King of the Laksa |

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine.

The Panda decided to hit the streets of Melbourne to introduce you to one of his favorite feeding holes outside of his usual Crown casino eating venues.

Laksa King
6/10-12 Pin Oak Crescent Flemington Victoria, Australia
+61 3 9372 6383
www.laksaking.com.au
Lunch:	7 days 11:30 to 15:00
Dinner:	Sun to Thu 17:00 to 22:00
Dinner:	Fri and Sat 17:00 to 22:30

The French have their onion soup, the Russians their borscht, the Vietnamese their famous phở while the Malaysians and the Singaporeans have their laksa. Melbourne is a multicultural melting pot and it’s no surprise the food is as varied and diverse as you’ll find anywhere in the world. This bear is an Asian food fanatic and loves to have it all in one great city. One of my favorite restaurants is Laksa King in the inner west of Melbourne.

Inside Laksa King

A stone’s throw from the famous Flemington racecourse, where the Melbourne Cup is traditionally run on the first Tuesday in November, seems an unlikely place to have bowl after bowl of one of my very favorite foods.

When I first dined at Laksa King some ten years ago, it was in a dingy little back alley across from a video store. The surroundings weren’t flash by anyone’s standard but that didn’t deter countless patrons from always having their heads buried in steaming bowls of soup. A couple of years ago I made my way down to the alley and nearly fell over when I found Laksa King was no more! Heart-broken, I crawled into the video store and with tears still in my eyes found out they had moved around the corner to a more salubrious location, befitting of their fine food.

They must have sold thousands upon thousands of delicious bowls of laksa over the years. The owners richly deserve their huge new restaurant. It is now a wonderful place to relax, and is perfect for singles, couples, families, students and even businessmen looking for something a little different.

Satay chicken roti rolls

Laksa is one of the world’s great soups but can prove problematic. Some average restaurants will have a great laksa one day and a flavorless, watery version the next. There is no fear of that at Laksa King, as their laksa is always of the highest quality. At most restaurants that have earnt my repeat business, I make a point of slowly working my way through their menu. For some reason I abandon this strategy at Laksa King and am reluctant to move away from a trusty few favorites on the menu, despite it being packed with numerous Malay and Chinese delights.

The seafood curry laksa is my absolute favorite, but the combination curry laksa is a close second. At under AU$10 a bowl, dining here is one hell of a bargain. Their dumplings are fantastic with my preference being the pan-fried variety served with red vinegar. Another hard-to-go-past dish is the satay chicken roti rolls. They get a hot flakey roti roll and fill it with cucumber, tomatoes, Spanish onion, chicken and satay sauce.

Char Kway Teow

Combination Curry Laksa

Laksa King also serves a large range of noodles. Their stirfried noodles such as Char Kway Teow are always good, and they do a particularly tasty version of combination noodles in egg sauce.

While this is not high-end cuisine, it is excellent cheap local food that is always hot, fresh, fast and served with a smile. I hope to be enjoying bowls of laksa at the “King” for decades to come.

Food	9.0/10
Service	8.5/10
Setting	7.0/10
Wine	N/A
Value	8.0/10
Overall	16/20

So what is a laksa?
Laksa is a spicy noodle-based soup originating from the Peranakan culture. Laksa is a blend of Malay and Chinese cooking and is most common in Malaysia and Singapore. There are two major forms of laksa, the more famous curry laksa and the lesser-known Assam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut-based soup, whereas Assam laksa is a sour fish soup often served with a fish head. In a standard curry laksa you can expect to find two types of noodles: hokkien and rice vermicelli. There is debate over the origin of the soup’s name but the one thing we can guarantee is it was not the brainchild of any crazy 18th century French aristocrat. A bowl of laksa usually includes a few pieces of fish cake and tofu (or bean curd) and also bean sprouts. In a combination laksa you can expect chicken and prawns and could easily end up with some squid, pork and any other meats or seafood for that matter! A good laksa is not watery and is quite spicy. The coconut cream, chili and ground dried prawns should give it an aromatic smell and rich strong flavor.

So what is a laksa?

Laksa is a spicy noodle-based soup originating from the Peranakan culture.
Laksa is a blend of Malay and Chinese cooking and is most common in Malaysia and Singapore.
There are two major forms of laksa, the more famous curry laksa and the lesser-known Assam laksa.
Curry laksa is a coconut-based soup, whereas Assam laksa is a sour fish soup often served with a fish head.
In a standard curry laksa you can expect to find two types of noodles: hokkien and rice vermicelli.
There is debate over the origin of the soup’s name but the one thing we can guarantee is it was not the brainchild of any crazy 18th century French aristocrat.
A bowl of laksa usually includes a few pieces of fish cake and tofu (or bean curd) and also bean sprouts.
In a combination laksa you can expect chicken and prawns and could easily end up with some squid, pork and any other meats or seafood for that matter!
A good laksa is not watery and is quite spicy. The coconut cream, chili and ground dried prawns should give it an aromatic smell and rich strong flavor.

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