This is not exactly the first write-up on the famous Sarawak Laksa found in Kuala Lumpur, specifically Nam Chuan Coffeeshop at Bangsar. Why then do I write?

Anyway, my bosses and I were supposed to go to Segambut for the famous Tom Yam Noodles but due to massive traffic jam at Jalan Raja Laut, we decided to detour and I managed to persuade them to give this Sarawak Laksa a try after reading all the rave reviews.

Now I must say, I am quite critical of Sarawak Laksa especially having had the privilege of tasting Sarawak Laksa from different stalls in Kuching. I even tried cooking it myself. Hey, if you have tasted the real thing from the original place, your expectations go really high. So, with a high sense of expectation of tasting the authentic Sarawak Laksa (I read from the reviews that the stall is operated by a lady from Kuching) whilst having a fear of being disappointed by perhaps sub-standard fare, we arrived at Nam Chuan Coffeeshop at about 1pm.

I quickly ordered the large portion. Rice vermicelli (Bee Hoon) only please. Even though she also serves yellow noodles, I prefer to have it the original way. Thick beehoon is the way to go. Business is good and we waited for about 5 minutes. Hey! When you are highly charged up with saliva drooling for something delicious (hopefully), 5 minutes feels like an eternity.

The sambal belacan that comes with the Sarawak Laksa looked authentic enough but in really measly portion. You can ask for top-up if you want. The wait was like agony and I tried to distract my attention from the waiting by looking around the coffeeshop whilst sipping the teh cina ais I ordered.

Finally, it came. Wow! The bowl is humongous. The portion acceptable and the aroma of the soup was familiar. This gotta be good. I quickly took a photo (to share with all of you lah) before I started my work on the Sarawak Laksa.

First thing I did was to squeeze the lime over the soup. This is almost obligatory to give the soup a real "kick". The first taste of the soup was heavenly. The second taste confirmatory. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, THIS IS SARAWAK LAKSA. Right here, available in Kuala Lumpur and I am testifying and confirming the opinions of those who have enjoyed it and raved about it.

The soup is full bodied and the santan is just nice. Not too creamy like those Curry Laksas. It is a bit spicy compared to those found in Kuching but I can take that. No problems. The large bowl costs RM5.00. Not too bad, actually considering after cooking Sarawak Laksa myself, I reckoned it should cost at least RM5.00 to be worthwhile selling.

There are three medium sized prawns. Freshness was so-so only. Maybe because it is freshwater prawns. But that's not too important. Overall, I would strongly recommend this Sarawak Laksa stall to those who are in the Klang Valley who have yet to try and wish to have a taste of what Sarawak Laksa is all about.

Oh, by the way, the lady also sells other stuffs. One of which is "Abacus" or "Suan Pan Tze". It is made of yam and glutinous rice rolled into balls akin to abacus. Famous Hakka dish. Not too bad. It is quite fragrant and you can actually taste the yam.

Other food she sells are Pig Stomach Pepper Soup and Kachangma. The latter is a famous dish from Sarawak using Motherswort herbs cooked with chicken and ginger in rice wine. My wife loves it. It is often served during confinement after childbirth.

In case you are still interested, these links might help:-

My Sarawak Laksa recipe
KYspeaks.com - A review with nice hand-drawn map
Masak-Masak - Her first experience
Sun2Surf - Short write-up with pictures


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