"Laksa" is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan Cuisine, which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. Laksa can also be found in other parts of Malaysia, Singapore and also Indonesia. Each state of Malaysia, have their own various methods and twists of making Laksa, but since I am from Borneo, I will tell you about the famous Laksa in my hometown.
Every weekend, the family and I will pick a local coffee shop to have brunch. A typical coffee shop in Kuching is commonly filled with little stalls/stands and places where you can sit and dine in. Each stall serves a different type of local food. Normally, you would walk around the coffee shop until figure out what you would like to eat. Then you order from the stall, notify the owner of the stall or his/her helper where you will be sitting, and they will bring your order to you. Simple.
The owner preparing laksa for a customer
Now, this one coffee shop where we will probably go every other weekend, is called Foody Goody. This is the place EVERYBODY would go to enjoy Laksa. I mean, there are so many coffee shops in Kuching that also sells Laksa, but no one can really top this stall at Foody Goody. So how did I come to know about this place? Ask my mom. My mom told me she heard it from her colleagues. Who did her colleagues hear it from? Their relatives, perhaps? This location became the "hot spot" in town because of the word of mouth. And well, really great reviews. Whether I am talking with my classmates' or even their parents, they know what I'm talking about, because they have also been there. They also have heard it from their relatives/colleagues/neighbors. When I have friends visiting from out of town/country, this is where I would usually take them as well.
This Laksa stand sells hundreds of bowls in a day. The coffee shop is only opened from 6.30am-2pm. By 11am, they are sold out. There is also always a wait line, but you know it's good when there's a line. We are more than willing to wait. And if the family and I cannot find a table to dine at (because they are always so packed), "Hey, can I get it to go please?" Whatever it takes just to have Laksa on a weekend (or any time of the week). This stall has been opened for many years, and depending on the days you go, you may get a really good bowl of tasteful Laksa, or just plain tasteless. It is always difficult to maintain a reputation when you started out so strong and after awhile, quality just depreciates. And then, competitions will take over, and online or newspaper reviews will make bad announcements to consumers.
You may ask, why wait when you can possibly make your own at home.. You can try to create your own concoction of Laksa curry paste, but "for years the productions of Sarawak laksa paste has been monopolized by a handful of families in Kuching. With no recipe of the laksa ever been published in any form and those with the recipe refusing to share even with their closest kins, most people have no choice but to continue buying the readymade paste that has quadrupled in price in the last five years."
I can put up so many pictures of Laksa right now, but you have to understand that it does no justice to how ridiculously "sedap" (delicious in Malay) it tastes when all the spices, aroma, and flavors, touch you palates. You can imagine how much I am drooling as I am typing this up. Oh, how I miss Laksa from my hometown! WARNING: This is not to be consumed by those with weak stomachs. EXTREMELY SPICY
You all see what I am doing here? Doing more "word of mouth" stuff. I am sharing with you the best Laksa in Kuching. Too bad we are all too far away to stop by and grab a bowl. So, hey, word of mouth does work anywhere in the world!
