A not-so long time ago, in a neighbourhood far far away, there was an unassuming stall outside an unassuming restaurant. Even though it was situated far beyond the bowels of Ampang, friends travelled from near and far to sample authentic Sarawak laksa and mee kolok.

One day, after a long while of not having a bowl of Sarawak Laksa, I travelled with a group of friends to the outer reaches of the city. Alas, the stall was missing! What follows now is a tale of perseverance, adventure, and some pretty darn good laksa.

The restaurant staff gave us a name, the stall moved to a place called Diamond Square in Gombak. “Gombak?!” I internally screech. Nevermind. 'Di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan'. And I really wanted that bowl of Sarawak laksa. We pile back into the car and head towards Gombak, frantically googling directions on our smartphones. “No, not Gombak! Diamond Square is in Jalan Gombak!” someone announces from the backseat, pointing at their phone. “Just tell me how to get there already,” the driver barks. We go around the proverbial mulberry bush of Jalan Pahang and Jalan Genting Kelang for a good hour. Tempers are running high, stomachs are grumbling, the sun is setting. Finally, we see it. Dapur Sarawak. Collective sighs are heard as we park the car and scramble out in hunger.

A banner with actor Mahmud Ali Basha's face hangs in the restaurant, asking us to “jom berambeh makan”, which translates to “come over and eat”. Owned by said actor, the restaurant is decorated like a typical Malay nasi campur shop, and the smell of laksa wafts out of the window between the kitchen and the dining area. We place our orders. Silence has taken over the table, save for impatient tapping on the table and bouncing of feet. We discovered they also sell mixed rice during the day (I hear there's umai!) and one can also order kuih lapis Sarawak from them.

The bowls arrive. Sarawak laksa – thin laksa noodles in an earthy, almost nutty broth topped with omelette slices. Mee kolok – noodles with sliced beef and chicken, clear broth on the side. And something extra this time for me to take away, nasi aruk dabai – fried rice, but with a bluish tint.

"The Sarawak Laksa is worth the journey"

First off: the Sarawak laksa. The Sarawakian contingent in the dinner party nods in approval. The texture of the noodles against the near-graininess of the broth is perfect to me. No other laksa confounds me as much as Sarawak laksa. What is that taste I don't recognize? A certain something that even the everyday Sarawakian knows but cannot describe, packaged in the mystery of ready-made Sarawak laksa pastes. This unknown element balances well with the earthy sambal that accompanies the laksa and soon, my bowl is clean.

The mee kolok here has apparently stirred up a bit of debate amongst those who have been here. It is not served with traditional mee kolok, but wantan mee. I suspect it's because transporting mee kolok from Sarawak would be expensive, so they make do. The taste isn't too far off from what I've had in Kuching, though. The sliced beef and chicken soak up the clear broth poured onto the noodles. It tastes comforting, like something you would want on a cold rainy evening.

My dinner party is satiated. The location of this restaurant now permanently integrated into our internal food GPS (no more backseat driving!) We leave the place happy and relaxed, completely opposite from the grumpy hunger of an hour ago. Later that night, I try the nasi aruk dabai. Nasi aruk, or nasi goreng, is fried with something that immediately rings a bell on my tastebuds. The lady at the counter told me earlier that it's some sort of fruit, and upon googling, I find out that it is also called “Sibu olive”. This clears up my confused tastebuds as the flavour really is reminiscent of olives. Give this dish a shot if you love olives; it's a real revelation if you haven't tried rice with olives before. The bluish tint mentioned earlier comes from the dabai fruit itself.

On a whole, Dapur Sarawak is a worthwhile visit to satisfy your craving for Sarawakian food this side of the South China Sea. It may not be totally original, but just like pizza or dim sum, we can't always get on a plane to get the real thing. The perfectly tasty alternatives they serve here make a Sarawakian's tummy feel right at home.

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Dapur Sarawak

                   

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