You won't be able to travel for the foreseeable future, but if you want a taste of Sarawak, you just need to hop over to Toa Payoh.

Ian-Tau Ban Seng Sarawak Laksa at Toa Payoh sells Sarawak laksa and according some of our Sarawak friends and customers online, it is the real deal.

The menu

There are three options to choose from: The Normal (S$5.90), the Special (S$7.90), and the Jumbo Prawn (S$9.90).

All three contain the same ingredients — thick bee hoon, omelette strips, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, and fresh coriander — but in differing portion size.

The Jumbo Prawn portion comes with — you guessed it — big prawns while the other two sizes serve up normal-sized prawns.

The stall was opened by a Sarawakian who lost his job with SIA during the pandemic, according to Miss Tam Chiak. He experimented with different variations of rempah (spice paste) in order to recreate the taste from back home.

How special is Sarawak laksa?

Laksa is very common in Southeast Asia, and throughout the region, there are many variations.

Referred to as the "breakfast of the gods" by late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, Sarawak laksa is typically made with a sambal belacan base and tamarind, lemongrass, an inexplicably long list of herbs and spices, as well as a touch of coconut milk.

This makes it unique from other laksa variants in the region which are typically (and very broadly speaking) either curry-based (e.g Katong Laksa) or tamarind based (e.g. Assam Laksa).

Ian-Tau Ban Seng Sarawak Laksa

Address: 125 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, Singapore 310125 (map)

Operating hours: 9am to 2:30pm (Friday to Wednesday); Closed on Thursdays

Social media: Facebook

Top images via Ian-Tau Ban Seng Sarawak Laksa