Tell you the truth, there are very few places on this island where I will happily go for a bowl of laksa.
It is not that I don't like laksa.
It is that I am kind of ngiao about the laksa I eat, and I like the gravy to be in a particular color, a particular way.
One place I like to have laksa is at this hotel restaurant somewhere near the Orchard area close to Tanglin.
Another place I like my laksa is at casual eatery Qi Ji where I often find myself struggling to make up my mind between their laksa, nasi lemak and popiah.
Of course, there are the heritage ones at Katong and a few other places- all of whom I won't hesitate to go have a bowl, and recommend.
But life springs you surprises when you least expect them.
A few weeks ago, a post on Facebook group Toa Payoh Makan Places made mention of a stall selling prawn noodles, bak kut teh, and laksa in a coffee shop over at Toa Payoh Central.
And because the coffee shop was right along the route where I always walk from Toa Payoh Lorong 6 to Toa Payoh Central, one early Sunday evening I decided to go.
You might say that I am selective about the food at hawker centers and coffee shops, but I love it when I get a special, worth the calories, worth the stomach, and worth the dollar find.
This bowl of laksa fit all the categories.
So, at first glance it might not be so obvious just why this bowl is so attractive.
But take a closer look and you will understand why.
You will understand why this bowl has garnered so many fans and favorite diners, all of whom will actually make a special trip down from wherever they are to this coffee shop at Toa Payoh just for it.
One of the distinctive things about this laksa is the gravy.
Anyone who appreciates coconut cream santan in their laksa will certainly appreciate this one. The gravy is not made very thick nor very rich as compared to, say, some other similar styles of laksa, but there is sufficient thickness, and, certainly, sufficient taste. You get the flavor of the coconut milk but it is not stirred so rich that you find yourself feeling full after just a few spoonfuls.
Then there are the ingredients.
90 year old Uncle doesn't stinge when it comes to his laksa.
You get everything (except hum cockles) that makes for a bowl.
Swimming in the gravy are a couple slices of very soft fish cake, a couple pieces of tau pok (or is it tau kwa), thick bee hoon noodles, mid-sized prawns that have been skillfully halved, and half a hard boiled egg.
What I especially love about this bowl is how soft everything is.
Yes, seriously.
When I say everything is soft, I mean literally, everything.
Like the fish cakes which at nearly all places that serve it will have a bit of chew, or the hard boiled egg which in whatever dishes it is served will usually bouncy with a bit of boing boing texture.
But the fish cakes in this bowl were incredibly soft- they mushed up inside my mouth, and the white of the egg was in fact quite the same, mushy as well.
The softness extended to the noodles and tau pok, and even to the deshelled prawns, which, although they had a little bit of chew like how all fresh prawns are supposed to be, they weren't tough, dry, or uncomfortable to eat.
It was easy to pull off the meat from the tail.
One small bite and all was good.
You know, it really takes a sincere effort at the stove and perfect timing to ensure that all the ingredients are soft on the palate, yet still retain their shape.
This clarity alone is probably what makes the stall uncle so respected by his old-timers, many of whom have followed him from Whampoa and now to Toa Payoh.