Okay, so the place might be a little... erm insalubrious. What's a Foodster got to do? Venture forth with the promise of good food, close one eye and attack with an open appetite...
The first time I dined at Lucky Loke, I went with a group of friends; one of them was Singaporean. As we parked our car in the dark residential lane and made our way to the corner restaurant, my Singaporean friend gaped at the sight ahead: a restaurant employee, in a squat, scaling fresh fish right next to the longkang. I'm afraid that was a bit much for my Singaporean friend's sensibilities but, we persevered.
Inside, an aquarium – packed corner to corner with unsuspecting frogs awaiting their fate. We couldn't look honestly; we squirmed and cringed. No way were we vegetarians, but that doesn't mean we like seeing our would-be dish blinking at us. Ugh. But we were back again, barely a month later. This time I pulled up next to a squashed rat, smelling so foul I almost hurled. But with a (hungry) stomach of steel, I went in and feasted anyway. Your impression of Lucky Loke at this point must not be rosy, but let me explain why my friends and I love this coffeeshop tai chow so much.
Barely 10 minutes away from my office, it's located inside Restoran Kean Fatt (yes the very same one that serves good pork noodles in the day) and right next to the Taman Bahagia LRT station. As far as tai chows go, Lucky Loke is pretty nondescript. Fluorescent lighting? Check. No air-cond? Check. Red tablecloths? Yup. But cheap beer? Oh yes. Good food? Hell yeah.
And then there's the service. Efficient and friendly, the auntie takes your orders with helpful recommendations and the food arrives in your table in less than 15 minutes. They don't bat an eyelid when the conversation and laughter gets too loud, or pressure you to leave early. Perfect for big groups.
But ultimately, it's all about the makan isn't it? Lucky Loke's food may not be the most original or even the most exceptional, but they deliver great, comforting and simple Cantonese meals with aplomb. Actually I may have to take back what I said about not being the most original because Lucky Loke's must-order dish is totally unique (as far as I know) to the restaurant. Ladies and gentlemen, when at Lucky Loke, one must order their garlic fish.
"You'll lick your fingers with relish"
The garlic fish is a very self explanatory dish. Select either half or a whole fish of choice (I usually go with the siakap) and it comes deep-fried with lots and lots of fresh garlic, cili padi and some cilantro. The sauce here is the one that will keep you coming back for more: sour, sweet and with a slight spicy kick, it's like a combination of fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar and apparently, sesame oil. The fish is usually gone within a few minutes with my friends smothering their rice with the sauce as much as it would allow.
Another dish that hardly disappoints is their assam prawns. The prawns itself are fresh and succulent, and its sweetness its nicely balanced with the tangy assam sauce. Its texture is just nice in my opinion: not too thick and chunky. This will have you licking your fingers with relish long after the crustacean is consumed.
The last time I went, we ordered our two favourites and also added stir-fried kai lan and tofu. You can't really go wrong with vegetables fried with garlic Cantonese style and theirs definitely was satisfactory. Kai lan was fresh, green and had a nice bite to it. The tofu, recommended by the restaurant, was cooked very simply with minced pork … as I said, they're not the most inventive. But does it hit the spot? Lets just say that you can't complain when you practically ladle the gravy on your rice.
Lucky Loke will probably never be written about in travel guidebooks as a must-eat-at place but for the people who have been there, you leave with a great dining experience – simple, almost home-cooked meals that makes you feel right at home. Bring your friends and family!
More Photos To Drool On
You want to just ladle all the gravy onto your rice
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