Old School "Kek Sng Kio” 结 霜 桥 Laksa at Jalan Berseh
Sungei Road got its name because it runs along the banks of the Rochor River (Sungei Rochor), hence its Malay name sungei meaning “river”. The road was also known as “Kek Sng Kio” in hokkien dialect or “结霜桥” in Chinese, which was made in reference to the Singapore Ice Works which used to exist in the precinct.
Sungei Road Laksa is a humble stall in a coffee shop. There is a long queue when we got there. The stall is manned by 3 ladies when we went on a Sunday morning. One of them was busy filling the bowls with ingredients, another one was busy taking orders while the aunty was filling each bowl of laksa with the gorgeous broth, fueled by a charcoal burner which I believe to be one of the last few existing stall which is still using charcoal.
The laksa is served like a typical Katong Laksa style, with only spoon and no chopsticks. The laksa has a beautiful orange gravy, topped with generous amount of cockles and green laksa leaves.
Legendary Sungei Road Laksa in Singapore
Laksa is a dish that combines the tastes and flavors of both Malay and Chinese, and one of the most famous places to eat laksa in Singapore is at Sungei Road Laksa, a small yet busy stall that’s housed within a neighborhood style coffee food court shop. As soon as the stall is open, they have a line of customers, and if you come at a peak meal time or on the weekend, there could easily be 20 or even 50 people in line in front of you. Luckily, we came in the middle of the morning, so it was pretty quiet and there were just a few people in line in front of me.
One of the best things about Sungei Road Laksa in Singapore is that they still cook their curry soup sauce over charcoal in a big aluminum pot, the traditional way. You stand in line, and they don’t have any choice other than how many bowls of laksa you want. The bowls are quite small, so if you’re really hungry, you could easily eat 3 - 4 bowls or so. The laksa is a Chinese style version, with a thin and not very spicy broth, and sliced up noodles, and all topped with a handful of fresh blood cockles, and I think Vietnamese coriander - which is the flavor that I really liked.
The laksa was smooth and comforting, not spicy, and not too much spices, but a soothing blend. To me it almost tasted like clam chowder, yet it was prepared with cockles, so it was like noodle cockle chowder. They also added a small amount of smabal chili sauce to the side of my bowl to mix in, which provided a bit of extra flavor to the laksa.
Laksa Noodles from the Legendary Sungei Road
There's a reason so many refer to the Sungei Road Laksa stall as "legendary." For $3 US you can get a bowl of fragrant and delicious laksa noodles, with generous heaps of fish cake and cockles. They're a street food must-visit if you're in Singapore. My only question is, why they haven't been recognized by Michelin yet?
Sungei Road Laksa
Sungei Road Laksa located at 27 Jalan Berseh #01-100 (about 10mins distance from DT22 Jalan Besar station). What i liked about their laksa gravy is still cooked using a charcoal stove. For a bowl of laksa US$3, the amount of fresh cockles is generous, together with the topping of laksa leaves, flavourful goodness to the last drop of it.
Sungei Road (Kek Sng Kio) Laksa @ Jin Shui Kopitiam
This is known as the famous “Kek Sng Kio” or Sungai Road Laksa and besides being delicious, its cheap price is one of the main attractions. Also, they have maintained the traditional ways of heating the laksa using charcoal, something rarely seen nowadays in Singapore. Using charcoal fire is said to maintain the warmth of the laksa gravy better than gas, which also gives it a distinctive flavor in return.
There are a few stalls within the vicinity, all claiming to sell the authentic “Kek Sng Kio” Laksa so it could be quite confusing. Even though I have done my homework to identify the actual stall prior to coming, I still had to call a friend to confirm lol. I wouldn’t want to end up eating at the wrong stall like some other bloggers did after traveling all the way here.
One of the signs that you are at the correct stall would be having a look out for a queue. Secondly, the old aluminium pot of laksa gravy must be there sitting on a charcoal stove. Thirdly, there will be an uncle preparing the noodles behind. One distinctive difference between Sungai Road Laksa and the rest would be its lighter and not so coconut milk-ish gravy that makes it easier for your palate and stomach.
Sungei Road Laksa (结 霜 桥 叻 沙) @ Jalan Berseh
Laksa is one of Singaporean's favourite local hawker dish. It is a noodle dish in curry gravy that you can find in almost every food centres or coffeeshops. However, Sungei Road Laksa 结 霜 桥 叻 沙 is probably the only one left that still insists in cooking their laksa gravy over charcoal fire.
