Where to get Laksa
Comments
2015 Jul 19
Three years later, I was overdue for another laksa! It's still tasty and satisfying. I had a Singapore salad to start, which turned out to be an enjoyable individual portion of lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, dressed in a sweet and slightly spicy peanut sauce.
The warm and affable server, Andrew, is one of the main draws of this place. Several years ago, I used to share a bus with him and had the pleasure of many conversations about Ottawa and global weather patterns. The customers seem to be mostly regulars who know him by name. I honestly believe that if Andrew were to leave, this restaurant would not survive. Which would be a shame, because I wouldn't know where to go for a curry laksa.
The warm and affable server, Andrew, is one of the main draws of this place. Several years ago, I used to share a bus with him and had the pleasure of many conversations about Ottawa and global weather patterns. The customers seem to be mostly regulars who know him by name. I honestly believe that if Andrew were to leave, this restaurant would not survive. Which would be a shame, because I wouldn't know where to go for a curry laksa.
2012 Sep 29
Popped in for a Laksa at lunch recently and while it was pretty good, it wasn't the mind-blowing symphony of flavours I remembered. I'm not sure if my tastes have been spoiled by good Thai and Vietnamese food, or if the Laksa offering itself has changed. Anyway, I thought I'd share the photo since Laksa is not very common in Ottawa.
2009 Apr 15
Ooh, I have to put in my two ringgit worth here! Apart from the laksa - which was decent, if dreadfully squished in that tiny bowl - I found this restaurant to be a total disappointment. I really, really wanted to like it, particularly as it's in my neighborhood, but their food is so bad!
On my first visit there I had the laksa and, as I said, I found it decent. I lived in Malaysia for a year and fell in love with laksa; this one was actually a little bit close to the laksas I had there (although called Singapore, it's actually a Malaysian restaurant). On my second visit I had the fried noodles (kway teow, I think they call it). In Malaysia this was another favourite dish of mine, so my mouth was watering as I waited for it. when it came I was a little nervous as it looked really bad - the noodles were all broken up and it was kind of grey. Not only that, it tasted really bad! Salty, greasy, mushy, tasteless. I tried, but I could not eat it, so I sent it back (which I never do!)
I then ordered lemon chicken, which had been lauded on several Ottawa restaurant review websites. I expected tender pieces of chicken bathed in a delicate lemon sauce, with a fragrant fried rice accompaniment. Instead, I got your typical Chinese-Canadian oversalted fried rice and a slab of chicken battered to death and deep fried. Gross! There was no art, no innovation, no taste, and certainly nothing resembling the delicious food of Malaysia.
I regret to say it, but this is a miss. Definitely a miss!
On my first visit there I had the laksa and, as I said, I found it decent. I lived in Malaysia for a year and fell in love with laksa; this one was actually a little bit close to the laksas I had there (although called Singapore, it's actually a Malaysian restaurant). On my second visit I had the fried noodles (kway teow, I think they call it). In Malaysia this was another favourite dish of mine, so my mouth was watering as I waited for it. when it came I was a little nervous as it looked really bad - the noodles were all broken up and it was kind of grey. Not only that, it tasted really bad! Salty, greasy, mushy, tasteless. I tried, but I could not eat it, so I sent it back (which I never do!)
I then ordered lemon chicken, which had been lauded on several Ottawa restaurant review websites. I expected tender pieces of chicken bathed in a delicate lemon sauce, with a fragrant fried rice accompaniment. Instead, I got your typical Chinese-Canadian oversalted fried rice and a slab of chicken battered to death and deep fried. Gross! There was no art, no innovation, no taste, and certainly nothing resembling the delicious food of Malaysia.
I regret to say it, but this is a miss. Definitely a miss!
2010 Aug 9
Penang Laksa
This is the most horrible dish ever. Nothing is authentic about this. It is suppose to be a variation of Assam Laksa. Assam means Fish and Laksa means sourly soup base noodle. That is why they usually put lemon and pineapple in it.
