Singapore-style Laksa downtown Toronto?

[foodlovinggal]

Anyone know where I can find amazing Singapore-style laksa in downtown Toronto?

[Tony8952]

Lion City Restaurant's Laksa is usually quite good..

T&T supermarket used to carry a decent packaged “DoDo” labeled Laksa as well as fish balls. The quality is surprising for a packaged product, but T&T has stopped stocking it at their Mississauga store (probably due to its slight price premium). It's possible your local Asian supermarket could import them from the manufacturer below (Thong Siek):

- "DoDo" Coconut Curry Rice Stick with Fish Cakes (Laksa)
http://www.thongsiek.com/index.php/main/product_category/11

- "DoDo" Fish Balls and other seafood balls
http://www.thongsiek.com/index.php/ma...

Prima still sells their pastes, also decent. It had a restaurant in Robson St, Vancouver called Prima Taste Restaurant, but it closed down.

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Lion City Restaurant
1177 Central Pky W, Unit 70, Mississauga, ON L5C4P3, CA

[hal2010]

Satay on the Road does laksa. I tried it this weekend, but as it was my first time trying it, I have no comparison. It was a bit like Thai coconut chicken soup (Tom Kha Gai) with rice noodles and some red curry paste, but not as sweet.

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Satay on the Road
2003 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON M5M, CA

[jazzng]

Has anyone tried the malaysian food stand inside First Markham Place? It's in the food court tucked into the corner. I usually get the laksa or nasi lemak. I can't seem to find good nasi lemak--i know, very basic but I am trying not to use nasi lemak craving to fly all the way to Malaysia.
I too have resorted to making my own laksa paste at home. Lots of ingredients and more work than I am used to when it comes to cooking.

[towkay]

PRIMA laksa paste is next best to flying to Singapore/Malaysia, if T&T/Toronto should ever decide to restock them. It even has coconut milk and sambal in the mix!

[thecupcakegal]

THE best authentic Laksa (though Malaysian, mind you) is at Restoran Malaysia in Richmond Hill (Bayview & Major Mac). I know, it's a bit far out to suburbia, but trust me, it's worth it! The BF and I have been there for years, and it's his favourite dish. Btw, if you do go, request the Laksa with the mixed noodles. Also the pulled tea is amazing as well as their Roti.

http://www.restoranmalaysia.com/

[helenhelen]

is there anywhere with vegetarian laksa?

[Teep]

I saw an ad in the Chinese newspaper today for Villa Malaysia, at 140 York, Richmond Hill, (East Beaver Creek/Hwy 7). Among the specialties they listed is "la-sa" (in Chinese) which I assume would be laksa. Someone please go try it out!

http://www.villamalaysiatoronto.com/

Edit: it's already been written about here
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7130...

[TanglinBoy]

Garden Gourmet on Sheppard & Brimley is as good as it gets, if you get the older "see-fu" or the owner.
Probably the closest taste to home. If anyone has tried GG and know of anywhere else let me know !
I tried alot of places claiming authentic Singapore/Malaysian but try asking for sambal and see if they
know what you're talking about. They've got popiah on wkends.

[smfan]

One 2 snacks authentic Malaysian food at the Dynasty Centre, 8 Glen Watford Drive, Unit 26, Scarborough. On Sheppard & east of Midland. I find their Laksa is better than the Garden Gourment. They also serve Nasi Lemak and desserts on the weekend.

[Wandering Foodie]

Gourmet Garden is so-so. I find A Snack Or Two (or is it One 2 Snacks?) bland which is the opposite of what laksa should be. My fav restaurant laksa is at Coconut Island at Kennedy & Hwy 7. However, we prefer homemade laksa during the warmer months since it's labour intensive and makes the place smell of spices.

For reference, my taste buds prefer Malaysian laksa to Singaporean laksa.

[TanglinBoy]

Finally took a drive up to Coconut Island to try their Curry Laksa.
I'm from Singapore and they definitely DO NOT serve Singapore laksa.
Theirs is a mild-spiced up version of what we in Singapore call Hokkien Mee (soup version). Singapore laksa is spicy with laksa sauce (not curry), heavy on coconut milk,
with either beehoon or li-fun, with whole shrimp, sliced fish cake, fried tofu, boneless
chicken and the elusive cockle. Then there's the topping of hot sambal blachan ( chili
shrimp paste) . Coconut Island's soup was tasty with a nice shrimp flavour but
hokkien mee (yellow noodles) in Singapore Laksa? No coconut milk, no fish cake and no sambal blachan...$7.50 Ouch ! So back to GG @ Sheppard/Brimley, everything
in an authentic Singapore Laksa (minus cockles), a treat @ $5.80 !

