Pron

Friday, July 10th, 2015

Reviewed by Rupesh Kassen

Emma Chen, chef and owner of the renowned Red Chamber in Hyde Park, is now recreating food from her childhood in her new establishment, PRON, the People’s Republic of Noodles. Expect a small menu with dishes that don’t normally make an appearance on the average Chinese menu, so nothing is deep fried or smothered in sweet-and-sour sauce.

Food

Emma will guide you on choices to suit you palate and explain the concept of this street-food-style menu. Small tapas dishes and hearty homemade noodle dishes are perfectly designed for sharing. A serving of the ‘hand-break-bread’, a layered, flaky flatbread filled with fresh spring onion and salt, is an absolute must. (We couldn’t help devouring the first one before the food came, knowing full well that it was intended as an accompaniment to the other dishes.) This is the stuff bread dreams are made of!

It was followed by three outstanding dishes: Szechuan-chilli chicken with peanut sauce and sprouts; dry-fried green beans with black-bean paste; and the intriguing pig-ear salad. I’m all for trying everything once, and enjoyed the taste and the interesting texture of the pig’s ear, which was thinly sliced and marinated, served cold, and mixed with a coriander salad – perfect for the adventurous palate. Vegetarians can try the tofu and cucumber; potato salad with a twist; or the tofu noodles with leek.

The handmade noodles are the true legend here – the perfect consistency of al-dente noodles served with of a hearty broth of tofu and vegetables, pork or spicy beef. My top choice is the Chaashou pork, comprising slices of marinated, barbeque-style pork with a clear broth, topped with spring onion and a generous helping of homemade chili oil. It’s perfect comfort food to warm the soul. The restaurant is only a few weeks old, so Emma is still working on dessert options to end the meal. She also assured me that the menu will change regularly.

Drinks

The wine list is compact and well-priced, with a few well-known wines available by the carafe. There’s only one beer on the menu, the Lucky Buddha, in its cool Buddha-shaped bottle. Also on offer are a few interesting cocktails, like the Manchurian scorpion and five-star frosted martini, as well as exotic drinks like roasted coconut juice and aloe juice.

Service

Emma is ever-present, moving between the restaurant and kitchen, making you feel welcome, and explaining her dishes. Attentive and well-trained staff members assist her in making sure you have a seamless culinary experience.

Ambience 

This is a quirky, brightly coloured and fun space, filled with shelves stocked with Asian ingredients that can be purchased. A large bookcase crammed with toys and goodies that can best be described as ‘Made in China’ lines one of the walls.

And…

They have a private dining room down a magic staircase, which is ideal for a cosy dinner party. It seats 10 people, with mirrored walls and a lazy Suzan to facilitate sharing.

Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read our editorial policy here. 

(July 2015)