Malay-Chinese Takeaway: Sydney CBD

January 12, 2012 / thelaksablog / One comment

Eat-in @ Malay-Chinese takeaway on Hunter Street

Score: 9/10

Last Eaten: January 2012

So what can I say? Back again – this time we decided to battle the crowds and actually eat in, so we loitered/ circled around like we were in a crowded car park (or really, like most busy restaurants in Asia) and squeezed into a bench seat. I don’t have a whole lot to add – they are always consistent and I guess that’s part of why they are the best in my eyes.

Soup: Same as usual – awesome.

Chilli: Great level – I usually need a brow-wipe afterwards.

Malay Chinese Takeaway on Urbanspoon

Location

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Jaya Malaysian: Sydney CBD

January 6, 2012 / thelaksablog / No comments

Jaya Malaysian is back! Now replacing the old Cafe 167

Score: 7/10

Last Eaten: January 2012

So first laksa of the new year and a pretty good start I have to say! I accidentally came across Jaya Malaysian – previously located under the Maritime Trade towers behind the Aon building in the CBD. They were always popular for laksa and their wok-fried noodles, but closed down all of a sudden (pre-blog) when the area came under renovations.

Anyway, to cut a long-story short -I walked past what was formerly Cafe 167 and to my delight recognised the guys. Most of them are from Penang I believe, but I could be wrong (I don’t recall ever seeing Assam laksa on the menu). The laksa gods really smiled on me when they took away one of the least impressive laksas and replaced it with an old favourite!

Up close

On to the laksa… Jaya makes a good laksa- but it isn’t quite in the same league as the top few. The difference? Mainly in the depth of flavour- perhaps lacking a bit of punch from an extra pinch of belachan or a few handfuls of lemongrass or chilli or something. You can definitely request both types of noodles and they do give a good serve of chicken.

Since they are so close now, I will add them back into the rotation & update any changes. I am also going to say on a small non-laksa tangent that there is a reason there is a line out the door (after 2 weeks of being open again) – they do seriously awesome wok-fried noodles. ‘Malaysian chilli sauce’ is all you need to know.

 

Soup: Needs a bit more of a kick – it’s tasty, but lacking a bit of that grit if you know what I mean.

Chilli: Ask for a bit extra, they will be more than happy to oblige

Location

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Malay Chinese Takeaway: Sydney CBD

November 28, 2011 / thelaksablog / One comment

Still at the top - Malay-Chinese

Score: 9/10

Last Eaten: November 2011

So just a quick update really, I was really in need of a good solid laksa and as always, Malay-Chinese Takeaway didn’t disappoint. Ever spicy, there is just something about the broth that seems right when you eat it. I think I detected an ever so sweet taste, not like sugar or a sweetener, but subtle like they caramlised the shallots when making the paste or something. It’s been the front-runner for a while in Sydney – today was no different – the line was epic, but I stuck through it for 5-10 minutes and was happy with my decision. Takeaway usually isn’t as good, but was still a very satisfied customer afterwards.

The lunch time line that stretches around the corner and sometimes out the door!

Soup: Excellent

Chilli: Yep, still spicy

They could get better containers for takeaway...

Malay Chinese Takeaway on Urbanspoon

Location

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Laksa Mian: Instant Laksa

November 20, 2011 / thelaksablog / No comments

Laksa Mian - Instant laksa... a present from a friend!

Score: 5/10

Last Eaten: November 2011

So… not exactly a standard review, but my mate bought this & gifted it to me and I happened to want a quick snack tonight after getting home late-ish. While I would not usually recommend instant laksa, this was actually pretty good. I mean I have definitely eaten worse laksas in restaurants which have chefs/ cooks and fresh ingredients (hmmm…)!

The end result

So to make this review brief, is this as good as a proper laksa? No, but as an instant noodle – it was great. I got hit by the smell of shrimp paste & chilli as soon as I opened up the sachet and if you actually add your own chicken/ prawns, tofu, bean sprouts, etc. (mentioned in the directions) – I think you would end up with a half decent dish. I was kinda disappointed it didn’t have two types of noodles though!

