Who doesn’t love Sarawak Laksa, right? Nowadays, there are a lot of toppings for the “weapons-grade plutonium of breakfasts”. Lala Laksa Gold version is one of the writer’s favourites; it is topped with stewed chicken feet, century eggs, and crispy fried chicken skin, which give the laksa broth additional richness and creaminess.
Have breakfast of the Gods in Gold town
“Breakfast of the Gods — that’s the description given by the late Anthony Bourdain in one of his Instagram posts about Sarawak Laksa, which he enjoyed at Choon Hui Cafe, Jalan Ban Hock, back in 2015.
It is learned that the celebrity chef had already tasted “the weapons-grade plutonium of breakfasts” at the same shop 10 years earlier when he visited it to film his ‘No Reservations’ series for the ‘Travel Channel’.
In 2021, an international gastronomy website, TasteAtlas.com, ranked this Sarawak dish top in Asia, giving it 4.8 out of 5 stars in a vote by the website’s members.
In doing so, TasteAtlas placed Sarawak Laksa in its “Best” category, outranking Iran’s tahchin (4.7 stars) and Japan’s nabemono (4.6 stars) — no other Southeast Asian dish made the cut to such rarefied heights!
The essence of Sarawak Laksa is its paste, which is prepared from a variety of spices (such as coriander, fennel seed, cumin, onion, garlic, candlenut, lemongrass, dried chilli, and others) and has a flavour that is somewhat reminiscent of prawns. It is more of a spice broth with a hint of coconut cream, and experts agree that the broth is what makes any good laksa.
Traditionally, a bowl of Sarawak Laksa contains vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, omelette stripes, shredded chicken breast, and prawns — all dunked into a laksa broth and served with sambal belacan and calamansi on the side.
Nowadays, Sarawak Laksa has a variety of toppings like oyster, squid, century egg, stewed chicken feet, fried chicken skin, Pattaya egg (laksa wrapped in an omelette), and many more.
My current obsession (yes, I do have other favourite Sarawak Laksa) is the one topped with crispy fried chicken skin, century eggs, and stewed chicken feet, made by none other than Lala Laksa Gold!
Located at Cafe 98 in Bau, Lala Laksa Gold is a Muslim-owned stall. Since non-Muslim Bidayuh make up the majority of Bau’s population, the existence of the stall has added to the limited halal food options available in the Gold Town.
According to Lala Laksa Gold owner Nur Nabila Norazni, the excitement she and her husband Henselly Rosell Junggai experienced while discovering eateries, particularly breakfast options, in Kuching more than two years ago was the primary inspiration behind starting her business.
“My husband and I enjoy discovering places to eat, and our journey to Kuching (from Bau) usually takes around 45 to 50 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
“The idea to start this business sparked as I wanted to introduce another meal alternative in Bau (so people do not have to go to Kuching or other places).
“Sarawak Laksa is one of my favourite foods (who doesn’t like it, right?) and there have been countless times I have cooked this dish to serve my family and friends.
“All of them expressed happiness and positivity, so I thought, why not try selling Sarawak Laksa?
“After discussing with my husband, we decided to open Lala Laksa Gold on January 29 at Cafe 98, Bau.
“Also, one of the things that prompted my husband and I to start this business was the limitation of halal cuisine options in this area, particularly Sarawak Laksa.
“Now, Bau people no longer need to go far to buy halal laksa because Lala Laksa Gold is also available on the Grab and Foodpanda apps,” she said.
This 32-year-old businesswoman said that she had learned the nature of entrepreneurship from watching her father sell food in the school canteen since she was eight years old, which encouraged her to start her own company.
When asked why she picked Lala Laksa Gold as her business name, this Bau-born woman said she chose the name as it is easy to remember — Lala is her nickname, and gold is synonymous with Bau, which was once famous for its gold mines.
She claimed that she decided to start with a small stall first since she was not yet entirely convinced of the concept of opening a restaurant.
In a response to a question about where the idea to sell Crispy Chicken Skin Sarawak Laksa came from, Nabila said the scrumptiousness of eating laksa with fried chicken at home made her think of making a crispy fried chicken skin version, which will definitely add extra flavour and creaminess to the laksa broth.
“Alhamdulillah, the response from the general public has been really positive from the beginning of my business to the present. Lala Laksa Gold currently has a steady clientele, which is something I’m pleased with.
“In addition, I also have many new customers who come from various districts and want to taste my laksa; being able to make customers’ tummies happy is a great satisfaction for me, and I am extremely grateful for that,” she said.
Regarding shortcomings, Nabila said the change of staff sometimes makes the laksa broth have a different taste. However, this does not discourage her from continuing to serve wonderful cuisine to her customers.
With a variety of feedback from customers, she strives to correct any flaws and maintain the precision of the ingredient measurements so that the flavour of the laksa broth is consistent.
“I am really appreciative of the customers who always provide my staff and me the opportunity to enhance the quality of our Sarawak Laksa.
“Apart from that, since the supply in Bau is occasionally limited, one of my other concerns is finding fresh ingredients like chicken skins and huge prawns.
“Alhamdulillah, I now have suppliers in different locations, which makes it simpler for me to take stock every two weeks.
“Ensuring that we always have chicken skins in stock is quite a challenge for me because Crispy Chicken Skin Sarawak Laksa is our best-selling dish.
“At Lala Laksa Gold, we constantly consider customer feedback seriously and work to enhance the quality of our food to guarantee customers are satisfied,” said the entrepreneur, who decided to settle in her hometown.
When asked whether she has any secret ingredients in her cooking, this Bau-born entrepreneur said the main secret is to give every meal she makes undivided love and care, especially the laksa broth.
She added that the ideal Sarawak Laksa (for her) should have a creamy flavour (achieved by using high-quality coconut milk), a moderate spice flavour, and a broth that is just right — not too runny and not too thick. It also needs to be combined with calamansi, sambal belacan, and coriander leaves.
As for sambal belacan, Nabila said the belacan she uses is specially imported from Miri and made by her mother-in-law, who also serves as the primary supplier of belacan stock for Lala Laksa Gold.
Meanwhile, about the laksa paste she used, she said she combined homemade paste with one from the Cap Helang Matahari, which she claimed contained natural ingredients and had a pleasant aroma.
She added that she is currently in the process of producing her own laksa paste to be marketed.
For the time being, Nabila said her main objective is to consistently maintain the taste of all of her dishes.
“I also have aspirations of turning my small stall into a restaurant that offers a variety of menus.
“In addition to that, with the larger premises, I hope to create job opportunities for the youth in Bau.
“Since my husband is from Miri, we also aim to expand the Lala Laksa Gold wing there in the future,” she said.
Apart from their famous Crispy Chicken Skin Sarawak Laksa, Lala Laksa Gold also sells laksa with chicken feet, century eggs, or a combination of all three for between RM7 and RM15.
What’s interesting is that they now also have new menus, which are Beef Noodle, Kampua Mee, and Fish Noodle, priced as low as RM8.
What else are you waiting for? Visit Bau to experience for yourself how amazing Lala Laksa Gold’s Sarawak Laksa is. After finishing your bowl of laksa, you can also take in the natural beauty that the Gold Town has to offer.
Their stall opens from Tuesday to Sunday from 7am to 2pm. It is advisable that visitors come before 12.30pm as the chicken skin stock is limited.
Not to mention, for those who want to serve laksa to guests during any event but are too lazy to cook it themselves, Lala Laksa Gold offers catering packages starting at RM9 per person (minimum orders of 20 people).
For more information, look for Lala Laksa Gold on Facebook and Instagram or contact them at 016-2394330.
