Sarawak Laksa
I have a soft spot for Sarawak Laksa. Simply because I am from Sarawak. To me, this particular type of laksa is an acquired taste. Well, most of my friends from east Malaysia love it. I guess they grew up having it as one of the staple breakfast. However, some of my friends here in west Malaysia found it weird in terms of the unique taste of the spices used in cooking it. In general, the soup based is a mixture of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, pepper, lemon grass and coconut milk, garnished with omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander, bean sprout and lime and extra sambal to give it a kick. I would jump at any opportunity to try anything sarawak. So when my sarawakian friends, Vivien and Stephen , told me about this place in Lucky Garden Bangsar that serves authentic sarawak laksa, I didn’t hesitate. Tried it and I liked it !
The next time round, I took my family there although they have been there before (thanks for not telling me about it guys). Well, it was the first for my nephews Nicholas and Nelson who are sort of half sarawakian. So I would expect a different reaction from them . Nick liked it but Nelson ordered char siew rice instead. Well, anyway, this stall is stationed inside the Nam Chun coffee shop next to the wet market in Lucky Garden. The stall is named 'Aunt Christina’s Sarawak Laksa since 1960’
The Food
The sarawak laksa is one of the better ones I had here in Kuala Lumpur. Somehow I felt that something is missing as compared to the ones in Kuching. I can’t quite pinpoint it. According to my mom, the black pepper and also the type of chinese parsley or coriander used in the ingredient makes the difference in terms of aroma and taste. Nevertheless, the portions are quite substantial for RM5 per bowl. Served in a big bowl and mid size prawns which was a bit bland in terms of taste. Overall, it is good and I would return.
Apart from the laksa, we also tried the Kacangma, a typical sarawakian dish of chicken cooked using Motherwort herbs and ginger in rice wine. Women normally consume it during their confinement period after childbirth. But heck, I just eat it. Taste was okay but the soup is not concentrated enough for me.
Pig's Stomach Pepper Soup
We also tried the pig stomach pepper soup just to top it all up. Lets just say, I have had better ones in Paramount, Seapark. This, I will cover in my coming food review.
Ambience
Sit outside along the walkway if you can. It is a bit warm inside. Well, it is typically an old coffee shop so don’t expect anything fancy. If you don’t like sarawak cuisine, there are other stalls that serves Char Kwai Teow, Chicken rice, Wanton noodles and also a small stall right outside the coffee shop that sells nyonya kuih. Apparently, this stall is quite popular with their kuih.
Verdict
3 out of 5 for the Sarawak Laksa
2.5 out of 5 for the Kacangma
Does it HIT THE SPOT ?..... Not quite.Don’t take my word for it. Try it and let me know what you think.
Location
Address-
Kedai Makanan Nam Chun2-4, Lorong Ara Kiri,Lucky Garden, Bangsar,Kuala Lumpur
Opening Time : Morning till 3 pm daily
Location Map
GPS Coordinates :
N 03°07.988'
E 101°40.020'
EXTRAS !!!
Just to show how authentic kacangma is cooked, my sarawakian friends, Vivien and Stephen decided to cook some and gave it to me to satisfy my crave. It was out of this world and the balance of spices, chinese wine and texture were just perfect. I had it simply with plain rice and what a meal ! Check out the pics below. I hope they get into this kinda mood more often… then I ll get to savour more authentic home cooked sarawak cuisine !
Coming soon, I will attempt to do the famous Sarawak Ketchup (Tomato Sauce) Noodles using my mom’s authentic recipe. Not being biased, but seriously, I have never come across a better version of this noodle and this is something you cannot find here in the peninsula.
