I've been a big fan of Native Noodles, both from my first encounter with their stall at the Queens International Night Market, where they were serving up Singaporean laksa, and at the Morningside Heights brick and mortar location that opened during the pandemic. Since upper Manhattan is quite a trek from Queens, I was super delighted to see that they'd joined the Sunnyside Eats ghost kitchen roster and sought them out for takeout (takeout and delivery are the only options here) on a cold winter night perfect for a warming laksa. My thesis: the Manhattan location is better than this ghost kitchen, but it's a solid option from the choices available at Sunnyside Eats.
I love Singaporean food and much of the cuisine of Southeast Asia, and the Native Noodles founder is a Singaporean expat herself; what I enjoy most about Singaporean food is the blend and balance of flavors that reflect the melange of the country itself.
I ordered some of my old favorites: the chili crab buns ($9 with extra buns: split the buns open to scoop up the crab dip for real delight!), the laksa ($14.50, soup version, with chicken and the addition of a soft boiled egg), and a side of kang kung ($4), my favorite Southeast Asian water spinach.
Overall, I think there is a quality differential between the food here and the Manhattan location; the mantou (buns) were a bit overfried and oilier than I expected, and the flavors didn't quick pack the same sparkling oomph overall. I was disappointed by the kang kung, which is definitely the blandest version I've ever had of this dish and seemed to have barely any flavoring (I had expected a funky, shrimpy belacan sauce like I usually encounter at Malaysian/Indonesian restaurants). I did like the new soupy, brothy version of the laksa as previously only a drier version had been on the menu, and I found this a pretty generous portion though not as flavorful as I'd previously experienced. Still, you'd be hard pressed to find another Singaporean restaurant with these classics in Queens, and the food is still pretty solid. I can't speak to the service as one doesn't encounter any of the individual restaurants' staff at pickup, but my food came out very quickly and well-packaged! read more