When I reached the place, there was already a snaking queue. While I was patiently waiting for my turn, I observed that the little humble actually has a system. First one person with take the order, a second person will add the ingredients to the bowl of noodles and lastly the uncle will cook the bowl of laksa with the gravy.
The laksa here is served with only a spoon. You do not need chopsticks as the thick rice noodles were already cut into smaller strips for easy consumption. The gravy itself was not too lemak and spicy. I also can taste dried shrimps in the gravy, giving it the extra aroma. Topped with slices of fishcake, beansprouts, cockles and laka leaves, this is definitely one of the best laksa I have ever eaten for a long while. It is worth queuing for it.
Sungei Road Laksa – Good-Old Laksa Cooked With Charcoal
Other than all the various Katong Laksa, Sungei Road Laksa is probably Singapore’s other most famous Laksa. However, do not confuse this with the other Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa at Hong Lim Food Centre as they are not related. Of course fans are wondering why the Michelin inspectors have excluded them – not even Michelin Plate?
No chopsticks. No photos. Sungei Road Laksa may be occupied within a coffee shop that is slightly hard to get to (no MRT stations nearby), but people come from far away for their Laksa with traditional and rich flavors.
The queue continues to be long throughout their opening hours, expect to wait about 15 to 20 minutes at least. The stall is managed by 3 ladies, but they work together well like clockwork not make the hungry customers wait too long.
This Famous Laksa Stall In Singapore Makes Flavourful Broth On Blazing Charcoal
When is the best time to have a bowl of laksa? Would it be for breakfast, lunch, dinner – or some time in between? We believe that all the answers are correct. While there are many good places for laksa around the island, no one does it quite like the famous laksa stall, Sungei Road Laksa. As a true foodie, it is a must to visit this spot at least once in your lifetime!
Located along Jalan Berseh, Sungei Road Laksa is not only popular among the locals, but is well-regarded internationally as well. In fact, it has been recognised by the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2016. Living up to everyone’s expectations, many locals sing praises of this hearty bowl of laksa. What makes the laksa so good?
We believe that it is the laksa broth that ties everything together wonderfully. Cooked in a traditional manner with the pot atop of blazing charcoal, the laksa broth is truly extraordinary. The orange laksa broth is light but flavourful at the same time. You will be able to taste hints of coconut, and also dried shrimps. Sweet yet spicy, is the best way to describe it. Drink it up, friends.
Sungei Road Laksa @ Jin Shui Kopitiam
You can laksa in many ways, but this is the charcoal-powered way. Power lah. Laksa is a very specific local food: spicy, lemak-coconut rich, piquant, fiery delicious slurping soup with smooth noodles. It's not an everyday thing to develop a craving for, until you catch a whiff of charcoal-powered laksa. It is everywhere in the atmosphere around Sungei Road Laksa, and practically an aroma appetizer - if there is ever such a thing. This is my one of the stops with Roy on our noodle trail and the awesome fragrance in the air just perks us up immediately.
Am I late to the game for trying out Sungei Road Laksa only after twenty-two years of existence on this island? I can only say that this definitely goes into the list of food that I hold dear to my heart (and my brain will occasionally conjure it up in the depths of the night). Rather than a city that never sleeps, Singapore is a city that never stops eating. Really, there are people eating everywhere regardless of the time of the day. That's probably why even at two in the afternoon, the folks at Sungei Road Laksa are still super busy with their duties at the stall - replenishing the charcoal, scooping out delicious laksa into their iconic pink bowls.
No chopsticks, just spoons. Like 368 Katong Laksa's, they've chopped up the noodles to make it easier to eat... which is really a smart way to do it because I definitely cannot resist slowing down on this one! This bowl from Sungei Road Laksa has got a creamy coconut base, chock full of cockles, shrimps, and fishcake, making it really lavish with the taste of the oceans. Mouthwatering just to think about it... the spiciness level is not overpowering but remains apparent, very manageable and enjoyable. It is a good representative of what laksa should be.
The Original Katong Laksa Since 1950s (Janggut Laksa)
I spent the last weekend in Singapore and as soon as we touched down, we went hunting for Katong Laksa. Katong Laksa is my favorite Singaporean food which I have blogged quite a bit when I was working in the country about 7 years go. How time flies.
