PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIALong-time chef Allen Woo set up Laksa Me with some of his students and proteges. It’s a very casual space in one of Melbourne’s great laneways; the walls are bare, the floor is concrete and the tables are simple with laminated tops. Look again at the floor – upon double-take you’ll notice spatters of paint, handprints and Chinese calligraphy that represent quotes from Confucius and other Chinese poets and sages.
This is a simple but thoughtful eating place with a beverage list headed “drink me” and a menu headed “eat me”. The food is mainly Malaysian with a predictable focus on laksa (the name comes from the lotus-like flower which gives the dish its distinctive flavour) and all its versions. A dish of many ingredients, Allen’s mother’s version is especially good, combining pork, chicken, prawns, flat rice noodles and a complex mixture of spices. Others laksas come from Burma and Thailand. Spicy here means everything from a modest bite in a light ginger and spring onion noodle dish, to a the fire of laksa. The khao soi gai (crispy egg noodles with chicken) has a sauce that brings the palate to life and gives the throat a warm-up. Food is attractively presented, and everyone is friendly. There’s a good beer list and a limited wine list.
Rita Erlich