YUNG LAI SIANG

"The best Laksa this side of Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho"

Honestly I was mildly disappointed with my Laksa adventures in Singapore. I used to remember thinking I prefered the Singapore style, but after further research, I realised the Malaysian curry-mee is my go-to. I read about Yung Lai Siang after some blog-digging and ordered a grab to go on the hottest day of the year. Of course!

My bowl was ordered, a cold coffee and as I waited I witnesses a collossal fight between the lady who took my order and an old grandma who suddenly appeared from a back door. I have no idea what the screaming was about but the man who served my coffee seemed nonplussed. 

Distractions aside when the bowl arrived the room dimmed, time stopped, the chirping of birds could be heard a mile away. I dug beneath the glossy surface and filled the spoon with my first taste of the broth. Dynamite. The perfect mix between not too rich coconut milk and chilli paste. This had a bite to it, a gentle one but a bite nonetheless. Apart from some crispy crunchy thing on top, the rest of the toppings were all standard in Malaysian Curry Mee, the only notable point to make was that the prawn was a tad "prawny". I feared for a split second that it would ruin my bus ride the day after, but this proved to be fake news.

​Of the many bowls of Laksa I have eaten over the years in Malaysia, this one ranks in the top half, the top 20% in fact. It's not good enough to warrant a trip to Melaka alone, but would be criminal to overlook if you happen to be in town.

FIND ON GOOGLE MAPS

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.