When you talk about laksa in Singapore, it always refers to Nyonya laksa instead of the assam version from Malaysia. And you almost certainly must mention Katong Laksa.
Legend has it that the original Katong Laksa, was started by 2 brothers. I remember the stall along East Coast Road, under the Roxy Square overhead bridge. Then, there is a version which got more publicity which is at the corner of the same street, adorned with photographs of celebrities posing with the lady manning the stall/shop.
According to Wikipedia, there are no less than 4 versions of this spicy coconut-y noodles apart from the real McCoy. They all serve up the slippery white noodles (chu mee fen or thick bee hoon) cut in short strands so that you can scoop them up in the spoon instead of using chopsticks.
Today, I tried the original one from the brothers now relocated to Roxy Square. I have not been to Roxy Square for a while, and am not aware that there is a food court here. I always thought it was just a place mainly with tuition centres, foot reflexology spas, and hair salons. Anyway, I was planning to get the wonton noodles as I have been told it was good, but the aroma of the lemak soup just called out to me as I passed, so I decided to try the laksa first.
I had the medium bowl laksa which cost $6.50. It includes the usual fish cake and prawns, and also cockles, which you can exclude if you don't like them. I chose to have the cockles and kind of regretted my choice. There was a grainy gritty texture in some mouthfuls which I feel might be due to the cockles not being cleaned properly. The gravy/soup has a strange consistency and texture which I can't quite figure out. It looks like egg yolk that has been strained into the soup, but it doesn't taste like egg. Speaking of egg, there weren't any hard-boiled eggs, which is found in some laksas I have eaten.
So, what is the verdict? I give it 3.5 Aunty Karens. It is a tasty bowl of laksa. However, the grainy texture (like sand) in some mouthfuls was a disappointment. I would have preferred the soup to be a bit hotter. It was served lukewarm. It is not the best bowl of laksa I've tasted, but it could be down to preference. If you are in the area and craving some laksa, give this a try. I see quite a few tables also eating this so it should be quite popular despite other (more famous) offerings across the road. However, if you're not looking for laksa specifically, you could try the other offerings such as the wonton noodles which I was supposed to patronise, nasi lemak, rojak, and sous vide bowl. I will be trying out some of these stalls and providing a review in future.
Addendum: My review of the wonton noodles from Bei-Ing Wonton Noodle.
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