The dish they serve us is very Fishy, but you can tell it is can fish. The rice noodle is a very cheap noodle they use, and a proper Laksa noodle is suppose to be clear thick noodle or a mix of yellow thick noodle and a very thin rice noodle.
The also put some shrimp paste to make this dish more fishy which is a horrible mix. Way too Salty and Way too Sourly. Very distasteful!
-www.bunny4bite.blogspot.com-
This is the most horrible dish ever. Nothing is authentic about this. It is suppose to be a variation of Assam Laksa. Assam means Fish and Laksa means sourly soup base noodle. That is why they usually put lemon and pineapple in it.
The dish they serve us is very Fishy, but you can tell it is can fish. The rice noodle is a very cheap noodle they use, and a proper Laksa noodle is suppose to be clear thick noodle or a mix of yellow thick noodle and a very thin rice noodle.
The also put some shrimp paste to make this dish more fishy which is a horrible mix. Way too Salty and Way too Sourly. Very distasteful!
-www.bunny4bite.blogspot.com-
2009 Mar 28
The Penang Laksa served at Chahaya Malaysia is the famous (or infamous?) "assam" version of Laksa that features a potent mix of fishy mackerel and sour tamarind. Our server double-checked that I really wanted it, which makes me think they've served it to a few people who couldn't eat it.
I smelled this dish before I saw it. Wifey and I were talking happily as we awaited our appetizers, when I suddenly became aware of a savoury, pleasantly fishy aroma. A few seconds later, a server appeared with a tray and I realized that it contained my laksa. The flavour level of this dish is over the top. Not quite like sucking on a fish bouillon cube dusted with cayenne but that gives you an idea. ;-)
The fishiness is strong. You'd better enjoy eating sardines and mackerel straight from the can if you even want to get near this dish. The sourness is more subtle -- a hint of tamarind, a wedge of lemon on the side, and the odd chunk of pineapple push up the acidity factor. The noodles have no flavour of their own, but they offer a little buffer for the overwhelming taste of the sauce.
At $5.50 per bowl it's a bargain. The size was much larger than I expected, although it isn't big enough to be a meal on its own. If you order this for yourself, don't go crazy on the main dishes!
I was very happy to have tried it but the taste is a little strong for me. In the end, I had to leave a few spoonfuls of liquid in my bowl once the salt, spice, and sour limits of my tongue had been exceeded. Don't get me wrong -- the taste was excellent, but much like admiring the beauty of a rising sun it is sometimes necessary to avert one's eyes to avoid being blinded.
Highly recommended if you love fish and dishes that are just bursting with complex and potent flavours.
I smelled this dish before I saw it. Wifey and I were talking happily as we awaited our appetizers, when I suddenly became aware of a savoury, pleasantly fishy aroma. A few seconds later, a server appeared with a tray and I realized that it contained my laksa. The flavour level of this dish is over the top. Not quite like sucking on a fish bouillon cube dusted with cayenne but that gives you an idea. ;-)
The fishiness is strong. You'd better enjoy eating sardines and mackerel straight from the can if you even want to get near this dish. The sourness is more subtle -- a hint of tamarind, a wedge of lemon on the side, and the odd chunk of pineapple push up the acidity factor. The noodles have no flavour of their own, but they offer a little buffer for the overwhelming taste of the sauce.
At $5.50 per bowl it's a bargain. The size was much larger than I expected, although it isn't big enough to be a meal on its own. If you order this for yourself, don't go crazy on the main dishes!
I was very happy to have tried it but the taste is a little strong for me. In the end, I had to leave a few spoonfuls of liquid in my bowl once the salt, spice, and sour limits of my tongue had been exceeded. Don't get me wrong -- the taste was excellent, but much like admiring the beauty of a rising sun it is sometimes necessary to avert one's eyes to avoid being blinded.
Highly recommended if you love fish and dishes that are just bursting with complex and potent flavours.
TheNatureMan