Laksa!

For those of you that follow me on twitter, you may have heard me ramble about my Laksa craving since last October and it still hasn’t stopped. Maybe it’s the cold that is bringing on this craving. The rich, spicy, creamy, coconuty, warming soup noodle does have the great effect that English comfort foods offer.

I have never been to Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia so I can not tell what a real Laksa should taste like, but I will go on by what I like the taste of and what’s been written on and photographed about Laksa on the internet. Image searching is such a wonderful thing, where you can oogle at many pictures of yummy food.

Laksa at Young Cheng

First up is the Laksa at Young Cheng. Young Cheng is your typical Chinatown diner, but they have a massive menu some of it great, some not so (I have a rotating repertoire of a few dishes that I always order). This is one of my favourite Chinatown cheapo fast eats. The Laksa here is also my favourite so far.  As you can see it is not the most authentic, aubergine and green beans are not expected, but the vegetables are an enjoyable welcome. The soup base here is very good, getting it spicy enough to get your nose running and the sandy texture of minced shrimp and shallot much more tasty than others. They offer you a choice of vermicelli or egg noodles here, and at £6 for this massive bowl (free Chinese Broth too if you come at lunch) it is the best in value too. Mmmmmm yum!

Curry Laksa at Rasa Sayang

There have been many great reviews about the food at Rasa Sayang, and some of it is good, but I wasn’t impressed with their Laksa. Everything looked alright but the soup lacked depth. Not enough coconut milk, no rich sandy texture, the soup base was weak. All I could taste was the hot chilli oil. Also the food here always seems like it has been sitting around for ages and comes to you lukewarm. Saying this I still go back to try more food so there must be something bringing me back (the menu always seems enticing). Which just reminded me the last time I went, the person sitting on the next table had a Curry Laksa and it looked really good and made me jealous I had ordered something else (something about the grass being greener on the other side?).

Nonya Laksa at Kam Tong

Curry Mee at Kam Tong

Kam Tong looks like any other Chinatown Chinese Restaurant, but they have links with Kiasu in Queensway which is well known for their food from the Straits. Apart from the Main Chinese menu they also have a separate menu which is the same as the one at Kiasu. The Nonya Laksa and Curry Mee basically have the same soup base with different noodles and toppings. For people who don’t like things too spicy come here for your Laksa. I found it way too mild for my liking, and towards the end all I could taste was the coconut milk, which is quite sickly when you have too much. The Nonya Laksa was serve with vermicelli and the Curry Mee with yellow noodles. If I were to go for either of these it would have to be the Curry Mee, simply because the Crispy Pork here was excellent, not too fatty, juicy meat (sometimes it can get too dry) and the skin was REALLY crispy. Another reccomendation here would have to be the Roti Pratha, so so flaky and fluffy.

Curry Laksa at Hare & Tortoise

Hare & Totrtoise is where I first discovered Laska many many many years ago and if you go to a Hare & Tortoise you will see most people there eating Curry Laska. I do enjoy the Laksa here, they have the raw cucumber which gives a cooling balance to the spicy soup. Although the soup here is less thick than some other places it still has a good depth of flavour and in a good way making it less heavy. Over the years they have changed the quality of tofu and chicken, lets just say I prefer the older version. But I do still enjoy it very much here. Once in a while I will have the craving for this specific Laksa and go for a little walk and pop in for one (it’s the only thing I eat at Hare & Tortoise).

Laksa (version 2) at Young Cheng

I still have many more places to try (please add comments on where I can go) and some I haven’t even bothered to mention, but I’ll leave you with version 2 of Laksa at Young Cheng. If you image google Laksa there are so many variations, and even in the same restaurant they serve it slightly different each time. The above one has extra Fish Balls and Fish Slices (which I personally am not very fond of) and was less spicy than the first version. Still enjoyed it though. Really fancy some Laksa now.