Photo by Dan Freeman
As anyone in Sydney would know, it’s well and truly Winter time in the city, and there are few meals that warm the body up as well as a good Laksa. Around the city, there are plenty of places to get your fill, but where can you get the best? Our team, and special guest Laksa expert Dan Freeman, help bring you these nine must east laksa hot spots exclusively for Food & Lifestyle on the AU. And, in no particular order, they are:
Malay-Chinese (Pictured above)
Shop 1, 50-58 Hunter St, Sydney (Closest intersection Bligh St/ Castlereagh St.)
This place in an institution and is not shy of making its own claim for Sydney’s best laksa. A family owned business for over 20 years, Malay-Chinese offers the apex of Laksa. Right in the heart of the CBD, City workers pack the place out for lunch and dinner 6 days a week. It’s all about the broth here. Full flavour and a good punch of heat and never too rich on the coconut milk. The chicken laksa is the most popular dish here and their home-made sambal sauce has a reputation of it’s own. served in a open ceramic pot on the front counter, over the years they have had to introduce small restrictions to limit the amount of sambal customers help themselves to. A small sign claims it because of the rising cost of chillis but the truth is, it’s because of people like me, who just can’t get enough.
PappaRich
Multiple Locations – For more details: http://www.papparich.net.au/
Yes it’s a chain, but PappaRich have spread out around the country for a reason. Everyone loves their price point and you often get quality far above the price with most dishes. The laksa being one of them. The Chicken Curry Laksa is perfect in weather like this, and it’s perhaps the mildest in terms of spice that you’ll find around Sydney. The toppings are excellent, especially the deep-fried eggplant that is prone to steal the show from the shredded chicken, of which there is a generous amount.
Hawker
Shop G.02, 345B-353 Sussex St, Sydney
The little sister of Mamak, Hawker draws it’s influence from the hawkers stores in Malaysia. They offer two laksa: The Assam Laksa from the Penang region which is a sour soup similar to Tom Yum, and the Curry Laksa. It’s the curry laksa that gets my vote. It’s a nice medium spiced bowl which has a really authentic malaysian curry taste. a nice depth to the flavour and some how delicate at the same time.
CBD Noodle Bar
Shop 8, 1 O’Connell St. (The Wintergarden), Sydney
The laksa at CBD noodle bar in Wintergarden near Circular Quay is some of best laksa I’ve had in Sydney. Every lunch time there’s a 40 person line. You can’t argue with their generous portions, replete with plenty of vegetables. The soup itself is tasty, and there’s plenty of delicious chilli available as a topping.
Photo by Larry Heath
Sam’s Singapore Laksa House (Pictured Above)
103-111 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest
It’s all in the name – and it’s damn good. Singaporean laksa is a take on the traditional Malaysian laksa, and there are few places in Sydney that do it justice. Worth the trip to Crows Nest alone. There’s plenty of customisable options, from the meat or vegetable type, to the noodles and level of spice, but unless you eat there regularly, it’s best to leave it in their hands to provide you the most popular options. Still, I feel like you can’t go wrong here. They know how to get it done.
Cheung Sing BBQ House
695 Anzac Parade, Maroubra
Cheung Sing BBQ House is hands down some of the best laksa I’ve had in Sydney, it seems strange to say that a chinese BBQ house would have an awesome version of something so authentically Malaysian, but there is an excellent depth of flavour and creaminess, a good hit of chilli and spice and an abundance of tasty noodles and ingredients to the dish that the restaurant serves up, which consistently ticks the boxes every time. There are a few different options on the menu but the combination version is highly recommended and brimming with the juicy goodness of the BBQ pork regulars at Cheung Sing continue to come back for.
Temasek
71 George St, Parramatta
High demand does not lie when it comes to food. Tamsek is famous across town for their home-style, hawker-style Malaysian dishes and their laksa may very well be their top selling point. It’s creamy and full of flavour, really benefiting from all the fresh ingredients which impart a refreshing balance that I find is rare with Sydney laksa. It’s a most definite must and something everyone in the area should seek out.
Noodle Star
Surry Hills Shopping Village, 24 Cleveland Street, Redfern
Tucked away in the top corner of what the local Surry Hillians/Redfernians lovingly call Murder Mall, you would be excused for walking Straight past Noodle Star. However within it’s no frills decor and pale-pinkish furniture, Noodle Star serves one of the best underground Laksa’s Sydney has to offer. A decent sized yet serving, the Laksa has only the essentials. Vermicelli noodles on a bed of bean sprouts, pillowy bean curds and your choice of meat with a dash of sambal. The broth is full flavoured yet never too rich or heavy and a medium spice. It not the most sophisticated of Sydney’s Laksas but it is always satisfying.
Jimmy’s Recipe (CBD)
The Galeries, 500 George St, Sydney
The noodles are thick, the fragrant broth is rich without being too oily or salty, and the toppings are fresh. That’s pretty much all you could want from a laksa, and the team at Jimmy’s Recipe understand that very well. There’s also that winning factor of price point, with perhaps the best value in Sydney aside from the famous Malay-Chinese. The only downside is that most of the other menu items here cannot even come close to the matching the quality of the laksa.
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This list may need an added entry later on this year as famous Malaysian diner chain OldTown White Coffee seeks to open up numerous venues across Australia. Check out the news HERE and stay tuned for more information as it is confirmed
Article by Dan Freeman, Larry Heath, Chris Singh, Nazia Hafiz, and Nicholas Langley
