Katong, in the East Coast of Singapore is (as we were told) a Nyonya area, where the much loved Katong Laksa is said to have originated.....
Whilst the shortage of parking was anything BUT endearing, the sheltered walkways and old, fairly well maintained shophouses in this area were definitely charming:
(Parts of it kinda reminded me of Melaka)
Arlene and Kelvin explained a bit of the complicated war of the Katong Laksas (a fairly long story peppered with family disputes and some "I'm the original, not him! Me, me, me!")....
.... but I guess, at the end of the day, whichever stall/ restaurant you think is best is just up to your individual tastebuds. That day, we tried out one of the front runners in this "war" - 328 Katong Laksa:
(They have expanded to several branches across SG, but this is the one A & K like best)
We chose to dine al fresco*. :)
(* On the sidewalk).
They also have some other food options there, one being the Nasi Lemak:
It is pre-packed in a banana leaf, like the usual Malaysian 50 sen nasi lemaks, but of course the Singaporeans just had to make it extra big to try to outdo us. :P
(LOL - kidding, kidding)
Overall, the mini mountain of rice, served with some fairly spicy sambal and fried fish tasted OK:
(I liked that the rice had that nice "one piece-one piece" texture but the fragrance of that and the other ingredients just couldn't win against my favourite places in PJ/KL)
We also tried some of the Otak-otak (Nyonya style spicy fish cake) there (SGD 1.50 each):
(Presented in a similar fashion to the Muar version of otak-otak)
Overall, it tasted pretty good as the texture was neither too soft nor too bouncey/ synthetic, with a nice fragrance from the added spices and herbs:
Of course, the main star of 328 is the Katong Laksa (Small - SGD 3.50, Medium - SGD 4.50, Large - SGD 5.50):
MMmmmmmmmm.....
I am usually not a big fan of laksa but I liked the balance of:
- creamy, lemak-y and not too spicy broth,
- nice but not overpowering fragrance of the added herbs and spices, and
- textural contrast against the crunchy beansprouts, fresh prawns and some slices of fish cake.
It is also perfect for lazy people, as the noodles (something like a thick version of mihun) are cut into short pieces - you can just spoon it up and slurp it up without using chopsticks:
Wah....
.. Was very full after all that food, but had a great time trying out this delicious local Singaporean dish. :)
(And NO. I don't want to know how many calories is in one bowl of that laksa. :P)
So, it's: Yummy Katong laksa in a simple and fairly comfortable (coffeeshop) setting, fast service, reasonable prices BUT parking in the area is a challenge....
Summary Information:
328 Katong Laksa @ East Coast Rd, Singapore
Opening Hours: 8.30am to 9pm
Phone: +65 9732 8963
Address: No. 216, East Coast Rd, Katong, 455210 Singapore
Map: (Below)
DUNNO WHETHER HALAL
328 Katong Laksa @ East Coast Rd, Singapore
Opening Hours: 8.30am to 9pm
Phone: +65 9732 8963
Address: No. 216, East Coast Rd, Katong, 455210 Singapore
Map: (Below)
DUNNO WHETHER HALAL
MAP:
View Larger Map
OTHER REVIEWS:
- The Ninja Review
- Malaysia Food Blog, Malaysia Travel Blog
- i eat i shoot i post
TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, 328 Katong Laksa, East Coast, Singapore
Posts
food for lazy people? i like..
ReplyDeleteI.also.want.laksa!! But I don't think I will be heading to Singapore anytime soon. No $$ liao. :(
ReplyDeleteBrilliant execution - the truncated noodles would be perfect for me! No need to mess about with noodles slipping off chopsticks!
ReplyDeleteahhh, i've never had katong laksa before ... i assume it tastes very similar to regular curry laksa? would love some cockles to go with that :D
ReplyDelete@Sean not at all similar, lot more lemak and far smoother than regular. But comes with cockles too if you ask :)
ReplyDeleteso much nostalgia nom nom
Aaah, I love Katong Laksa and yes, it's so easy to eat since they snip the noodles to bite size portions. I vaguely remember being taken to Katong before but can't really remember what was the name of the shop though.
ReplyDeleteto "Joe" who is constantly craving:
ReplyDeleteLOL. Yeah. It's perfect! No more messing around with chopsticks. :)
to Bangsar-bAbE:
Well... something similar and nearer to KL would be the Baba laksa I tried in Melaka before...
:)
to minchow:
My thoughts exactly! Yummy! :D
(Great/ lazy minds think alike? lol)
to Sean:
Well, it tastes fairly different because it's got more fragrance of herbs/ spices vs the Malaysian curry laksa... :)
(Just try it the next time your in Sg! Hope you'll like it....)
to the ninja:
Hello hello.
And what wonderfully delicious nostalgia it is! :D
to boo_licious:
Yeah. Didn't expect to like it but I did too! :)
(Hmmmm, I think my friends said there are quite a few "famous" laksa places in Katong, all of them good in their own way...)
More like Nyonya laksa huh? Rich, thick and creamy broth.
ReplyDeleteto J2Kfm:
ReplyDeleteyup yup. And so fragrant too! :) :)
(And I guess its extra special because kenot find the same thing in kl)