328 Katong Laksa sells famous Singaorean laksa

Laksa is right up there with one of Singapore’s most popular national dishes, especially since we have our very own local variation: Katong laksa. Developed by the Peranakan community who lived in the Eastside neighbourhood during the time, Katong laksa has become world-famous, in large part thanks to 328 Katong Laksa going head-to-head with Chef Gordon Ramsay during the Singtel Hawker Heroes challenge in 2013. FYI, their recipe won his!

Image credit: @ac_keong

Before we dive into the history of 328 Katong Laksa and how it became so famous, let’s dive into what it actually is.

The dish stands out from regional variants of laksa thanks to a few things: its orangey, coconutty stock that is heavily flavoured with hae bee, its toppings—which range from shrimp to cockles—and most noticeably, the fact that Katong laksa is eaten with a spoon instead of chopsticks. The noodles are so finely chopped, you can scoop them up the way you would with rice.