Laksalicious

After checking in at our hotel, we were hungry and decided to venture out to the surrounding areas for food. Most of the shops were no longer open as it was around 3pm in the afternoon until we chanced upon Laksalicious

Since it was our first meal in Penang, we wanted to dig into local dishes and Penang laksa hit the spot since it was not too heavy as a mid-afternoon meal just before dinner. Nestled along an entire stretch of shophouses which were closed, Laksalicious was the only restaurant in sight

Due to the time we visited, there was only 1 other table of diners and the space was empty. With minimal decorations, the restaurant was focused on the food offered at affordable prices. The kitchen is located at the back of the space with a 2nd floor to seat more customers when the restaurant gets too busy

The menu had quite a few local delights which you need to try when you are in Penang. The highlight is the laksa and the restaurant offers 2 types of laksa; the assam laksa and nonya laksa in both soup and dry versions. There are also options for blue pea rice with mutton, beef or chicken rendang. Since it was our first meal in Penang, we went for the 2 types of Laksa. The assam laksa is the darker coloured soup while the bright orange colored soup is the Nonya Laksa. The difference is in the gravy where the assam laksa is clear and made with bones and Assam juice whereas the nonya version includes coconut milk and is more creamy and spicy without the sour flavour. Both versions come with a crispy prawn cracker, mint leaves, lime and fresh onions and vegetables

Regarding taste, the prawn crackers were fantastic and we wanted to order more to eat as snacks. Surprisingly, dipping it into the gravy was great as it added a strong umami flavour. The gravy was thick and chocked full of ingredients like fish meat, torch ginger flower and lemongrass. Each spoonful of the noodles with the gravy was packed full of flavour with an appetizing tangy tone with the generous use of tamarind. The noodles were also bouncy and chewy which picked up the gravy well. The version with the coconut milk was less sour and more salty and creamy but both were delicious

We ordered the lor bak ngor hiang which was served with a chilli dipping sauce. The spring roll was freshly fried and filled with spiced meat which was nice as a snack. Personally, I am not a big fan of this kind of spring roll so the dish was not memorable for me

For dessert, we ordered the most popular item which is the Nonya Sago Gula Melaka which looks very pretty as the sago pearls are dyed blue using blue pea flowers. The sago is tasteless by itself and needs the gula melaka to add the sweetness and the shredded coconut to add the fresh coconut flavour. I love the desert as the freshness of both the gula melaka and shredded coconut was a delight to eat with the sago

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food in this small restaurant. We always visited popular tourist sites for our Assam Laksa fix but this time round, the meal at Laksalicious managed to satisfy our cravings and this was our only Assam Laksa meal in Penang. With a clean and comfortable environment right in town, it is worth a visit

Address: 117A, Jalan Hutton, George Town, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Operating hours: 11.30 am to 7 pm ( Closed on Mon)