, but again, subtly so. A symphony rather than a brash solo.
While we ate, we paused, chatting with Desmond. He was the man filling us in on the details. We guessed his age. Vastly wrong. He laughed at us. And returned the favour later with humour.
Then the signature dish. Five statement-sized prawns in a golden orange butter sauce with a dark, almost balsamic reduction. On top, a swath of fresh herbs and edible flowers that, mixed with the sweetness of the sauce and what I think was garlic, made each bite genuinely lovely. Pull the heads off, snip the tail, and nibble your way through.
What I noticed as we paced through the meal was that I felt progressively, pleasantly sated without that heavy feeling tasting menus sometimes leave behind. The balance was very nicely judged.
The final dinner dish, their Hor Fun reminded me of a Pad Thai in spirit — peanuts, slight flickers of chilli, beautiful chunks of prawn and fish, and the noodles deliberately cooked over charcoal, not a wok. The noodle edges carry a smoky char. A different texture entirely from everything before it. And in reflection, the only carb dish in the tasting.
Smart sequencing. We had room for dessert.
The sweetness of the meal finished off with a sourdough-based ice cream made from the bread used in the prawn toast earlier. I first mistook it for black sesame. The combination of textures they'd been building all evening carried right through to the last course.
And sitting where we were, we could see the flames taken to the Hor Fun. And later a coal extracted from the oven, used to seal a meringue dessert. Just like people watching, but we were chef watching.
We paired the tasting menu with a Shiraz, which held up beautifully across every dish. Some might have expected it to overwhelm the dishes, but with these flavours, they matched.
As we left, we passed whole fish hanging to dry age, ready for the next evening's service. And Desmond, he who looked after us with the quiet attentiveness of someone who clearly loves food photobombed us before joining us for a photograph.
An excellent evening of seven courses for $98 ++ per pax
Smoke as a whisper, not a shout. That's One Prawn & Co.
Contact: Address: 46 Kim Yam Rd, #01-10, Singapore 239351
Operating hours: Wed – Sun: 11am – 10pm | Mon & Tues: Closed
