Just One Food - D'Laksa

I've been passing by this food kiosk (for some months), D'Laksa, each time I'm grocery shopping at Taman Maluri's AEON supermarket but have never thought of trying it until recently.

I was skeptical that an assam laksa kiosk in a supermarket would be any good...but then how many times have we been told to "never to judge a book by its cover"?  Plus the aroma of the assam laksa would waft through the air and get to me each time I descend the escalator to the supermarket! :D

So, one day, I finally succumbed to the smell and decided to get me a bowl of D'Laksa's Assam Laksa @ RM6. Since this is a stall inside the supermarket itself, there is no proper seating area, just two small tables near the kiosk, but you can always bring your bowl of assam laksa to any of the seats in the food court.

P/S: I pity the I Love Yoo kiosk that's near this D'Laksa as most of the patrons would sit at their tables but eat D'Laksa's assam laksa instead (even after they put a note on the tables that they're specifically meant for I Love Yoo's customers).  And the poor I Love Yoo staff dare not even tell them they can't sit there for fear that they will lose them as customers in future.  C'mon people, have a bit of manners...and a bit of heart, sit at the food court, or at least order some soya bean drinks from them if you want to sit there.

And no assam laksa is complete without adding a bit of fieriness to the assam broth.  That's what the hanging contraption is for...it dispenses the prawn/shrimp paste.  If that's not enough heat, they provide bird's eye chillies as well.

First impression of the assam laksa soup base was that the broth was more orangey in colour as opposed to the more common brownish looking broth that I'm accustomed to having.

The bowl is also filled with finely shredded cucumber, onions, pineapple and lettuce.  Now, if only there were more shredded pineapple, I'd be happier (I think I found only 2 - 3 slithers!).  I have ordered assam laksa at other places where I'd ask them to omit the onions as I find them to be sliced not thinly enough resulting in the raw onions having a very sharp and pungent flavour which I'm not fond of.  But the ones here are julienned so finely that the overly pungent flavour is gravely reduced and, for once, I liked onions in my assam laksa.  Haiz, I spoke too soon.  On another occasion when I had it, the onions were shredded thickly. That's the price of fame...when there are more customers than you can handle, the preparation suffers (no time to cut them so thinly).

For RM6 a bowl, I can say they're rather generous with the "ikan kembong" or mackerel fish meat.  And this bowl of assam laksa comes with the 'right' type of noodles too.

Another time when I had this, I 'accidentally' caught a 'sneak peek' of the mackerel fish meat they use...it's actually sardines from a can (the brand is Statue, a product of China, imported by a Singapore distributor). Oh well, as long as it tastes good...it probably would be too much work to use fresh mackerel! >_<

As for the tamarind broth, I was in disbelief as to how delicious it was and how much I enjoyed it. ^o^  The broth was an explosion of flavours with just the right balance of sour and spicy with a hint of sweetness.  I liked that the broth wasn't overly sour like some I've had before.  I'm surprised that this assam laksa could even beat some of the more well known Penang Assam Laksa stalls and shops that I've patronised.

I had always found some assam laksa broth to be too sour for me (until I have to squint my eyes), so I couldn't enjoy it entirely.  This one I have no problem finishing the broth...well, almost (which I have never done with other assam laksas before).  I've seen some comments (on their Facebook) mentioning that the broth isn't sour enough...hey, that's the very reason why I like this one...it's just nice for my taste buds....so don't listen to them! ;P

Besides the assam laksa noodles, they also offer assam fish balls as a snack.  Some D'Laksa outlets offer fruit rojak as well.

The pretty huge Assam Fish Balls cost RM4 (for 5 pcs).

The taste and texture of the fish balls are just like any bouncy mass-produced fish balls in the market.

The fish balls come in the same soup base as the assam laksa...also generously filled with fish meat.  So, I would eat this snack just for the assam laksa broth and not the fish balls...kekeke! ;)

Sometimes, I'd even get me a plate of rice (from a nearby stall) and "banjir" (flood) my rice with the assam laksa broth...yummm!

Not knowing about this brand of assam laksa, I googled for some information on them and found that they originated from Johor Bahru, so that would explain the difference in the colour of the broth as theirs is unlike the Penang version of assam laksa.

You can find D'Laksa outlets in selected AEON supermarkets but the one in MyTown is a stand-alone outlet of their own with ample seating.

So, the next time you pass by a D'Laksa kiosk in an AEON supermarket near you, give it a chance...and you might just be pleasantly surprised with the taste! ^_~