Sherman's Food Adventures: Laksa King

Laksa King

Once there was this strange food stand located in a not-so-pretty grocery store on Joyce.  Bo was his name and he served up authentic Burmese (Myanmar) food from his make-shift "kitchen".  I was able to try his wares before he moved to a permanent B&M location on Hastings named Bo's Bubbles and Bits.  On many occasions, I attempted to eat there with no success as the business hours were somewhat random.  A few years later, the place has been re-branded Laksa King.  While Bo is no longer there, the place is run by a couple from Myanmar.

Arriving for a late lunch, we shared some appies starting with the Chicken Satay.  Although the chicken was sufficiently tender, it wasn't that moist and was screaming out for more char.  While the flavours were fine due to a decent marinade, it suffered from lack of depth as a result of the cooking method.  The accompanying peanut dip was thick and "peanut buttery" but wasn't too sweet.  Next up was a small order of Roti Cani.  We liked how it was crispy with a rich seared hue on the outside.  We found the inside a touch dense and doughy though.  The dip was flavourful with a big garlic hit with only the slightest of spice.

Okay, being Laksa King, we had to try the Laksa.  We felt it was pretty good as the broth was rich, creamy and flavourful.  We could definitely get the heat, shrimpiness and coconut essence with every sip.  I got half and half noodles and they were on the softer side.  I wasn't a huge fan of the shrimp as they were rubbery.  Next, we got the Pad Thai just because we have read so many bad things about it.  Well, it was okay with slightly soft noodles bathed in a minimal amount of tamarind.  The plethora of pickled turnip added crunch and zip.  What saved the dish was the side of wok-fried chili sauce as it added both spice and smokiness.

Lastly, we had the Beef Rendang which was gingery and coconutty.  The chunks of beef were fork tender.  This was a pretty decent dish, but it really needed more rice as there was only enough to deal with half of the sauce.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal mainly due to the laksa and rendang.  The satay and pad thai were pretty forgettable though.  Hence, a visit would highly depend on what you order.

The Good:
- Laksa is rich and flavourful
- Staff are pretty friendly
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Other items we tried were pretty ordinary
- Portions are pretty small

Laksa King on Urbanspoon

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