21 Duxton Hill. Know the address so the next time you feel like getting your hands dirty (with food!) in Tanjong Pagar, you’ll know where to go. Once you’re on the cobblestoned slope, you can’t miss it. Like most other restaurants in the location The Prawn Star hides behind an unassuming pre-war shophouse facade, but its sassy Funkydori sign is too cute to ignore.
Inside, the 1,600 sq. ft. dining hall is the epitome of Melbourne city’s signature ghetto cool, with tabletops made of timbre salvaged from Singapore’s docks, wire mesh storage racks, pendant lights and rusted paint. Turning up the grunge is local artist Chloe Wong’s graffiti walls, which she completes progressively. If you’re the type that likes to take in the sights as you eat, you probably can’t do much better than her painting of the ‘prawn head executive’ crashed on a couch, or the ‘gas panic man’ engulfed in psychedelic fumes. A little less in-your-face is the kitchen, part of which has been sectioned off and recreated to look like the hatch of an abandoned building, filled with custom made high tables and bar stools.
Photo: Calamari yaki udonThe Prawn Star’s food menu, of which fresh char-grilled seafood is the main star, is straightforward. It’s split into sharing and solo plates, but while the latter’s specifically called “bare/hands”, IMO most of the dishes here are best enjoyed sans cutlery. Take the curried mussels ($18) for example — it comes with fried mantou, which no one would ever dream of poking with a fork. Then there’s the sriracha caramel popcorn ($8), so addictive it makes the perfect pre and post dinner snack. And even the gooeyness of the calamari yaki udon ($18) is forgiveable — how else are you going to pick at the bacon bits, amirite?
To get the best out of The Prawn Star, order their All-Hands-On-Deck fresh catch platter ($68) to share. You’ll get the biggest, freshest pick from the morning’s trip to the market including king prawns, mussels and flower crabs, stir-fried in their moreish kimchi-miso butter. Also don’t miss the rather rustic black pepper Moreton Baybugs ($24) — it’s finger-licking good.
While not the order of the day — Tanjong Pagar’s a nighttime hotspot, after all — the alcohol offerings here are tasty and affordable. Naughty-sounding cocktails like Island Romp and Take a Pis* are $15 each, and the American craft beers go from $14 — 16.
The Prawn Star is at 21 Duxton Hill, 6323-3353. Open for lunch (Mon — Fri noon — 2:30pm) and dinner (Mon — Thu 6 — 10:30pm, Fri — Sat 6pm — late).
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