My favourite food to eat in Penang is, without doubt, Assam Laksa.
I prefer this version of laksa a lot more than the usual laksa with the coconut milk curry. I’ve also tried Assam Laksa from a few different shops in Singapore, but all have paled in comparison to my favourite place in Penang: Penang Road Famous Laksa.
They’ve been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for good-quality, good-value food, which is a (fairly) decent indicator that the food here is worth trying.
This famous laksa shop serves lai fun noodles in a sardine broth with exceptional depth and flavours alongside an array of condiments. For those with bigger appetites, order char koay teow with duck egg to go with the laksa.
Michelin Guide
What to order at Penang Road Famous Laksa
As the name implies, the one thing you should order at Penang Road Famous Laksa is, well, none other than their famous Assam laksa (RM 8.50).
They also offer other dishes and top-ups, including chicken egg (RM 10.50) and duck egg (RM 11.50).
The best part about this bowl of piping hot laksa is none other than that soup. It is appropriately sour and spicy, neither of which overwhelms the other.
The tangy sourness from the Assam (tamarind) really whets your appetite and keeps you going for more, whereas the spice provides a nice kick to supplement that sour flavour.
If you are familiar with how Assam Laksa is made, you may also pay special attention to the fish in the soup – typically mackerel or sardines. Penang Road Famous Laksa uses mackerel, deboned by hand. Their soup stock consists of fish meat boiled with fish heads and bones. They use about four kilograms of fresh sardines, which serves about seventy bowls, to obtain the famed deep-flavoured broth!
A bowl of Assam Laksa is also traditionally served with hae ko, fermented shrimp paste. Because not everyone likes hae ko, this shop serves hae ko on the side for you to decide if you want to add it in.
Paired with thick beehoon, this bowl of Assam Laksa is sure to leave you wanting more. And that is precisely what I did – by visiting the same shop twice in my 3-day trip just to eat this same bowl of Assam Laksa!
The laksa soup at Penang Road Famous Laksa is so good that you may want to just slurp up a bowl without the noodles to save on your stomach space. I reckon it’s a common request, because they actually have a soup-only option available for RM 5.50.
Is it worth eating at Penang Road Famous Laksa?
Normally I would scorn at a name that claims its own food is ‘famous’. However, this restaurant is actually very aptly named.
I’ve had Assam Laksa in Kimberley Street Food Night Market, which by itself was fairly tasty. But if you gave me a choice to eat from only one place in Penang, this would be it.
Till date I still deeply miss this iconic bowl of Assam Laksa and would honestly travel to Penang just to have a taste of it!
Related Posts:
- A guide to the best street food to eat in Penang
- OO White Coffee Cafe 噢噢白咖啡屋: delicious breakfast in Penang
- Kimberley Street Food Night Market: go-to for Penang street food
DIRECTIONS
Address: 5-7, Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
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