PETALING JAYA, April 5 — Sarawak laksa on a pizza? It sounds like another one of those garish gimmicks that go viral now and then.

What’s next, nasi lemak risotto?

Except it isn’t a gimmick.

Instead, it’s one of the signature pizzas at Songbird Slice, a small pizza joint on the third floor of Infinity Tower in Kelana Jaya.

Save for a pasta bar a few doors down, there’s little else on this near-empty floor, where Songbird has made its nest at the far end.

It’d be generous to call this place a pizzeria; with its 16-seat capacity and skeleton crew — the friendly owner Shane Law and one staff member — it feels more like a physical manifestation of your quirky friend finally realising a lifelong passion for pizza, complete with that friend’s eclectic taste in music.

No prizes for guessing what “songbird” refers to: there’s a vinyl collection spanning Florence + The Machine, Duran Duran, and Oasis, though on the night of my visit, he seemed in a particularly indie mood, with the dreamy sounds of Alvvays filling the air.

A Kuching native, Law sprinkles touches of his hometown throughout the space where he can, whether through tuak and Sundrop canned juices, or the Laksa on a Slice (RM42): a white pizza base with fior di latte, topped with all the typical elements of Sarawak laksa — shredded chicken, crispy omelette strips, prawns, coriander, half a calamansi for squeezing, and a bowl of laksa broth on the side for dipping.

I struggled to imagine how this might work.

How does one translate the mildly creamy, savoury, slightly sour profile of Sarawak laksa onto a pizza?

As it turns out, you use a 24-hour fermented dough that’s thin and crisp straight out of the oven, yet still doughy enough to soak up the broth, and pair it with a neutral, lightly creamy cheese like fior di latte so the toppings aren’t overwhelmed.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and even felt a slight pang of shame that my imagination had been too small to consider it turning out this well.

But I have now seen the light.

Of the five pizzas on the menu, we tried two more.

The first required far less imagination; the ingredient list alone sounded delectable: smoked bacon, fennel sausage, salchichón, honey, and chilli crisp.

As described, the Porkypie (RM40) is a red-based, sweet-and-spicy, porky affair that will appeal to lovers of bold flavours.

There’s no shortage of savouriness from the smoked bacon and salchichón (a cured Spanish sausage), but it’s the interplay between the sweetness of honey and the heat of chilli crisp that makes this a clear winner — especially when taken in a single bite with the charred, toasted bubbles along the edges of the crust.

The final pizza of our night was the PB&J (RM36) — and no, it’s not a peanut butter and jelly pizza, though if there were ever a place to try one, this would be it.

Here, “PB&J” stands for potatoes, bacon, and jam, the trio at the heart of this pie: thin slices of russet potato, smoked bacon, and dollops of balsamic onion jam on a white base.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had potatoes on a pizza, but sliced this thinly, they land somewhere between soft and crisp, acting as a canvas for the salty-sweet pairing of bacon and onion jam.

The dark horse here is the streaks of raw red onion, which add a pungent lift to the overall slice.

Aside from pizza, there are a few sharing options, including a gula apong pork (RM36) that’s slow-cooked before being charred in the oven.

It’s a popular choice, and the coleslaw it comes with is excellent, but the meat itself isn’t particularly compelling. I’d recommend sticking to the pizza.

Places like this are easy to root for.

There’s something especially satisfying about seeing a small, owner-operated spot lean fully into its quirks and come out with food that genuinely delivers.

Songbird Slice could have coasted on novelty, but instead pairs its ideas with thoughtful execution, and that makes all the difference.

It helps, too, that Law himself is as warm and unpretentious as the space he’s built — happy to chat, quick with a recommendation, and clearly invested in what he’s doing.

At a time when so much of dining feels shaped by the algorithm — pushing both restaurants and diners toward whatever might catch the most attention — it’s reassuring to encounter a place that feels guided by something more personal.

And that human touch, more than anything in this increasingly inhuman world, should be what keeps any of us wanting to come back.

Songbird Slice

3-7, Infinity Tower,

Jalan SS 6/3,

SS 6, Petaling Jaya.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, 6-10.30pm.

Tel: 017-580 0359

Instagram: @songbird.slice

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and occasionally self-deprecating humour.