For many Singaporean and Malaysian expats living in Hong Kong, a satisfying curry laksa is an elusive dish. A good bowl of the beloved Southeast Asian spicy noodle soup requires careful attention to the quality of ingredients, including herbs and spices, so that the aroma hits the nose before the food reaches the taste buds.
Time and effort are needed to produce the rich, flavourful prawn stock, then combine it with coconut milk, along with the likes of turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, tamarind, shrimp paste and, of course, chillies. The result should be layered flavours in a rich soup base.
When it comes to the noodles, Malaysians prefer a combination of egg noodles and vermicelli, while Singaporeans like it with lai fun – thick rice noodles. Toppings typically include bean sprouts, half a boiled egg, prawns, tofu puffs, fish cake and cockles. This old fusion dish, developed by Chinese immigrants to the Malay archipelago, is laborious to conjure up, so few places in Hong Kong serve a good laksa. The cheapest versions are often watered down, or are made with soup base from a packet, resulting in a flat taste.
In a quest to find the best, we enlisted the expertise of Chinese Malaysian and Chinese Singaporean residents in the city.
Agnes Chee, from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a food writer who has lived in Hong Kong for 14 years. Singaporean Debbie Yong is passionate about food and came to the city two years ago when her husband got a job posting in the city.
There are different kinds of laksa in Malaysia, depending on the region. For this challenge we chose curry laksa – also known as nyonya laksa – characterised by coconut milk in the soup base. The places on our list include Cafe Malacca in Shek Tong Tsui, known for its authentic Southeast Asian cuisine – but when Chee tastes the curry laksa and finds it shockingly bad, we write it off the list altogether. (For the record, we tried Cafe Malacca’s sour-tasting asam laksa, which was authentic and tasty.) Instead, we settle on the following, which we rank from worst to the best.
Kopitiam Bagus-Bagus
This new shop in Sham Shui Po, a gritty district in urban Kowloon, looked promising, with its charming Malaysian wooden shop doors, cheerful interiors with blue painted tiles, and menus written in Chinese calligraphy.
When the nyonya laksa (HK$48, US$6) arrives, it looks colourful but is topped with slices of cucumber, raw red onions and mint leaves, which Chee immediately insists is “so wrong” because it is garnish for an asam laksa, which has a sour fish and tamarind soup base. The taste does not win over these critics, either.
“The broth should have layers, but this one does not have body,” says Yong. “There are also more spices than herbs.”
She also points out that the noodles are too eggy and it lacks laksa leaves – also known as Vietnamese coriander. The saving grace for the Singaporean is its grainy texture.
Chee is also not impressed. “Look – the noodles are absorbing the soup too fast,” she says. In less than 10 minutes, the soup has been soaked up by the noodles, making it unappetising for her.
“The coconut milk isn’t that strong and it’s not very aromatic,” she adds.
188 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po, tel: 2253 6911
Affinity Kitchen
Yong’s Singaporean friends recommend this place. It’s small and cramped, but we manage to squeeze around a small table upstairs. The description of the HK$78 laksa – with shrimp, cockles, fish cake, tofu puff and egg – looks promising. But when it arrives it elicits mixed reactions.
Chee takes a few bites and stops eating because she thinks it has too much MSG and the noodles are clumpy, but tastewise it’s passable.
“It’s obvious the spices are from a packet because there isn’t much aroma, but you get the balachan [fermented shrimp, sardine and salted fish] spiciness after,” she says.
Yong’s verdict: “The coconut milk is the first thing you taste, and then some of the herbs and spices, and at the end the spice. This is better than watered down laksa. Also I wanted more spice, but it’s more chilli oil [spicy hot]. They use whole shrimps, but they are frozen. They have laksa leaves and the cockles are the best part.” Overall it was not a bad recommendation for Hong Kong, she concludes.
G/F, 18 Gilman’s Bazaar, Central, tel: 2868 5151
Little Nyonya
We arrive here a little after 1pm and there is already a queue outside. After waiting about 15 minutes we are seated at the back of the narrow shop. Little Nyonya serves Singapore fishball laksa (HK$66) and nyonya laksa (HK$70).
The nyonya laksa contains prawns with the heads attached and Chee would prefer them deshelled, but Yong does not mind getting her fingers dirty. Flavour-wise, they both find it quite tame, perhaps because it’s catering to Hong Kong tastes. However it’s served with a small plastic container of chilli sauce for those who like a bit of a kick.
“The spices aren’t as fragrant, but they do have cockles in the shell, though they don’t have much taste,” Yong points out. Chee says: “I like the mixed noodles [vermicelli and egg noodles], and they use fresh herbs and spices so they probably make their own laksa paste. The soup is also quite savoury; you can also taste the umami from the dried shrimp.”
“The noodles are the best part. They are not so alkaline, and the fish balls are sweet and springy,” is Yong’s verdict. “But it didn’t scratch the itch.”
Shop D9, 16 Hoi Tai Street, Quarry Bay, tel: 3428 2250
Pestle & Mortar
We visited this tiny shop in Happy Valley three times. First it had closed early; on our second visit there had been a flood on the premises. So third time lucky?
Pestle & Mortar makes only 20 bowls of laksa on weekdays, 50 on weekends, and – at HK$100 per bowl – it tends to sell out. Many customers order takeaways, since the shop only seats six or seven people at a time. The taste wins over our foodies.
“The layering of flavours in the broth is very subtle,” Chee says. “It could be more aromatic, but the spicy aftertaste lingers,” she adds, and there isn’t much coconut milk so it tastes a bit watery.
“You don’t have that feeling of being too full after, which is a good thing about it,” Yong says. “This is a good place for lunchtime laksa, it’s subtle, light and elegant … The ingredients, [like] the egg is so soft, the prawns are cooked just right, but there aren’t any cockles.”
She also notes that the noodles are cut shorter so that they are easier to eat, preferably with a spoon. For them, it’s a close second to the winner.
G/F, Shop 3, 38-42 Yik Yam Street, Happy Valley, tel: 5563 1957
Rempah Noodles
The winner proved to be this place in Wan Chai, which opened in February last year and is already a favourite among locals and Southeast Asian expats alike. It offers only three dishes: nyonya laksa lemak; prawn mee; and dry laksa, all priced at HK$98.
“Some places in Hong Kong use too much coconut milk so it overpowers the aroma of the spices,” Chee explains, while waiting for her bowl of nyonya laksa lemak. “Maybe the spices they use aren’t freshly ground, or they use MSG.”
At 2pm the restaurant is still bustling with new arrivals and we can see why. When the large bowls arrive, the fragrant aroma of the spices and herbs signal that it will probably taste good, too.
“I like the broth. This one is not watery and you can smell the coconut milk,” says Yong. “There’s also a nice spring to the noodles.”
Chee concurs: “I like the layering of the broth. There’s the sweetness of the coconut milk then it finishes with the spiciness. You can smell the turmeric and galangal, and the dried shrimp give it a nice umami flavour.”
This bowl contains shredded chicken as well as prawns, fish cake, bean curd puffs and bean sprouts, but Chee finds it a bit too sweet.
Ultimately, both pronounce Rempah Noodles the hands down winner. Yong says it is the closest to how laksa tastes at home. “If it had cockles, it would be even better,” she adds.
G/F, 18 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, tel: 3618 4863
