63 Laksa: $2.80 bowls of Sungei Road-style laksa at Ghim Moh Road Market
The latter part especially intrigued me and questions flew through my head. Was it really possible to get quality ingredients and put enough effort into every serving for that price? Did Rachel just need a hand model for her viral TikToks? The answers lay waiting at Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre.
Kelly Ng, 51, who runs 63 Laksa uses a recipe that dates back to the 1960s and was originally his grandfather's. That recipe was based on the famous laksa stall on Sungei Road (that's still around at Jalan Besar, in case you are wondering) which spawned a number of copycats, leading to what is now known as the 'Sungei Road-style' laksa.
What does set it apart to an extent is that Kelly uses a gas stove for all the cooking. It's a deliberate decision to move away from the mess and smokiness of charcoal.
63 Laksa is only open for breakfast and lunch (8am to 2pm) and there is apparently a queue at both mealtimes. Our plan to beat the lunch crowd by heading there at 11am worked out perfectly— there were just 5 people ahead of us.
What I tried at 63 Laksa
Rachel and I ordered one small bowl of Laksa (S$2.80) each, as well as two (large) pieces of Mackerel Otah (S$1.40).
I did a double take when my bowl arrived. Where were the chopsticks? All we had been given were a spoon each. Peering into my bowl, I unravelled the mystery. The noodles were cut up into spoon-friendly pieces! If nothing else, that one trick will save you (or likely your Mum) the time that would otherwise have been spent trying to get rid of little yellow laksa soup stain dots from your clothes.
The bowl was filled virtually to the brim with laksa that was a wonderfully appetising pale yellow colour (incidentally, almost exactly the same shade as the tabletops). There was also fishcake and a dollop of sambal. A pleasant coconut milk fragrance wafted from the steaming bowl.
Nanyang Spice: $6 earthworm laksa tucked away in Sim Lim Square draws attention?
I became a fan with my first mouthful. Kelly's laksa goes easy on the salt and the well-handled seasoning went hand-in-hand with the intensity of dried shrimp. The fishcake is nothing to write home about, but gives the dish some essential bite. Rachel ordered cockles with hers and I stole one from under her very eyes. Meh, still not a fan of cockles.
One of things I liked about the laksa here was that it was light, and not packed with the creamy heaviness that will give you a food coma. I was able to go back home after and begin on my first draft of this article right away. (Seth, are you reading this?)
Despite abandoning the thicker (and perhaps more substantial) approach to laksa, the dish is not wanting in terms of flavour. With the otah as a side, I felt that I had a complete meal with a range of tastes and textures.
Final thoughts
There's little doubt that a large part of the appeal of 63 Laksa is the economy factor— it's really difficult to find a S$2.50 meal anywhere, even at a hawker stall. While it may not seem like much to many of us, it probably does make a difference to the residents of the surrounding housing estates.
That said, while I did find the small bowl filling, most other people would find it a tad too small to be a full meal. It may be more accurate to describe 63 Laksa as the place for the S$4.80 laksa bowl (the larger option) as that would be what most people looking for breakfast or lunch would settle on.
On the other hand, if you have little kids in tow, this is the perfect place to introduce them to laksa. The petite bowls aside, you can also ask for bowls to be less spicy to develop your kids' appreciation for this mainstay of Singaporean hawker dishes.
Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre is home to several stalls that have received nods from international publications. I am happy to say that 63 Laksa easily makes the cut for me.
Expected damage: S$2.80 – S$4.80
10 best laksa spots in SG for an irresistible meal [2024 update]
The post 63 Laksa: $2.80 bowls of Sungei Road-style laksa at Ghim Moh Road Market appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Search underway for missing trainee mountain rescue search dog
A trainee mountain rescue search dog has gone missing. In a social media on Saturday, August 16, the Lake District Mountain Rescue Searchdogs appealed for assistance in the search for a missing trainee search dog. According to the non-profit organisation, trainee search dog Tarn 'ran off' from a property in Windermere. Writing on social media, Lake District Mountain Rescue Searchdogs said: "One of our colleagues trainee search dogs has ran off from a house in Claife Avenue, Windermere. "Trainee Search Dog Tarn, English Shepherd. Any sightings please ring or message Rachel on 07540 226687 "Thank you."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Chinatown Sun Seng Gourmet's Corner: Cantonese zi char stall with 81 years of history, open only 4 days a week
Zi char has always been one of my go-to comfort foods. Apart from getting a variety of dishes to choose from, some of my fondest childhood memories were always in a good zi char stall. Sitting at those big round tables with my family and stuffing my face full; before running off and burning it all away at whatever playground was nearby. So when my colleague Aaron recommended Chinatown Sun Seng Gourmet's Corner for its long-rooted history – we're talking since the 1940s – I knew I had to make this my next place to visit. Located in the Green Zone of Chinatown Complex, this stall is a pretty far walk in the hawker centre, so just keep your eyes peeled because I nearly missed it my first time in. What I tried at Chinatown Sun Seng Gourmet's Corner I guess I was so used to eating only a handful of basic zi char dishes growing up that I was scratching my head, figuring out what to eat when looking at the menu. I started off with the Beef (S$6). This wasn't the gravy kind; it was more of the dried stir-fried kind. While on first impressions, it didn't strike me as the most appetising of hor fun dishes, the minute I took my first bite, I regretted making that snap judgment. It was incredibly flavourful, with an insane amount of wok hei. The beef slices were also nice and chewy – cooked to perfection. Needless to say, this staple dish had me licking my plate clean because it was just that good! We tried Singapore's worst-rated zi char Next, I decided to try something I'd never had before: their Bean Sauce Fried Fish Head (S$15). While an intriguing cut, the fish head has always intimidated me because, well, you're essentially eating a head. However, I've