Ingredients

Soup: Actually pretty tasty – it is fairly thick due to the addition of the powdered mix (coconut milk powder, etc.) More belachan flavour than most restaurants.

Chilli: Spicy – could use a bit more, but impressive for an instant noodle soup

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CBD Noodles: Sydney CBD

November 17, 2011 / thelaksablog / 2 comments

CBD NOODLES - 8.5/10

Score: 8.5/10

Last Eaten: November 2011

So this is the second visit to CBD Noodles in November – we were actually planning to go to the Malay Chinese Takeaway, but the line was out the door at lunch time. Last time we came here I was impressed.  After a bit of a wait we got stuck in and quite frankly, I was pretty happy that we ended up here. This was an awesome bowl – even though I am keeping the rating at 8.5, it is pretty clear that it is ahead of Laksa King and deserves to have the silver medal to itself. I think I am going to have to do a back-to-back challenge with Malay-Chinese soon for the title…

Gigantic spoon of SAMBAL

Soup: Once again, awesome, spicy, tasty & fresh.

Chilli: CBD Noodles don’t make their laksa mild and serve the soup hot – I challenge anyone to not break a sweat eating a bowl in 10 minutes.

Extra photo here.

 
CBD Noodle on Urbanspoon

Location

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Makan @ Alice’s: Pennant Hills Rd Thornleigh

November 6, 2011 / thelaksablog / One comment

Alice's Chicken laksa- extra spicy

Score: 7.5/10

Last Eaten: November 2011

So I have eaten laska a few times at Makan@Alice’s before- with the cliff notes version of my last review being; it was good, but not great. The other times I have been to Alice’s, I tend to get other dishes like the CKT. Today however was a truly great day! Seems like they have upped their game a bit on the laksa front, everything  looked the same… but it just tasted better. Perfectly cooked chicken (possibly the best in Sydney), generous with both types of noodles & tofu and the broth had an extra dimension that wasn’t there last time. I did request it to be extra spicy, but otherwise it was standard.

Extra spicy = EXTRA SAMBAL

Soup: Really enjoyable – still a wee bit heavier than laksa king or Malay-Chinese on the coconut milk, but really tasty and  huge improvement on last time.

Chilli: That photo above doesn’t do it justice, I am pretty sure the chunk of sambal was fist-sized.

A few shades darker than before

So overall, an awesome laksa. Very close to an 8/10 and will have to add it back into the rotation to see if they can keep improving! Added to my favourites list.

Extra photo in Gallery.

makan@Alice's on Urbanspoon

Location

 

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CBD Noodles: Sydney CBD

November 3, 2011 / thelaksablog / 3 comments

CBD Noodles in the WinterGarden Food Court

Score: 8.5/10

Last Eaten: November 2011

Wow – what can I say? Awesome Laksa!

The awesome chicken laksa from CBD Noodles - added to my favourties!

So I have heard a few people mention CBD Noodles as the best or one of the best laksas in Sydney, but this is my first visit. One of the things that forms an initial impression on me is the sheer line! Anywhere with 20+ people queuing up and about 4 dedicated laksa staff must be doing a few things right. I thought it may be another standard ‘take away noodle place’ like Hokka Hokka and co, but what I got was a spicy, zingy laksa that I will definitely be trying again – it is a serious contender! If I were them, I would immediately stop making any other dishes and just roll out laksa all day.

Yes, this is the lunch time line for the laksa & noodle bar- separate queues for other food!

Ingredient wise, you can choose noodles (rice or both), tofu, different fillings (chicken & prawn being the most popular here) and they give generous serves of meat despite the bowl not being physically as large as Laksa King or Laksa House. If I am really hungry I will attempt to eat two!

Soup: To tie for second place, you really need to have a well above average broth – and CBD Noodles does. It has fresh coriander, fried onions, a very generous spoon of sambal to top it off and also a great fresh quality to it’s soup which keeps your taste buds on their toes while eating this!

