Ah, but this kind of place is hard to rate!
Laksa - 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars, especially as it features delicious coconut red/orange soup with their Malaysian twist. Although the flavours and rice noodles meshed well, only 2 unshelled shrimp, 1/2 fishball, strips of boiled egg and tofu, too many tasteless dough balls, and small pieces of overcooked chicken breast or thigh. But for the relative smallness of the dish, and given the price of 349p, would be more highly rated.
The leftover's flavours at home held up very well the next day.
With the meal came two sauces (4 stars), the typical thai/malay plum sweet sauce, and a small amount of somewhat spicy thick sauce with a deep rich flavour. Could have provided more of the latter...
But their deep-fried crispy chicken - only 2 stars, was dry and badly overcooked. Although the two sauces kicked it up in flavour, not sure what to say because we may have arrived too late (got there at 6:15pm and closes at 7pm). But no excuse if their goal is to be upscale...
Along the walls were old victorian Indian-styled cabinets adorned with many tea and coffee pots that I think hail back a century or so, but with many rough cardboard 'hands-off' signs it all added a cluttered tackiness to the place.
Two air-cons kept the dining space somewhat cool.
The filipina cook apparently spent 10 years cooking in Malaysia, and it showed, but the small quantity of the dishes was likely all about the owner. In Malaysia this place would likely not be very competitive.
Frequently by chinoy patrons, it seems for them a hit, but only for the food!
For the downsides only deserve a 1 - 2 star rating:
* the only washroom didn't smell bad, but once inside the tiny room with weird partitioned wall, one has to climb up a steep stair to reach an even smaller toilet space with no tissue.
* the parking is bad news! On the 1.5 vehicle wide paved lane (it's not a street), it's only got 1 or 2 weedy parking places beside a concrete wall. To get out one has to drive several hundred meters to the T-intersection on the next street that also doesn't provide much turn-around space. Really bad set up in this little barangay on/off Aguana Street: as with many other deranged barrios, 'city planners' must have been either on extended siesta or fiesta when they out-thunk themselves for this mess: as the owner also owns the building that doubles as her home, Takuri is just badly located!
* the service was lacking finesse after having to ask for a knife for the dried-out chicken, no tissues, etc., but the two pinay servers who worked pleasantly enough likely had little training.
Not sure we'll ever go back.
Despite the hassles, the flavours of this Malaysian food easily out-distances even the best pinoy food, but these small-sized overcooked dishes are not much of a draw, and getting to and around this confined alley is quite frustrating.
Ah, try it out. At least most of the food on the limited tacky-looking menu likely won't disappoint.
But bring your motor para parking, diba?! read more