[Wandering Foodie]

Hmm... this is disconcerting. I was there 3 weeks ago and what you described is not what I got. It was Malaysian style: laksa sauce, coconut milk, mix of yellow thick noodles and white vermicelli, etc... (although they had to substitute brisket for chicken because they were out that day). Hopefully they didn't change it. I do admit the owners recognize me but I don't think I get any special treatment because if I were preparing the laksa paste, it would be a whole batch rather than individual servings.

[TanglinBoy]

Thks for the feedback, I'll give them another try in case they had an "off day"'
it happens even at GG, not the same when the apprentice does it.

[Wandering Foodie]

Yeah, I'll have to check it out again to see if they changed. BTW, have you come across a place that serves it with cockles? I see canned cockles in the supermarkets sometimes but never seen it in dishes yet.

[TanglinBoy]

Lots of clams but no sight of cockles in any restaurants-doubt they even heard of them. I've seen them occasionally in the frozen fish section in Chinese & Filipino supermarkets, common in England.

[foodlovinggal]

Thanks for all your input. MunchieHK..... thanks for the recipe! Can't wait to give it a try.

[munchieHK]

You're most welcome. Enjoy!

[Madcar]

My family goes to Lion City in Mississauga for our Singaporean food, including Laksa (we're Singaporean-Canadian).

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Lion City Restaurant
1177 Central Pky W, Unit 70, Mississauga, ON L5C4P3, CA

[szw]

Have you tried gourmet garden's version?

BTW I have seen belacan (from penang) at T&T before but can't comment on recently because I no longer go there. I have bought it recently at Oriental Mart on denison north of Pacific Mall recently.

[munchieHK]

Actually, I would be grateful to find the real thing anywhere in the GTA, let alone downtown. There is a place on Spadina that proclaims 'Laksa' on its facade, but unless you enjoy the taste of bitter disappointment, I would not recommend it.
I have pretty much abandoned this particular search, along with my quests for good Indonesian and Turkish cuisine. I don't think TO has the populations of these ethnic groups to support authentic restaurants. Let me know if you discover otherwise. I'll keep on making my laksa at home.

[foodlovinggal]

Thanks munchieHK. What a shame! I'm dying for some good laksa. I bought a laksa mix from an Asian grocery store to make it and it was terrible. How do you make yours..... from scratch?

[munchieHK]

Yep...that's the only way! Make your own spice paste and you can't go wrong (well, you can actually, but it's still gonna be better than out of a package). Here's an easy and good method for making a paste:
Singapore Laksa/Laksa Lemak Spice Paste

2 chopped small onions
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tbsp crushed blanched candle nuts (use macadamias if you must)
2 tbsp soaked dried shrimp
2 bulbs of fresh lemongrass finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh galangal
1 tsp shrimp paste (Indonesian belacan is best)
2 long red chillies (adjust according to taste)
1 tsp ground turmeric
Bunch of Vietnamese Mint, finely chopped. Alternative is coriander, but it's worth the effort to find the mint.
1 tsp ground coriander

Put the lot into a food blender and blend until smooth, you may need to add a little vegetable oil to help it all come together. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and blend again. Put in a bowl and refrigerate until required.

[Apple]

Thank sounds wonderful. Where can you buy belacan? I have never seen it at T&T

[munchieHK]

The Belacan I buy is in a block with a blue wrapper and it is Njonja brand. You can generally find it in the bigger Chinese supermarkets. I would be very surprised if T&T did not stock it. Otherwise, root around the supermarkets on Spadina. Chinese shrimp paste will do in a pinch, but it's really not the same.

[YVR flyboy]

I'm from Vancouver(often in Toronto). Here is my version: Laksa Sauce paste from T & T. canned coconut milk, chicken broth, rice vermicellli noodles(be careful not to buy bean vermicelli), fish cake(sold at T & T in a brick, then sliced in preparation, fish balls at T & T seafood dept, live mussels, shrimp(live or frozen), baby octopus(frozen), optional hard boiled egg halves, been sprouts. Sambal oelek or balacan(again T&T). I line the bottom of each bowl with a small amount of bean sprouts, a couple of boiled egg halves and cooked rice vermicelli noodles. In a large pot, I fry about a 1/4 cup of the paste before adding the seafood , then the fish cake slices & fish balls before adding a can of coconut milk & finally the chicken broth before finally pouring it over the noodles in the bowl before adding a dollop of sambal.

[klyeoh]

If you need to buy pre-packed laksa spice mix, just get the Prima brand (mentioned by other posters in this thread) - it's the only authentic-tasting brand I'd found anywhere in the world!

[towkay]

Agree! Prima laksa is one of their better recipe. Wish their Cdn distributors will stock more of the other Prima recipes, than what is currently offered, besides the Chicken rice, rendang and curry paste.

[Teep]

You may be happy to know that Laksa on Spadina is a goner.

Have you tried Matahari's version?