In the heart of KL, there lies a culinary gem disguised as a humble coffeeshop stall.
THE fiance, Rif, isn’t a fan of curry laksa, especially when it comes with bloody cockles. For me, however, it’s one of my favourite things to eat.
Seeing how much I enjoy this spicy-creamy delight, Rif’s parents picked me up for lunch one day and took me to a curry laksa stall at Kedai Kopi Ming Sing, located on Jalan Ipoh in Kuala Lumpur.
The stall is manned by an elderly couple, who also sells char siew wantan noodles and wantan soup. According to Rif’s parents, the wantan noodles are nothing to shout about but the curry laksa always hits homeruns with the crowd. Often, the noodles run out by 1.30pm, so do get there early to avoid disappointment.
Future dad-in-law’s beancurd skin with barley made a nice addition to the meal but seemed a tad expensive.
Besides the curry laksa, we ordered a bowl of wantan soup (RM5 for 10 pieces of wantan) to share. I thought the wantan was pretty decent: silken and adequately filled with minced pork. Its size, however, was rather inadequate. I could have finished the whole bowl easily by myself.
My large bowl of curry laksa (RM5) looked delicious and had obviously been prepared using springy wantan noodles. I had a good feeling about the dish when I saw the broth: thick, and dotted with burnt-orange oil, it was fragrant with spices and lemongrass. Tastewise, the curry was richly satisfying with just the right level of spiciness. And the sambal provided gave the broth a good oomph.
I recommend eating quickly, as the egg noodles tend to soak up the curry broth. You can try asking the stall owners to give you a bit more broth – if they still have any to spare. The cockles were fresh, juicy and slightly bloody, which gave the broth a boost of flavour. Raw cockles seem to make curry laksa taste better, don’t you think? I didn’t care much for the char siew slices, though, as they were dry and stringy.
My iced cham (RM1.60) was fairly thick and the fu chok yee mai, beancurd sheet with barley (RM3.50), Rif’s father ordered was not too bad, albeit slightly expensive, I thought.
I’m glad Rif’s parents made the time to take me there – I reckon Ming Sing’s curry laksa is possibly the best I’ve tried in the Klang Valley thus far. It was a combination of all my favourite flavours, and I would definitely go back for more.
As we were leaving the shop, the lunch crowd swarmed in. Boy, was I glad I got there early enough to experience this little gem!
Kedai Kopi Ming Sing is at No. 456, Batu 2 3/4, Jalan Ipoh (next to the HSBC), Kuala Lumpur.
Follow Tiong Sue Lynn’s food adventures on her blog at bangsar-babe.blogspot.com or catch her updates on Twitter @/bangsarbabe.