I was intrigued by the comment of Anthony Bourdain when, as a judge in Top Chef, he declared to the contestant who prepared a dish in the "quickfire" challenge (that is, food prepared in either 15 or 30 mins), "I am very serious with my Laksa." I had to look it up: what is a "laksa?" 
To my delight, Laksa is among the specialty dish prepared in a new restaurant in Timog called Nasi Lemak. The resto is owned by a Malaysian married to a Filipina. A restaurateur for many years in Malaysia (according to him), he decided to put up the resto in Manila because he noticed that most of our food have artificial flavorings. He wanted to offer an alternative resto that serves authentic Singaporean food without the additives.
We have visited this resto twice, and have not been dissappointed. The signature appetizer, Kueh Pai Ti (Prawns, root vegetables. Chinese lumpia in a crispy shell. ) is similar to a fried dumpling, but tastes a lot better. The satay pork and chicken are also very tasty, and I love the sauce! The rotti (which is like a pita bread but has the consistency of a croissant) is soft and chewy, and really goes well with the peanut sauce.
And of course, my new fave, the Laksa! Now I know why Anthony Bourdain is serious about his Laksa! It is a soupy concoction of coconut milk, lemon grass, tiger shrimps, basil leaves, togue, squid balls, and topped with egg slices. The taste is a little similar to Thai's tom yang but milder. Because it is not too spicy and has a tinge of sweetness, you feel like you can't get enough while eating it. Yum!!
Nasi Lemak, located at the Thompson's Square (corner T. Morato and A. Roces Ave., QC), prides itself of authentic Singaporean food without MSG.
UPDATES: Nasi Lemak has moved to Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas Center.
1 comment:
Last Dec 2009, I noticed Nasi Lemak is not anymore at Thompson's Square but moved somewhere.
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