KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — Firstly, I want to apologise for the slightly clickbait-y headline. I know, I know, they annoy me too. I’m generally not a fan of sweeping, overly objective labels like “the best,” especially when it comes to food.
They tend to flatten nuance, and in an increasingly listicle-and-short-form-video-dominated food media landscape, the last thing we need is even less of it.
What does it even mean, anyway, to be “the best”? Even in something as statistically driven as professional sports — the supposed arena of pure meritocracy — debates over who truly deserves that title rage on long after careers end, and even after memories of those careers begin to fade.
Ronaldo (which one?). Messi. Jordan. Kobe. The names change, but the argument stays the same.
And that’s before we even get to something as subjective, fleeting, and impossible to quantify as a single plate or bowl of food.
And yet… I recently tasted a bowl of asam laksa that made me want to abandon nearly every one of my long-held convictions about anointing anything as “the best”, and immediately bestow that title upon it.
Few things inspire that kind of enthusiasm, but this felt deserved, especially when the first spoonful drew an audible gasp and an impulsive: “FTD!”
Note: It’s the name of American rapper Action Bronson’s food and travel show, which I’ve been watching since I was 16. The acronym stands for “____ that’s delicious” — I’ll let you fill in the blank.
I didn’t find this bowl in a busy PJ kopitiam, a market stall in the city centre, or even one of the many Penang-speciality restaurants in the Klang Valley.
Instead, I was seated on the patio of a house in Setapak, next to a cupboard that I assumed belonged to the lady in charge (a Penang native) in a private capacity,
if only because of the “decorative” empty bottles of Johnnie Walker and Chivas scattered across the top.
Finding the house was easy enough. There’s no sign, but the parked cars and tables filled to near capacity on a Saturday morning are hard to miss.
This is no fly-by-night operation, either. There are commercial-scale freezers sitting out in the garden, multiple staff on hand, and a clear system anchored by a Penang-centric menu.
Asam laksa and kuey teow th’ng are available every day, while the rest of the offerings rotate like daily specials. Mee jawa on Monday; Hokkien (prawn) mee on Tuesday and Saturday; white curry mee on Wednesday and Saturday; lor mee on Thursday and Saturday. As you can see, Saturday is the best day to come, hence the crowd.
It’s best to visit when you’re not in a rush. Though it runs like a proper operation, it is still relatively small-scale, and a bit of a wait is part of the experience.
My bowl of asam laksa (RM9.50) arrived after about 15 minutes, accompanied by a bottle of hae ko to squeeze to my heart’s content.
The adage that you eat with your eyes first has rarely felt more true. In front of me was a gorgeous medley of earthy reds and greens, the broth chunky with mackerel, onion and pineapple, and dotted with chillies, torch ginger, mint, lettuce and cucumber. She was a beauty.
What makes asam laksa so special, to me, is the relationship between the base broth and the fresh toppings. The best toppings in the world cannot redeem a weak broth, and while a great broth might seem like it could make up for less-than-ideal garnishes, the overall bowl is still dulled without them.
Here, you don’t have to choose. The broth is the clear standout, with a deft balance of sour and spicy, but it is made even better by everything around it: crunchy, pungent onions, sweet-tangy pineapple, oily flakes of mackerel, and the strong herbaceous lift of mint and torch ginger, all brought together with the sharp punch of chillies.
I’m well aware that I’m waxing lyrical about it, but it really is that good.
Still, the real cherry on top comes after you’ve finished the bowl. All that acidity has opened your palate right up, making it the perfect prelude to something richer, like a savoury bowl of prawn mee (RM9.50).
This one arrives a fiery red, with a proper spicy kick, and once again a richly flavoured broth that leans particularly sweet.
It isn’t the best prawn mee I’ve ever had, but it earns bonus points in my book for using sea prawns.
The proficiency on display with broths alone was enough to pique my curiosity. What of the kuey teow th’ng (RM8)? The answer is a clean, ching broth with just a hint of sweetness, ideal for children or anyone not quite ready for spice.
So yes. There it is. It’s the best asam laksa I’ve ever tried, to date.
The wonderful thing about food is that you never know what’s just around the corner.
Tomorrow, next week, a month from now, a year from now, I might come across another bowl that blows my mind all over again.
I like to think the best meal of my life is always the next one. But this bowl, in this Setapak home, will remain up there among the best asam laksa I’ve tried in KL, at least for now.
The business will be closed from February 16 onwards for the Chinese New Year period, and will reopen on February 26.
Setapak Breakfast Asam Laksa etc Inside House
27, Jalan 6C/6,
Taman Setapak Indah, Kuala Lumpur.
Open Monday to Saturday, 8.30am-1.30pm
Tel: 010-522 6861
Facebook: My Hometown Flavour
* 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.