always been a fan of anything with black bean sauce, so I figured, what the heck? The fish head was incredibly soft and buttery, and the sauce coated every piece well. Once again, the sauce delivered an incredible amount of wok hei on top of the sweet-salty balanced flavour profile. The fish itself didn't possess a strong fishy taste, which I also appreciated. However, be wary of the amount of bones in this dish. Almost every piece I ate had a couple of bones in it, which is pretty common in fish heads. Just don't give this to your little ones, given that an adult such as myself nearly swallowed a couple of bones. The dish also contained copious amounts of bitter gourd, which I was dreading. Growing up, I detested bitter gourd with a passion. I mean, it has the word 'bitter' in it— clearly, that can't taste good despite the number of health benefits my elders would tell me it has. My original plan was to eat the proteins and ditch the greens. However, that wouldn't be a fair review, so I hesitantly decided to take a bite out of one bitter gourd at the very least. It was safe to say that that was the first time I actually enjoyed bitter gourd in a dish. I'm not sure if it's the way it was prepared or the fact that it was well coated in the black bean sauce, but while the bitter flavour profile was still there, it was a milder version instead of the overpowering bitter taste I'm used to detecting in bitter gourds. Surprisingly, I could digest a couple of pieces before calling it a day. Final thoughts This zi char hidden gem has been around for decades, but I'm ashamed to admit that it only recently showed up on my radar. Needless to say, I'm willing to take the trip out and visit again just to try more of their dishes – and to get more of that Beef Hor Fun definitely. Just take note that they're only open 4 days a week, so plan your visits accordingly. Expected damage: S$6 – S$20 per pax Goldhill Family Restaurant: Super affordable cai png for as low as $2 in the heart of Hougang The post Chinatown Sun Seng Gourmet's Corner: Cantonese zi char stall with 81 years of history, open only 4 days a week appeared first on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
63 Laksa: $2.80 bowls of Sungei Road-style laksa at Ghim Moh Road Market
All the way to Ghim Moh just for laksa? I was not entirely convinced that our in-house TikTok maestro, Rachel was being serious. The name 63 Laksa did ring a bell, though. I've had friends rave about the stall's signature dish for at least a couple of months and it has been in the news for its extremely affordable S$2.80 laksa bowls. The latter part especially intrigued me and questions flew through my head. Was it really possible to get quality ingredients and put enough effort into every serving for that price? Did Rachel just need a hand model for her viral TikToks? The answers lay waiting at Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre. Kelly Ng, 51, who runs 63 Laksa uses a recipe that dates back to the 1960s and was originally his grandfather's. That recipe was based on the famous laksa stall on Sungei Road (that's still around at Jalan Besar, in case you are wondering) which spawned a number of copycats, leading to what is now known as the 'Sungei Road-style' laksa. What does set it apart to an extent is that Kelly uses a gas stove for all the cooking. It's a deliberate decision to move away from the mess and smokiness of charcoal. 63 Laksa is only open for breakfast and lunch (8am to 2pm) and there is apparently a queue at both mealtimes. Our plan to beat the lunch crowd by heading there at 11am worked out perfectly— there were just 5 people ahead of us. What I tried at 63 Laksa Rachel and I ordered one small bowl of Laksa (S$2.80) each, as well as two (large) pieces of Mackerel Otah (S$1.40). I did a double take when my bowl arrived. Where were the chopsticks? All we had been given were a spoon each. Peering into my bowl, I unravelled the mystery. The noodles were cut up into spoon-friendly pieces! If nothing else, that one trick will save you (or likely your Mum) the time that would otherwise have been spent trying to get rid of little yellow laksa soup stain dots from your clothes. The bowl was filled virtually to the brim with laksa that was a wonderfully appetising pale yellow colour (incidentally, almost exactly the same shade as the tabletops). There was also fishcake and a dollop of sambal. A pleasant coconut milk fragrance wafted from the steaming bowl. Nanyang Spice: $6 earthworm laksa tucked away in Sim Lim Square draws attention? I became a fan with my first mouthful. Kelly's laksa goes easy on the salt and the well-handled seasoning went hand-in-hand with the intensity of dried shrimp. The fishcake is nothing to write home about, but gives the dish some essential bite. Rachel ordered cockles with hers and I stole one from under her very eyes. Meh, still not a fan of cockles. One of things I liked about the laksa here was that it was light, and not packed with the creamy heaviness that will give you a food coma. I was able to go back home after and begin on my first draft of this article right away. (Seth, are you reading this?) Despite abandoning the thicker (and perhaps more substantial) approach to laksa, the dish is not wanting in terms of flavour. With the otah as a side, I felt that I had a complete meal with a range of tastes and textures. Final thoughts There's little doubt that a large part of the appeal of 63 Laksa is the economy factor— it's really difficult to find a S$2.50 meal anywhere, even at a hawker stall. While it may not seem like much to many of us, it probably does make a difference to the residents of the surrounding housing estates. That said, while I did find the small bowl filling, most other people would find it a tad too small to be a full meal. It may be more accurate to describe 63 Laksa as the place for the S$4.80 laksa bowl (the larger option) as that would be what most people looking for breakfast or lunch would settle on. On the other hand, if you have little kids in tow, this is the perfect place to introduce them to laksa. The petite bowls aside, you can also ask for bowls to be less spicy to develop your kids' appreciation for this mainstay of Singaporean hawker dishes. Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre is home to several stalls that have received nods from international publications. I am happy to say that 63 Laksa easily makes the cut for me. Expected damage: S$2.80 – S$4.80 10 best laksa spots in SG for an irresistible meal [2024 update] The post 63 Laksa: $2.80 bowls of Sungei Road-style laksa at Ghim Moh Road Market appeared first on
