I HAVE been to Er Lou Cafe three times in the past month, and each time I would order its Sarawak laksa.

Its robust, spicy broth comes in an enamel mug, served separately from the noodles which are topped with chicken, prawns, egg omelette strips, beansprouts, calamansi and fresh coriander.

My only gripe with this novel way of serving Sarawak laksa (RM13.90) is that the curry is always not enough to completely cover the noodles in the bowl. But its flavours open up on your palate, and you pick up the fragrance of the spices in it.

Think cumin, coriander, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, lemongrass, dried chillies, among others. The curry has the gentle tartness of tamarind and tastes so good with the noodles.

Er Lou, in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, is owned and run by Kuching folk. Besides Sarawak laksa, the cafe has a couple of dishes on its menu that feature malicai or sayur manis, which we often find as a topping for pan mee in Kuala Lumpur.

This dark, sweet and nutritious vegetable is much favoured in East Malaysia. It has been found that you can eat as much sayur manis as you like if it’s cooked. In its raw form, it can be toxic.

The malicai fried noodles (RM12.90) were done in a dry style, with egg, chopped choy poh or preserved radish, dried chilli and lots of sayur manis.

I thought the noodles were missing a good garlic chilli sauce or sambal. But when I had the rest of it later at home, I could get the chilli and the choy poh in it, which made it tastier.

The lobak (RM9) here may appear small and shrivelled, but they make delicious bites with its spiced minced pork filling. We liked the chai kueh (RM6) too – three steamed dumplings on a bamboo basket, served with a chilli dip. The dumplings were perfectly steamed, their thin, sticky white skin plump with a filling of sengkuang and carrot fried with dried prawns.

The 10-grain pork lard rice with fried egg and minced meat (RM13.90) made for a most satisfying meal. The rice was covered with lard crispies, chopped up and sprinkled on the rice, together with some minced pork.

I enjoyed the fried egg, too, submerged in a soupy minced pork sauce. A small plate of vegetables and a soup completed this meal.

On another occasion, we couldn’t resist ordering the 10-grain rice with salted fish minced meat and vegetables (RM14.90). We would have liked more salted fish in the delicately flavoured minced pork patty served in a soup.

Er Lou also has a menu of noodle dishes for vegetarians. It is located on the first floor above Omulab at 7A, Jalan 17/45, Seksyen 17, Petaling Jaya. Call 016-7228 793 for enquiries. – January 29, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.