KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — It's been a busy weekend spent chasing down a bowl of curry laksa from Laksa Sifu.
The stall located inside the iconic Lai Foong Restaurant has been on my radar for some time. This was spurred by a few friends recommending the place.
It came to mind again last Saturday, as they just opened a branch in PJ's Restoran New Seaview so I decided this was the best time to visit the new place and see how they differ.
In KL, they offer curry laksa with toppings like char siu, siew yoke and pork balls. You can also order the ultimate version, where you get double the joy with char siu and siew yoke.
The stall also offers prawn mee. While there's Nonya laksa on the menu, it seems that it is currently on hiatus.
Over in PJ, you only get siew yoke and poached chicken as toppings for the curry laksa, and this is the only item on the menu.
There's only one man handling the operations here, hence it's best to be patient when you order since he is juggling cooking and delivering the food too.
Previously they had a stall in Cheras Taman Miharja but they closed that and moved to PJ.
Back to the curry laksa.
The curry is fantastic. Thick yet very drinkable. Here, they use a spice paste to create this fragrant, rich curry. After you drink the curry, the mouth will be pinging with the spices for some time.
Like how my friend described it, the curry doesn't make you feel bloated. The coconut milk is definitely there but just the right amount to give it a richness.
In PJ, the curry is much thicker and as I ate my bowl, I found cardamom pods inside it. The KL stall's version is lighter but still very flavourful.
The KL stall also offers lai fun noodles. These aren't the translucent chewy type you find with assam laksa but it has a smoother bite. It works well with the curry.
Inside the bowl, there's pig skin, bean sprouts, beancurd puffs and long beans. You get a fuchuk skin “cracker” served on the side of the bowl just like how they drape seaweed in a bowl of ramen. This gives you a bit of crunch.
They also add a sprig of fresh mint leaves. I do enjoy their bean sprouts as they're the shorter type with crunch.
And for those who love cockles, these ones were a decent size and freshly shucked.
Even the sambal on the side was good with bits of dried shrimp. It's not the fiery type just like the curry but it adds a nice flavour because of the dried shrimp.
For the roast meats, apparently this isn't made in-house but sourced elsewhere.
As it's limited quantities, they tend to finish fast during peak times like busy weekends. If you want to get these, be early or lose out.
The siew yoke can be quite lean but it comes with a thin piece of crackling. For the char siu, they slice it thinly, where it's mainly meat and little fat.
When they run out of siew yoke, you can try the other options like pork balls in KL. I was offered prawns for my bowl since they ran out of the roast meats as there was a marathon happening in the city on Sunday.
In KL, a bowl of curry laksa with siew yoke or char siu is RM13. For the ultimate curry laksa with two types of roast meats, it's RM20.
The PJ stall offers curry laksa without any roast meat for RM9. If you add siew yoke, it's RM13. For poached chicken it's RM11. If you want a combination of both items, it's RM15.
For more updates on Laksa Sifu which opened in November last year, follow their Instagram @laksasifu.
Laksa Sifu
Lai Foong Restaurant
138, Jalan Tun HS Lee
Kuala Lumpur
Open daily: 7am to 3pm
Laksa Sifu
Restoran New Seaview
65, Jalan 20/7
Taman Paramount
Petaling Jaya
Open: 7.30am to 2pm.
Closed every second Thursday of the month.
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
