My first visit to Prata Man was when I moved into my house probably over 15 years ago. Exhausted from moving all of our stuff, my family and I couldn’t be bothered to go very far to get food and we discovered Prata Man, a small Singaporean restaurant located just a few minutes of walking from our house.
Prata Man is the very definition of hole-in-the-wall dining. However, it’s not like the place is a secret. I’ve mentioned it to a number of people and the usual reply is that they already know where I’m talking about. The restaurants popularity is probably not a result of the decor or the service. The interior hasn’t changed a bit since I first visited over a decade ago, including the tables, chairs and probably the dishes. The staff are reasonably friendly but will usually talk amongst themselves or read the paper after they’ve brought you your food so getting their attention for anything might take some effort.
That’s probably why most people get take-out. Whenever I sit down to eat in, at least five or six people will show up to pick up their take-out orders.
So that’s exactly how long I’ve been eating the mee goreng at Prata Man so you could imagine my surprise when my mee goreng at Hawker’s Delight was nothing like what I’m used to.
I’m no authority on Singaporean cuisine nor am I from Singapore so I can’t say whether this is authentic or not (I’m guessing not…) but this is what I know to be mee goreng: a mostly dry, pan-fried noodle dish with cubes of pork and tofu in a savory, almost curry-like sauce. It is sometimes a hit-or-miss dish as it isn’t as good if the noodles are too wet but when it’s right, it’s so good. Everything is packed with flavor and spice and comes with a bit of picked daikon and carrot to cool off.
While the mee goreng here is one of my favorite dishes, there are a lot of things on the menu you should just stay away from. The roti prata, for example, is terrible. For the most part, stick with the mee goreng, nasi goreng (fried rice), the Hainanese chicken (which is also very, very good) and the satays, which are a very good value at only $1 each. Pretty much everything is good value at Prata Man. The mee goreng is under $5.
A word of warning, though. While it doesn’t seem like it when you’re eating it, everything is actually rather greasy and you might experience the food coma afterwards. A common joke amongst people that enjoy Prata Man’s food is that it tastes great when you’re eating it but you’ll feel like dying later so this is a sort of once-in-awhile restaurant…not a place you should be eating everyday.
Yes, it’s amazing that despite the hole-in-the-wall decor, questionable cleanliness and the imminent “itus” that will hit you afterwards, Prata Man has remained in business and is quite busy on a daily basis after so many years. That should be an indication of how good the good dishes are.
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The ‘food coma’ is actually the result of a spike of blood sugar levels, and then insulin (I call them ‘carb crashes’). It’s not caused by the grease, it’s from the noodles. If anything, the grease helps slow down the blood sugar spike (and food coma).
Hi Ed: Prata Man has been there for a long time. I remember eating there about 10 years ago when I moved to Richmond. Was craving Malaysian/Singaporean food. That was the first and the last time we went there. The reason was because when we asked for “sambal” they did not know what sambal is. That was enough to tell us that they did not know anything about Singaporean food. It was 10 years ago … maybe things had changed by now. But then not … when I saw sesame seeds and beansprouts on the mee goreng.
Ben
@Carl Nelson, that’s interesting, but what about whenever I’ve eaten Chinese food, and ordered a non-noodles meal, and have felt the same effect? Perhaps it has something to do with the grease after all?
In regards to the Prata man, it’s great so see a small business flourishing threw all those years!
Till then,
Jean
They make a wicked hunan chicken. And I like their meat skewers. Those are the usual things I would order from there. And yes, I have never eaten IN the restaurant. Always take-out. Only sucky thing is that it’s cash only.
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