Chilli: CBD Noodles has the level of chilli close to perfect- both me and my laksa buddy were sweating Malaysian style… Not just your standard mild perspiration on the nose- this is the type of laksa sweat where you really need a handkerchief to wipe your brow!

 

Final look

CBD Noodle on Urbanspoon

Location

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The Garden Buffet: The Star (Pyrmont)

October 28, 2011 / thelaksablog / No comments

Hey! Laksa at a buffet!

Score: 6/10

Last Eaten: October 2011

So this is just a quick mini-review of sorts. I happened to be at the Garden Buffet @ The Star (Formerly Star City Casino) in Pyrmont right by Darling Harbour. I only noticed the little soup bar right at the end when I was already pretty full, but I just had to try out the DIY style Laksa offering.

The set-up, like a regular buffet is a station with blanched noodles, garnishes and toppings (eg. tofu puffs, coriander, shallots, fried onions, etc) and of course the broth. Given that the soup was actually pretty tasty, I would say it was a little bit let down by the tofu puffs not being cooked in the soup, but reasonably impressive overall for a buffet where I would never really expect a good laksa tbh.

A potentially very similar looking photo of the Garden Buffet DIY laksa

Soup: While I wouldn’t hold it to the same standards as a laksa house or even Malaysian restaurant, the soup was actually pretty good. Given the volume of food & people coming through, I don’t know if they are making everything from scratch, but the flavours were rich. Honestly a lot more punch and sambally goodness than I expected.

Chilli: Reasonable level of spice
Star City Garden Buffet on Urbanspoon

Location

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Lee’s Malaysian: Sydney CBD

October 27, 2011 / thelaksablog / One comment

I like a place that has a dedicated Laksa Bar

Score: 7/10

Last Eaten: October 2011

So I must admit that it took a bit of convincing to go to Lee’s. I have been there before for non-laksa food and it never hit my list of good Malaysian places to be honest. I think I may have been doing them a  disservice, because the laksa is actually not too bad. I had heard some stories a while ago that their laksa was terrible and had crazy vegetables in it, so I don’t know if they have changed recipe or owners since then, but it was a fairly standard affair.

 

The dedicated laksa bar at Lee's

Despite having a laksa bar, it took a while, but overall it was a good bowl. They serve only vermicelli noodles, but I would say you can request egg noodles as well seeing as they have a noodle bar too. The flavours were OK, I think the sambal was not a standout at all and the soup wasn’t on the same level as the top 5 Sydney places. BUT… it was no where near as bad as I thought it would be.

Add your own Coriander and fried shallots

Soup: Tasty enough, but lacking the tang and flavour hit of a top 3 laksa

Chilli: Mild nose perspiration, as usual – could use a little more…

Lee's Malaysian on Urbanspoon

Lees Malaysian on Urbanspoon

Location

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Thai Tree: Sydney CBD

October 26, 2011 / thelaksablog / No comments

A new day, a new laksa place to try in Sydney

Score: 6/10

Last Eaten: October 2011

So today was another adventure; it’s a cold day, I felt like trying somewhere new and I had about an hour to spare so I went for a walk. Near by to the MLC & Suncorp building in Sydney CBD is a small downstairs food court – “Food @ 259″ (you can check the photo in the Gallery).

 

Just like last time, I’m usually not a huge fan of eating laksa from suspicious places and certainly not non-Malaysian places. At the same time, I don’t want to rule out anywhere before trying it and I’ve had good laksas at Singaporean & Thai places before.

Laksa from Thai Tree

Well this still proved that good non-Malay laksas are the exception more than the rule. I would say it is OK to get you by if you are craving a laska, but overall, it had a few stray ingredients (chopped up stir-fry type veggies) in there and lacked a good strong broth.

Soup: Not bad- clearly a laksa but lacking the depth of flavour – both herbs and stock.

Chilli: An alright level

Up close

Thai Tree on Urbanspoon

Location

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