W. W. Laksa House also known as Water Works Laksa 水塘路辣沙 located along Jalan Kolam Air is an institution in Johor Baru. This favourite has been around since the 1970s.
You can identify this corner coffee shop easily by its distinctive pink walls and these large pipes just outside.
W. W. laksa is loaded with fried tau pueh (soya bean skin), tau pok, fried fish cake slices, fried vegetarian balls, bean sprouts, grated dry basil leaves and, of course, fresh cockles. All these ingredients and the noodles are soaked in rich gravy pungent with ground spices and not-too-rich coconut milk.
The ingredients for Water Works laksa are freshly prepared at the coffee shop.
Besides its signature laksa, Water Works Laksa House also offers this voluptuous fish otak otak. Just look at the thickness of this otak! Doesn’t it looked like it is inviting us to slip this delectable morsel into our watering mouths?
The otah is as delicious as it is inviting. Inside, it is tender, moist and full bodied – packed with ground fish meat mixed with curry, coconut milk and spices.
The otah otah is offered in a tray and you pay only for what you ate. It is a trick☻ Watch yourself because you’ll be surprised how many you will unknowingly swallow☻
Fortunately, this indulgence won't burn a big hole in your pocket. The bowl of delicious laksa costs RM6 and the otak otak costs 70 sens each.
I'll bring friends who are laksa and otah fans here whenever I am around the area.
Restaurant name: W. W. Water Works Laksa House 水塘辣沙
Address: 36-A, Jalan Kolam Air, Johor Bahru
Non Halal
Date visited: 4 Jan 2012
This laksa place has been around in the 70s, not 80s. It was just a stall by the side of the shop, sheltered by canvas umbrellas. They made the fishcakes themselves at the stall. Business was so good that they bought the shop lots next to their stall.
ReplyDeleteHaven't revisit this place for a long time. It was always the wife doing the cooking, daughters helping around. The guy prepared the fish.
Wow, Vien thanks for the information ;D I've adjusted the post. Appreciate it. When I was there recently, it was a youngish lady who was doing the cooking. She must be one of the daughters.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they are still wearing their black wellingtons. The mother was quite fierce in those days, told my friend off when she wanted to jump queue as she was late for work .
ReplyDeleteThe daughters were really pretty and inherited their mother's statuesque physical attributes.
It only cost RM 2 then, no otak then. Later they sold soupy noodles too which was a blessing as we could bring my sons for breakfast there too.
Wow, I like your blog cos it brings back so memories of chow times in JB. Darn....if only the jams are not so bad, I will search for all my fav stalls in JB.
Not sure if this shop called Seng Kee in T Kebun Teh nearer to Taman Majidee is still around. The yummy fish head curry, the bitter gourd spare ribs and clay pot mutton had my relatives from Ipoh and Telok Intan really go gaga.
LOL thanks Vien. Well I wasn't observing the lady that closely, so I didn't notice whether she was wearing black wellingtons or not ;P Yes, I know what you mean about their statuesque looks - some bloggers mentioned that people are there to give both their eyes and taste buds a treat ;P
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy my blog - I had great fun putting it together too ;D
I shall look out for Seng Kee and try out your recommendations. Thanks for the lead - they are very helpful.
YO!!! y ww laksa and cathay laksa not labelled under laksa?
ReplyDeleteRestoran Sing Kee in on Jalan Chengai Taman Melodies (Kebun Teh). Fish head curry, zha rou, fried cabbage w hae bee, steam pork with salted fish, otak-otak, mei chai kou rou are my favs there.
A few doors down from Sing kee is 'Kedau Biskut Pandan'. Sells tau sa piah. Only shop i know in jb that does business with the door slightly ajar! Finishes very early on weekends. They onyl sell 2 types, black and white (tau sah n lian yong)
Nearby at the corner of Jln Meranti and Jln Chengai is a famous kueh tiaw shop called Kueh Tiau Meng. Very popular not bad quite nice but not my fav.
Then a few doors up the road at the other corner of the same row of shops as Kueh Tiau Meng is a yong tau foo place i forgot the name now... very nice!!!! the liao is what i like there... they have this flat fried tauhu thing that i love.
Cheers
Yi
Thanks Yi for all the suggestions. Shall try them all ;D
ReplyDeleteLast time I was there they still wear wellingtons. However their laksa standard has fallen. I find that small shop on jalan tebrau at taman pelangi facing the empty land that used to have fun fairs much better. There's also a good laksa in johor jaya.
ReplyDeleteSing kee is still there and yes the pandan biscuits still there though I find not as buttery as it used to be.
As for ah meng kuey teow, they used to be very good when they were in taman sentosa. Now its expensive and hardly any ingredients, only a whole load of noodles with nothing muchBetter
Thanks Pat for your sharing. I need to get those Pandan biscuits.
DeleteI second that. Those tau sar piah are of a different style from the Penang ones. But to me, they are in a higher league of deliciousness. Same style as those famous tau sar piah of Balestier Road, Singapore.
DeleteI used to stay near this place and it used to be our family's favorite breakfast spot..I now live in KL and ,whenever i get back home..visiting this shop is a must..it brings back many nostalgic memories as I grew up eating this Laksa since i was a little girl and now Im married...i think its the best laksa ever!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sree for your sharing.
DeleteTheir laksa standard has steadily dropped over the years.Now it is no different from laksa made from a packet.No of ingredients also drastically reduced and they no longer accomodate requests.As for the otak,smaller in size,definitely less fish and don't taste as fresh.Not worth going anymore.
ReplyDeleteAngela.
is the laksa soup contain pork
ReplyDeletewhy is the laksa kari labelled as non-halal? does the ingredients or does the gravy contains pork/lard? been wanting to go to this place for long time :(
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have a Halal certificate
DeleteI went few weeks ago. The lady told me they don't serve pork.
Deleteis it halal?
ReplyDeletetak halal tapi still ada orang islam yang datang makan...kalau tiada hidangan pork atau lard,mohon sijil halal...sbb kedai ni sedap
ReplyDeleteBetul.. saya dari budak sekolah selalu lalu jln kolam air..lepas balik skolah, tiap hari nampak kedai penuh je.. mesti sedap. sekarang umur sudah 51 tahun pon tak dapat rasa lagi.. kalay tak ada pork apply la. halal cert.
Delete