Penang Road Famous Laksa

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Kedai Makan Chang Senr (昌胜咖啡室) is a new hawker center in Pulau Tikus. Although there are already a number of hawker centers nearby, Chang Senr is rather special: Each individual stall is popular in its own right and has been specially invited to operate here. This concept of famous-stalls-under-one-roof is similar to YTL’s concept of Lot 10 Hutong.

The first stall in front is Penang Road Famous Laksa (槟榔律驰名叻沙). As the name implies, the flagship outlet is located at Penang Road, right next the popular Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul (槟榔律驰名潮州煎蕊) stall.

This stall is actually the third outlet of this family-run business. There is another outlet at Kedai Makanan BB (BB饮食中心) in Bayan Baru. The flagship outlet at Penang Road serves as the central kitchen, where the laksa broth is freshly prepared daily in the morning. In addition, Penang Road Famous Laksa also supplies broth to a number of other laksa stalls.

The Penang Road Laksa (RM4.50) is prepared in the same way as other outlets. Springy rice noodle is served in a bowl of broth made from mackerel (ikan kembung). This dish also includes fresh ingredients such as chopped onions, pineapple chunks, mint leaves and shredded lettuce.

The overall enjoyment of this signature dish is mainly attributed to the rich fish broth. Moderately spicy, the broth is nearly saturated with lovely chunks of deboned mackerel. I am also impressed with the level of attention placed on the food presentation; something of rarity in the hawker business.

Depending on personal preference, some people opt to add prawn paste (虾膏) to enhance the flavor of laksa, while others prefer to enjoy the dish on its own. Personally, I belong to the former group. I feel that the prawn paste is quite savory, adding a new dimension to the taste of laksa.

If this bowl of laksa is not satisfying enough, there is a larger version for RM5.00. This upsized version has more broth and noodle, plus additional serving of vegetable toppings.