April 21, 2011: Laksa King

For years now we've been meaning to head to Flemington and try out Laksa King's much-famed laksa. One of the reasons we held back was our uncertainty about their veg-credentials - many 'veg' laksas are based on fishy sauces or shrimp pastes. Reassured by Pip's enthusiastic review and provided with transportation by Mike and Jo's new car, we finally made our way out to see what the fuss was all about.

It's a big, busy place - we're obviously late to the laksa party. The fit-out is much flasher than I was expecting and despite the crowds, things don't feel too cramped. After a bit of table-shuffling, we were settled into a nice back corner position and ready to get eating.

Cindy went with an entree-combo, starting with the vegetarian spring rolls ($5.20).

Spring rolls don't seem to vary all that much from venue to venue but the filling in these had a notable extra crunch.  Great to sense some fresh veg in the mix.

To cancel out the deep-fried, Cindy ordered the vegetarian papaya salad ($8.20).

This was a nice fresh combo of sprouts and papaya, liberally dressed in a sweet chilli-based sauce. I wanted this to have a bit more bite than it did - it was neither sour enough or spicy enough to really satisfy my tastes.

I had to try the vegie laksa ($9.20), loaded up with tender eggplant, greens, broccoli, mushrooms and tofu. Plus tonnes of noodles. The soup has drawn mixed reviews - for some it's too coconutty, while others proclaim it the best laksa in Melbourne. I'd lean more towards the second view - there's no shortage of creamy coconut milk but the curry is still richly spiced, leaving me with a light sheen of sweat and some cleared sinuses. For the price this is an amazingly hearty meal - I was stuffed to the gills and unable to even contemplate the dessert menu.

Despite its massive reputation, Laksa King has kept prices pretty reasonable - a curry for under $10 is not too shabby at all. The food lives up to the hype as well, with everyone at our table very happy with the experience. We'll be back.

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There's no shortage of reviews of Laksa King out there: Eat, drink, stagger, Teenage Foodie, Spatula, Spoon and Saturday, Ichigo Shortcake, Food Sponge, 1/2 Eaten, Simon Food Favourites, Ze Eats, Saint-ism, Very Very Hungry Caterpillar, Tummyrummbles, Foodscrazy, I've always been here, Taste Buds Galore, De-brief me, Crushed Guava, Our Food Tales, Hackpacker, michelle, Because I Can't Cook and Lunchosaurus all give it the thumbs up, while Melbourne Culinary Journal, Addictive and consuming, Consider the Sauce, Melbourne's Bargain Foodie and Eat and Be Merry were less impressed.

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Laksa King
12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington
9372 6383
vegie dishes: $5.20-$12.50

Accessibility: OK - a low step at the most as you come in, a bit of space between tables around tables up front and less towards the back. We didn't check out the toilets.