Wednesday 30 January 2013

Laksa King - Eat like a Windsor in Flemington

It is always a bit challenging to visit all of the places that you either read about in the usual press that are a bit inconvenient to get to. Laksa King in Flemington is one of those places only because I didn't want to take the train to Newmarket to enjoy a laksa of all things when the cost of the fare would equal that of the food in some cases. However I used my latest trip to Costco to give me an incentive to make a detour to Flemington so I could finally ascertain what the hype with this place is all about.

 Frankly I was shocked to find such a clean restaurant that was air conditioned where the manager not only takes you to your seat but will take your order and bring your food. He was all business and I appreciated that. My first impression with the brick wall, plants and the types of tables and chairs was that I was at a Brisbane RSL however the extensive menu of Malaysian and Chinese inspired fare removed those thoughts in quick fashion.

 There is no pomp and circumstance here. The chicken roti rolls that we ordered to start appeared in about five minutes. They were much larger and flavoursome than I expected them to be. Once again probably because I went with low expectations, I was easily impressed in every area that I find important. They are known for their laksa, so I ordered the king prawn variation and what was delivered after a reasonable about of time was just massive in both quantity and taste. The kitchen took the time to remove the heads, tails and the poop chute from the prawns which I found to be a nice touch and once again was not expected. The laksa was a cornucopia of flavours and products so every taste was slightly different but also special. I was impressed and I am not much of a consumer of laksa.

 Leaving is a bit of a chore though as the server, in our case the manager, needed to announce what table we were at so we could pay at the kiosk. They do not except credit cards but conveniently have a generic ATM right next to the kiosk for your use. It is quite clever of them so they can operate a cash-based business and pass on the fees to the customer directly to withdrawal cash instead of the banks charging the business for the pleasure of accepting my used and scratched American Express. It is quite clever of them and fortunately between us we found legitimate currency and tendered it so that we could make an exit without guilt or any surcharge for a cash withdrawal.

 Clean, efficient, different tastes and a substantial amount of food would get me to go back and actually take the train for the pleasure next time and not simply just use the fact that I was visiting Costco an excuse to frequent the area.

Laksa King, Flemington
Laksa King
Link to review
6/10-12 Pin Oak Cres., Flemington VIC 3031
(03) 9372 6383
My Rating: 13.25/20
Service: 3.25/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Value For Money: 3.5/5




Twitter: @epicurean3006
e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com
At the time of this post, 89% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon also like Laksa King.

Laksa King on Urbanspoon
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Location: 10-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington VIC 3031, Australia Labels: , , , , , ,

7 comments:

  1. Kenny Consider31 January 2013 at 11:19:00 GMT+11

    "Frankly I was shocked to find such a clean restaurant."

    Can I ask why you found this so shocking? And, indeed, why you seemed to have such low expectations overall about your visit to Flemington?

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    Replies
    1. Unknown2 February 2013 at 19:19:00 GMT+11

      I wasn't trying to demonise Flemington, it is just that all of my experiences in the suburb in the past have been average with respect to food and beverage so my expectations were not high. Combined with the fact that the majority of the laksa that I have had in the past have been at smaller venues that were not as interested in providing a friendly and hospitable experience like Laksa King, my writing style on this review was a bit skewed however going in with low expectations and being impressed is certainly better than the opposite.

      Delete
    2. Kenny Consider2 February 2013 at 19:52:00 GMT+11

      Fair enough!

      Delete
    3. Kenny Consider3 February 2013 at 09:34:00 GMT+11

      FWIW, in recent years I have eaten at more than 10 eateries in the Racecourse Rd/Pin Oak Cres area. With two notable exceptions, these have all been what I would describe as experiences involving "friendly and hospitable" service. But I suspect that phrase may have rather different meanings for you and I.

      Delete
  2. Ying- Venuemob1 February 2013 at 00:40:00 GMT+11

    I'm down at Melbourne Uni, more than happy to visit this place on a daily basis.

    Have a feeling those prawns might be frozen and prepackaged rather than the work of the chefs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7 March 2013 at 11:25:00 GMT+11

    Hi there, I eat at Laksa King quite often and have always loved it. Last night I was dining with friends and one of my pals made an off handed comment about the secret ingredient of the Laksa being "MSG". I am now determined to find out whether the delicious laksa is because of a fantastic recipe or because it's got MSG in it.

    I would be very disappointed to find out it contained MSG.

    Does anyone think this is true or have a way to find out?

    I have actually contact Laksa King and I will curious as to what they say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Epicurean of Southbank7 March 2013 at 11:46:00 GMT+11

      Here is an interesting link to Food Standards Australia on MSG.

      http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/_Documents/consumer_pdf/MSG.pdf

      Delete

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