Toa Payoh 94 Laksa

[Toa Payoh, Singapore 🇸🇬]

Laksa (S$5)

Toa Payoh 94 Laksa 大巴窑叻沙
Address 🛖 : Blk 94 Toa Payoh Lorong 4, # 01-30 Singapore 🇸🇬 310094
MRT 🚇 : Braddell (NS18) North South Line

Our main goal for our trip to Toa Payoh was to try Toa Payoh 94 Laksa. Decided on the large $5.80 bowl and it came with plump hum (you can ask for them to be blanched if you prefer), half an egg, prawns and fish cakes. The Nonya-style broth is made with a generous amount of hae bee - it’s coconutty, rich and not overly creamy. It was a pretty quick 15 min queue for us! Definitely something I would have again if I’m in the area. Do come by early as they usually sell out before their closing time at 2pm.

Cockles are a staple in laksa & char kway teow, but just like my money, they are shrinking & disappearing at an alarming rate. Fortunately, Toa Payoh 94 Laksa is standing firm against the tide of missing cockles with their jumbo sized shellfish. For the uninitiated, cockles are a saltwater bivalve shellfish that have an iron rich taste, giving the impression of ‘bloodiness’ when raw. ⠀
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As such, raw cockles are pretty polarising, but I’ve definitely grown to appreciate them, especially when they’re submerged in a hot bowl of luscious laksa gravy. Toa Payoh 94’s colossal cockles, on the other hand, take it to a whole new level. It’s a massive burst of salty, iron rich juices that mingle with the spicy coconut laksa gravy & enhance its flavours & weightiness. If you ain’t big on cockles, then you might wanna give this a pass.⠀
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Even without the cockles, both colossal & diminutive in the bowl, Toa Payoh 94’s version is plenty palatable. The laksa gravy is sufficiently rich & silky, with a pronounced spiciness and the aroma of lemongrass lingering in the background. And at five dollars & eighty cents flat, this hearty bowl of laksa is a hell of a bargain. Not only do you get the cockles, you get three (mercifully de-shelled) prawns, some taupok (tofu puffs), and half a hardboiled egg. Incredibly good eating for under six bucks, and you’d be hard pressed to find this kind of hearty fare in today’s Singapore.⠀
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Toa Payoh 94’s laksa might just score a 94 out of a hundred, and it’s one of many reasons why Singapore’s hawker culture is utterly GOATed.

Oh, the price of hum these days! Missing the old Lik Ming laksa so tried this new one at Lor 4. Not bad lah, need to stir in the chilli for full flavour. Generous with noodles & fish flakes, decent sized prawns, friendly service. Just that everytime hawkers tell me how much it costs to add cockles (hum), I’m shocked into silence for a full minute. Erm $2. It’s fresh not overcooked & maybe just me being greedy but still feel too little leh. It’s just how it is lah. A portion of hum for mixed rice at Ocean Curry is also $2. And thinking back on the last two times I ate laksa ( restaurant & standalone franchise stall), this $6.8 laksa (because I die die must add hum) is still considered very reasonable lah.😅 Not complaining