When it’s cold outside, I crave curry laksa. The sweet, creamy coconut milk and the spicy chili oil warms me up. So last week, because it was cold and because – like many Londoners – we’ve been reading Time Out’s Top 50 Restaurants in London issue, Jon and I visited Kiasu, which was Time Out’s best “Cheap Eat” in 2007.
Kiasu is right across the street from Bayswater tube. It’s easy to miss (i.e., we missed it) because their front window is covered by so much distracting window art that you don’t notice the restaurant name. I can’t say the decor gets much better inside, but when I’m eating cheap, super-nice decor just makes me suspicious (that I’m paying more for overhead than for food).
Overall, our meal was good enough for the price, but it wasn’t good enough that I’d make Kiasu a destination. The dishes we ordered were a tad bland, which is not an adjective I expected to use when describing food from the Malay peninsula, and given how good all the other reviews I read were, maybe Kiasu’s popularity has been its downfall (i.e., is the kitchen toning down flavors to appeal to more people)? It was cheap, though. Two starters, two mains, and two drinks cost under £30.
Chye tow kway (pictured above) was a little disappointing. I was expecting some spicy and some sweet mixed in with chewy turnip cake cubes and crunchy bean sprouts, but instead, I got wimpy flavors but with good textures. It was barely spicy (and I am not a spice masochist, believe me) and the sauce seemed more for color than for flavor. Our other appetizer, the oyster omelet, could also have used some more saltiness and spiciness.
I was sorely disappointed with my laksa. The noodles tasted like regular wheat-flour spaghetti, and the broth needed a lot more spice and a little more thickness. While it was a huge bowl of soup, I thought it was lame that the fish balls and the prawns were microscopically sliced to make the soup seem generous. Sure, cut out some of the relatively-expensive prawns, but fish balls? Since when were fish balls a big-ticket ingredient?
Jon’s char kway teow was essentially flat noodles with a mild teriyaki sauce. It also lacked Chinese sausage, despite the menu description including said sausage. We were both sad about the nonappearance of the Chinese sausage.
So I’d go back if I were in the area (it’s unfair to judge a place on one visit, I know), but really, if I’m in that W postcode part of town, I’d rather have the curry laksa at the High Street Ken Hare & Tortoise. I don’t like to rag on small mom-and-pop-style places, but Kiasu was packed to the rafters late on a weeknight, so I think they’ll survive my disappointment.
Yeah, I wasn’t blown away by Kiasu either but their minuscule portion of otak-otak was very good. I also had the char kway teow (blah) and chai tow kueh (not bad – it’s not supposed to be spicy unless you request it – and that’s at a hawker stall, not sure if you can request it at the restaurant). Can’t say I rate the Hare & Tortoise either though… Have you tried Nyonya in Notting Hill? I like that one.
Hi Su-Lin, I’ve tried Nyonya once, and I don’t remember thinking strongly either way about it, but I like your blog and will try it out again on your rec. And I like what I regularly order at H&T, so if Kiasu and H&T were my only two choices for curry laksa, I’d go with H&T.
I went to Kiasu about two weeks ago and was very disappointed – one dish was so spicy I couldn’t taste anything else and the other was bland. I agree about the decor too – horrible – real shame.
http://provender.blogspot.com
Hi HC – LOL – when I went to Kiasu, I was disappointed my food wasn’t spicy enough, so it’s ironic that you ended up with one very spicy dish! If I find myself in Bayswater around mealtime, I’d probably give Kiasu another try (it’s cheap and TimeOut London still has a positive blurb about it), but I’m not going out of my way to eat there, and it sounds from your recent experience that Kiasu could still work on the consistency of its cooking.
Kiasu ..restaurant?
sound funny name and nv been there . Shoudl go to catch it out
Restaurants Malaysia: I wouldn’t rush over to Kiasu unless you’re already in the neighborhood, and it appears from your restaurant listing website that you’re in Malaysia. I’ll keep your comment up in case someone’s looking for KL restaurant recs, though.
Hey there found your blog while looking for places to eat in London (:
As a true blue malaysian, a penagite i might add, the best char koay teow i’ve had here so far is the one found in nyonya. Fried with pork lard yummmy. pricey for its small portion but it’s the closest thing to the real one from penang.
C&R’s pretty good too for malaysian hawker food. Cheap. One in Chinatown behind pizza express and the other one perpendicular to queensway, next to GBK. The chinatown one’s cheaper though.
trish, I’m pretty excited to try out C&R. A few blurbs on London Eating mention the curry laksa, which is one of my faves. Thanks for that tip!
http://www.london-eating.co.uk/5970.htm
For the best Malaysian food in London you should try Blue Pacific in Golders Green – its as authentic as you will ever find outside Malaysia. Do a google for the address and you will not be disappointed.
Malaysian in London – thanks for the tip. I’ll let you know if I check it out.
@Malaysian in London,
Thanks for the tip. I’ve heard that Golders Green has a number of good eats but have not got the chance to go there yet. Other than Blue Pacific, is there any others over there worth a mention?
@American in London,
Not quite sure about C&R. Went there once and swore never to return. Service was horrible and food was disappointing. Perhaps it was the luck of the draw?
C K
C K – Thanks for your views on C&R. I’ve recently visited Rasa Sayang in Chinatown, as well as Sedap in Clerkenwell. Both had their strong and weak dishes, but right now, I’d give a slight edge to Sedap. Have you tried either of them? If so, I’d love to know what you thought.
Hi Malaysian in London and American in London. How about trying out Malaysian food at Melur at 175A Edgware Road, London W2. Our Laksa is pretty good. Let me know your comments
I’m saddened to see such horrible Singapore food sold in London. It’s really a shame because even the laksa, char kuay teow and chye tow kway in my neighbourhood (and the one my mum had for lunch today) look much more appetizing than those that you’ve eaten.
Being kiasu (scared of losing) I think they should prove to be better in terms of food standard and stop tarnishing Singapore’s food reputation.
Nevertheless, I hope you can drop by Singapore one day and taste the authentic stuff.
@Singaporean – no worries – Singapore is high on my list of places to visit. I’ve actually been to KL a few times (pre-blog days) but somehow never made it to SIA.