I have always been a fan of laksa, and I was rather excited to finally try out The Laksa Kitchen, who did a two-week stint at Tolli Cafe in Kentish Town.
Being Malaysian, it’s always nice to see more Malaysian offerings popping up in the London food scene, and it was also fun to be able to help create some doodles for their menu (as pictured below).
I tried the 3-layer iced teh tarik which was really sweet yet refreshing, followed by the lighter coconut water with lychee juice – both great to cool down on a warm summers day.
All the small plates sounded good, so of course I had to try one of everything …
The pork and taro loh bak had a nice, crisp beancurd skin, filled with succulent pork – I haven’t actually had loh bak in a London restaurant, but this really tasted close to what I have back home in Malaysia.
They also have a vegetarian taro version.
The cucur udang was slightly different to what I’ve had (usually with the prawn shells and head still on), but it was nonetheless deliciously crispy with fresh and juicy prawns inside.
The satay chicken skewers were tender and served with a creamy peanut satay sauce.
I have tried quite a lot of curry laksa, so this time I opted for the Sarawak Laksa, which is a lighter regional laksa from East Malaysia (Borneo).
The laksa is inspired by their travels across Malaysia, where they went in search of ‘the perfect laksa’. The laksa soup is made daily using Chef C. Y Lim’s Malay paste recipe, dried shrimp, coconut milk and a full-flavoured chicken and prawn stock.
The Sarawak Laksa soup is less rich and coconut-y with a slight hint of peppery and spiciness to it, which was warm and pleasant.
I also had a spoonful of the Curry Laksa soup which was good.
I was pretty full after all that food, but I couldn’t miss out on dessert, which was Pulut Inti and Kuih Dadar, courtesy of Pandan Bakery. I do miss those traditional kuih muih, I was tempted to take a whole bag away with me …
For those who missed their two-week pop-up, you now have a second chance to try these delicious offerings, as starting Friday 22nd July, The Laksa Kitchen will be re-opening at Tolli cafe for the next TWO WEEKENDS!
Everything that I tried was really tasty, so if you have enough space, I would recommend ordering everything …
I might be tempted to return to try their Hainanese Chicken rice, and maybe more laksa …
You can book a table via reservations@thelaksakitchen.co.uk
My all-time favourite type of laksa will always be Penang Laksa from my hometown, but I am always open to trying out different variations – hit me up with your favourite laksas (or anything Malaysian!) in London x
The Cheekster, signing out x
The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.