There’s a long history behind Katong Laksa which I think you will find interesting. But I won’t go at length into that since you can read about it at the shop itself. There’s a huge poster that details the proprieter and the history behind the noodle. So long story short, after learning that “Marine Parade Laksa” has opened a new branch at Paya Lebar, I came to satisfy my long-standing craving.
I was surprised to know that crayfish (it’s actually slipper lobster but stated as crayfish on the menu) is now available as an add-on for laksa. It costs $9.50 for a bowl – that’s almost RM30 after conversion! As crazy expensive as it sounds, we can only blame our weak currency for this. Anyway, I didn’t mind paying for it since this was a once in a blue moon kind of thing. The slipper lobster looks impressive alright but unfortunately that’s where it ends. Although the flesh was firm and came off the shell in one perfect piece, it had little flavor, not even a hint of sweetness with a noticeable frozen taste. So the upgrade did not really do much for me except for bragging rights.
328 Katong Laksa: Singapore’s Most Famous Katong Laksa In East Coast
Laksa is right up there with one of Singapore’s most popular national dishes, especially since we have our very own local variation: Katong laksa. Developed by the Peranakan community who lived in the Eastside neighbourhood during the time, Katong laksa has become world-famous, in large part thanks to 328 Katong Laksa going head-to-head with Chef Gordon Ramsay during the Singtel Hawker Heroes challenge in 2013. FYI, their recipe won his! Before we dive into the history of 328 Katong Laksa and how it became so famous, let’s dive into what it actually is.
The dish stands out from regional variants of laksa thanks to a few things: its orangey, coconutty stock that is heavily flavoured with hae bee, its toppings—which range from shrimp to cockles—and most noticeably, the fact that Katong laksa is eaten with a spoon instead of chopsticks. The noodles are so finely chopped, you can scoop them up the way you would with rice.
It was originally popularised by two brothers, Ng Juat Swee and Ng Chwee Seng, who began selling the dish under the name Janggut Laksa along East Coast Road sometime during the 1960s. After the dish gained popularity, numerous competitor outlets began to open and flourish in the 1990s. 328 Katong Laksa is one of these later entrants; having been established a little over two decades ago, it has since eclipsed many of its peers. Its founder, Nancy Koh, developed her recipe through six months of trial and error, then launched the OG 328 Katong Laksa outlet along East Coast Road.
Behind The Bib: 328 Katong Laksa
Plastered on the walls of 328 Katong Laksa are the pictures of Hong Kong stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Ekin Cheng. "Many people read about 328 Katong Laksa in the news, which reported Mr. Leung’s visit to us when he was in Singapore for an awards ceremony," says founder Lucy Lim. She is no stranger to fame herself. In 2013, Lim and her son Ryan Goh beat celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in a Hawker Hero challenge to make the better bowl of laksa.
The East Coast Road is where it all started; the street was once crowded with Katong Laksa stalls. Now only 328 Katong Laksa remains, although people still associate Katong Laksa with East Coast Road.
What started out as a family business years back has morphed into six branches around Singapore, and four in shopping malls. "My two sons and daughter used to spend their school holidays working with me in the stalls and had little free time. I’m very grateful and glad that they are still willing to help me even after they’ve grown up," says Lim.
Katong Laksa Will Satisfy Your Laksa Craving
I think most of you know that Katong Laksa is a nonya-style laksa which is eaten with just the spoon. There has always been an ongoing debate about who is the original creator of Katong Laksa. To be honest, it doesn’t matter who created it first. What’s more important is, who can really withstand the test of time and continue to serve a good solid bowl of laksa.
I wrote about George many years back when he was still at his old location – Telok Kurau Road. They seem to have moved a few times and now, they are at Changi Road. George’s father learnt the laksa recipe from the legendary Janggut Laksa owner and started peddling his Laksa along the streets before hawker centres were built.
A bowl of laksa can only shine with a spicy coconut-based soup, which is the soul of this Peranakan dish. You can tell the difference in George’s all-important homemade laksa rempah (spice paste). His laksa gravy is complex, rich, delicious, and well balanced in taste. It also has a great texture. It somehow reminds Singaporeans of home. The thick vermicelli is very smooth and chewy. George blanches it in the laksa gravy before topping it with fish cakes, cockles, bean sprouts, prawns and laksa leaves. You may opt to add a spoonful of the shop’s tasty sambal chili.
