It’s been too long since I’ve had a good bowl of laksa so we decided to check out Laksa King. They do a mix of Malaysian, Thai and Burmese dishes. It’s located a few doors down from Vietnamese Tea House.
Sign outside showing a few of their popular dishes.
Hours posted twice in case you didn’t see the first sign…
The inside is decorated like a diner but don’t let that deter you. Service is friendly, waters were refilled multiple times and the food came out quickly.
The menu is a small two pager; appetizer, salad, rice, noodle/noodle soup and desserts.
Interesting that they have several Burmese dishes on the menu.
Lucky us, we were there to try their Sunday special.
They also have a few drink and dessert options. Faluda here?!?
Trip #1
We dropped in on a Sunday (around noon).
Lahpet thoke (#9) ($10.50)
Pickled tea leaf, tomato, cabbage, garlic chip, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, broad bean, dry shrimp and lime juice. Haven’t seen too many places in town that make this dish other than Amay’s House.
Laksa (#27) ($13.50)
Yellow noodle, prawn, fish ball, tofu puff, hard boiled egg and chicken in a coconut curry broth.
Broth lacked depth and complexity. For a place that deems themselves as laksa kings, this sure disappointed.
Sunday special – kyee o (#37) ($13.50)
Burmese hot pot noodle soup. This one is only available on Sunday! Homemade soup with pork meatball, fish ball, fish tofu, chive, green leaf and vermicelli noodles. This bowl was excellent. Broth was balanced, homey and flavourful. Good mix of meats and vegetables.
Fujian noodles (#34) ($13.50)
Yellow noodles, pork, cabbage, chive and carrot with homemade sauce.
This was interesting. The flavours won’t blow you away but was satisfying.
Beef rendang (#20) ($14.00)
Slow cooked marinated beef with coconut gravy and homemade special sauce served on rice.
The stew sauce was excellent. The beef itself was a mixed bag; some tender pieces, other slightly dry.
Roti canai (#3) ($10.00 large for 2)
Homemade parata served with chicken curry dipping sauce.
Decently flakey but pricey for what you get.
Satay chicken (#4) ($10.00 for 4)
Marinated chicken served with cucumber and peanut sauce.
Chicken was a touch on the dry side. I’d get the tea leaf salad over the skewers if you’re picking an appy.
Trip #2
We dropped in on a Friday evening (around 8:15pm).
Roti canai ($10.00 large)
The roti was a touch under cooked in the middle.
Didn’t have that satisfyingly crispy, flaky texture.
Laksa ($13.50)
Decided to give their laksa a second try. Again, the broth is light and lacks depth. I’m puzzled by the red onions; it adds a harsh sharpness to the bowl.
Fish cake curry (#26) ($14.00)
Burmese style with garlic, ginger, sauteed onion, tamarind, tomato, chili pepper, cilantro and rice.
Tamarind added a nice balance to the chili. Fish cakes were tasty.
Would have liked a bit more rice to soak up the sauce.
Tom kha (#30) ($12.50)
Chicken with Thai style spicy soup with coconut broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime, hot peppers, mushroom, basil leaves and vermicelli noodles. This was our favourite of the dishes we ordered. The lemongrass and acidity from the kaffir lime really shine through. J wanted to mix this broth with the ingredients from the laksa bowl.
Cash or debit only. Decent eats at LK but their laksa leaves me wanting more.
Laksa King
http://www.laksaking.ca/
2546 E Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 428-0155
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 