The Best Dishes Everyone Should Try in Melbourne Best Dishes Everyone Should Try in Melbourne | Page 17

Previously Madam Kwong’s Kitchen, the business may have changed hands but the owners know
the age old adage: if the laksa ain’t broke, don't fix it. The interior is almost non-existent, but that
hardly matters once a bowl of rich, fragrant curry laksa is plonked in front of you in lightning
speed. A range of traditional Malaysian groceries and sweets are also available, if you ever want
to attempt (although we’d recommend against) DIY-ing laksa paste.
Grand Tofu
Glen Waverley
It’s not the most multi-dimensional curry laksa soup in Melbourne, but picky laksa lovers will
adore Glen Waverley’s Grand Tofu. At this no-frills Malay eatery, customers can choose their own
yong tau foo (fish paste-stuffed vegetable and tofu) and dumpling pieces to customise their
perfect curry laksa. Want wontons or egg noodles in your laksa broth? There’s no (or at least,
very well concealed) judgement here. There’s also a slightly-acidic, rich assam laksa on offer.
Pappa Rich
Various
A restaurant chain?! Yes, because they do a damn good authentic curry laksa. Occasionally a
touch on the brittle side, Pappa Rich’s hawker-style curry laksa is generously topped with crispy
foo chok (beancurd skin… it’s delicious, don’t rag it till you’ve tried it), and filled with thick hokkien
noodles dripping with oozing soup. Laksa virgins will also appreciate the milder heat in Pappa
Rich’s laksa, if you need a reason to drag the butts of your unadventurous friends along.
Penang Coffee House
Hawthorn
The bright, neon-glowing signs at Penang Coffee House entice cold, laksa-deprived Melbournians
inside. This Hawthorn favourite attracts for their unpretentious, flavour-rich dishes including the
laksa lemak (it’s curry laksa DON’T PANIC) and laksa assam. There are other Malaysian delights
like Siamese Laksa (not the cat), which is a richer, creamier version of assam laksa. Yes,
Melbourne has a lot of laksa.
4.
Is this Melbourne's best laksa?
After two decades in the business, Laksa King's noodle soups are spectacular. And they keep
getting better.
While I’m having a chat with Esmond Wong, Laksa King’s founder, customers stop to say hi, and
one of them tries to convince him to open a branch in his neighbourhood. “My customers
always ask me to open where they live,” says Wong, smiling.