Roxy Laksa : the best of Katong Laksa

It started in 1952 as a pull cart outside the then Roxy Theatre by the founder, Mr Lim Kok Seng. He was there with his son, Mr Lim Eng Hock for about 26 years until the closure of Roxy Theatre in 1978. They moved to East Coast Lagoon Food Village in 1979. Mike Lim, the current owner is the 3rd generation hawker and he started helping his father when he was done with National Service in 1981. He has eventually taken over the business and also inherited the family recipe. 

As none of his children is willing to take over the stall, he has decided to partner with chef Willin Low, an ex-lawyer that turned chef, which is also the owner cum chef of Wild Rocket. The heavily guarded family recipe has since passed on to chef Willin Low followed by the move to a stall in Timbre+ along Ayer Rajah Crescent. Chef Willin Low has been their regular customer and is a big fan of this legendary Laksa. He is planning to produce laksa paste based on this heritage recipe under the brand name.

The stall is currently run by Mike and Daisy, his wife and this is an assurance that the original taste is still maintained. The ingredients like coconuts, prawns and spices are sourced from his supplier or directly from the market. The coconuts are then freshly shredded and squeezed, he insisted on using only the freshly squeezed coconut milk. The spices are ground by Mike on a weekly basis in his own way. 

This is a bowl of a good Katong laksa and it is much better than the other one that is along East Coast Road. It is reasonably priced at $4.50 and it is $5.80 if you order with an otah which costs $1.50 if you order it separately. It consists of a good portion of thick bee hoon with ingredients like few slices of fishcake and 3 pieces of halved prawn, they do not serve with cockles. The smooth gravy is fragrant and rather light with a slight hint of dried shrimps. The sambal chilli though not really spicy but it has brought forth the flavour. 

With the step in of chef Willin Low, they are going to be around for a while longer.

ROXY LAKSA

73A Ayer Rajah Crescent #01-17 Timbre+ SINGAPORE 139957

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Khoon's Katong Laksa & Seafood Soup : better than 326 Katong Laksa

I came for the Prawn Mee but it was closed. I remember asking the Auntie of that stall when is their off day and she said, 'It is quite random." then I said, "Most of the times when I was here, the stall is closed." She said, "We usually sold out before 1 pm." I walked around the food centre to look for an alternative. I wanted to have Bak Chor Mee but Uncle and Auntie were eating their lunch and I did not want to disturb them.

I decided to try the Katong Laksa for the first time at a nearby stall and there was a short queue. They do not just serve the laksa but also fish soup and seafood soup. There are 3 choices for the laksa, the smallest portion at $3 then followed by the $4 portion and the largest portion at $5. The lady boss was smiling and rather friendly when she asked for my order. I went with the $4 portion. She asked, "with cockles?". I nodded my head. Then she used a spoon to scoop the chopped laksa leaves together with sambal chili. She showed it to me and asked, "Enough?". Again, I nodded. 

The thick bee hoon was deliberately cut into shorter pieces so it is easier to eat with only a spoon, just like other Katong laksa. It is served with 2 pieces of halved prawns, strips of fish cake, cockles and a handful of bean sprouts then garnished with chopped laksa leaves and sambal chili. It has a slight hint of coconut milk with a well-balanced spiciness. This might not be as famous as other Katong laksa but it is tasty enough to serve as an alternative when I need.

Though not as famous but this is better than the famous 328 Katong Laksa which I tried but did not like it enough to finish it. I still remember that only a small packet of sambal chili is given with each bowl of laksa and if you need an extra packet of chili then you are expected to pay for it. And, their laksa is priced at $5 for a smaller bowl and $7 for a larger bowl, which is more expensive and not quite worth the value. 

KHOON'S KATONG LAKSA & SEAFOOD SOUP

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-26 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)