328 Famous Katong Laksa
You can get a bowl of laksa, a spicy seafood noodle soup, at any hawker centre, but Singapore's east coast traditionally lays claim to katong laksa -- regarded as a quintessentially Singaporean dish.
In this variant the broth tastes more of curry than coconut milk and the noodles are diced so they're easy to ladel in the spoon with cockles, fishcake and bean sprouts. Chilli paste is served on the side to allow you to control how explosive the dish is. Dishes come in two sizes -- the smaller was plenty for us. Overall this is a hearty and very satisfying meal and even if you're not a big fan of spicy soups, katong laksa is worth a try at least once.
328 Famous Katong Laksa insists they invented this particular dish and has a loyal local following. The restaurant presents a veritable wallpapering of press coverage -- both local and international, Gordon Ramsey is a fan apparently -- so you'll have plenty to read while you slurp your way through a bowl. Seating is available in both air-con and outside and they have a couple of locations along East Coast Road. 328 may claim to be the original, but the competing laksa shops on East Coast Road are often just as good — it's a memorable meal regardless where you end up -- just don't wear your favourite white shirt.
328 Katong Laksa
Laksa is one of Singapore’s most beloved hawker dishes, and 328 Katong Laksa is one of the better-known shops selling it (along with its rival Janggut Laksa at Queensway Shopping Centre). There’s just something ultra-comforting about the dish — silky rice vermicelli which you slurp up with coconut milk and dried shrimps-spiked spicy gravy, blood cockles and a hard-boiled egg. So we were delighted to discover that 328 Katong Laksa had quietly opened a ‘premium’ concept outlet last year in the heart of Orchard Road, at the revamped 111 Somerset mall.
Called Yellow Cube by 328 Katong Laksa, the 12-seat kiosk sells luxe versions of its classic laksa; each bowl comes with your choice of either mussels, clams or prawns, and you can top up to get an onsen egg or otah to go with your laksa. Instead of serving long, unwieldy vermicelli that slides back into the soup and splashes all over your clothes, 328 Katong Laksa cuts its noodles into bite-sized strands.
Laksa became a dish synonymous with Katong when two brothers opened a coffeeshop stall called Marine Parade Laksa along East Coast Road in the 60s. According to a report by The Straits Times, the brothers shuttered their stall when the kopitiam rent increased, and the unit was taken over by coffeeshop helper Nancy Koh, who would go on to name her new business 328 Katong Laksa (the numbers sound like ‘prosperous life’ in Cantonese). She has since expanded her first stall into a laksa empire; the brand’s official website lists six outlets in Singapore and two in Taiwan. Nancy (pictured) also famously faced off Gordon Ramsey in Singtel’s Hawker Heroes laksa-cooking challenge in 2013, and won the potty-mouthed celeb chef.
328 Katong Laksa
The founder of Katong Laksa, Ms Nancy Koh, took a period of six months through many rounds of trial and error, to create and perfect the recipe. Of the 45 years of existence of laksa in Singapore, Katong Laksa has been a well-known favourite for the last 22 years, which was highly recommended by Yan Can Cook in 2001. It has even attracted the interests of celebrities around Asia who flew here from Hong Kong, Taiwan etc.
15 Best Laksa In Singapore
Laksa─a bowl that tastes of home for any Singaporean. Whether you like it mai hum (without cockles), with yellow egg noodles, or with liberal dashes of extra sambal, here’s our roundup of 15 places to find laksa in Singapore for you to try if you love this dish, or to add to your list of ‘Things To Eat When I’m Home’ if you’re presently overseas.
Apart from well-known laksa stalls, we’ve also included home-based cooks that prepare dry laksa, perfect to try for your next WFH lunch or socially-responsible home gathering. Best laksa in Singapore:
- 328 Katong Laksa
- Sungei Road Laksa
- Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa
- Janggut Laksa
- Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa
- 928 Yishun Laksa
- Grandma’s Noodles
- The Noodle House
- Nonya Delicatessen
- Terry Katong Laksa
- Guang Fa Laksa
- Butter Bean
- Chatterbox
- Let’s Jiak
- Jelebu Dry Laksa
