The Dead Cockroach: 63 Laksa - $2 Laksa @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

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If you are wondering why this stall at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre is called 63 Laksa, here is a clue: it is NOT the stall's unit number.

Well, try pronouncing the numbers 6 and 3 in Hokkien. Do you get it now?

While researching about this stall, I found out that the price of its laksa is a mere $2 however, by the time I finally visited, the price has increased to $2.50. This is what procrastination do to you.

On the day of my visit, I headed straight for the stall to order a bowl of laksa. Placed beside the cauldron of laksa broth are a few porcelain bowls containing thick bee hoon that has been cut short. The shortened thick bee hoon is easier to pick up with the spoon and much more convenient to eat.

The stallholder picked up one of the bowls and scooped boiling laksa broth into it before pouring the broth back into the pot. He repeated this a couple of times more in an unhurried manner.

He is so meticulous that not a drop of the broth splashed anywhere.

When he finally decided that my thick bee hoon has reached his desired doneness, he asked if I wanted chili and proceeded to add some to the side of my bowl when I gave him the go ahead. "Is it enough?" he asked again. I nodded.

As a final touch, he scooped some raw cockles and carefully placed them at the top of the noodles, right next to the finely chopped laksa leaves. "Be careful, the bowl is hot" he cautioned as I picked up the bowl with my hands.

His dedication to what he is doing impresses me. I have yet to come across anyone having as much passion in their craft as him!

I picked a table nearby and sat down to observe him some more. When not serving customers, he would be keeping his workstation clean by wiping away at the surfaces with a neatly folded cloth (I am hesitating to call it a rag because the one he is using is pristine white). The stall received an "A" grade from NEA so I guess all that wiping pays off.

Ok lah, maybe he got OCD or is obsessed with cleanliness but still.

The laksa is served in a traditional looking porcelain bowl together with a porcelain spoon. Although not a very big bowl, it is filled to the brim with shortened thick bee hoon, uniformly sliced fish cake, bean sprouts and cockles.

Some laksa hawkers tend to add cockles into the bowl without much thought. The cockles would often sink to the bottom and became overcooked in the broth. To me, having such rubbery shellfish is a waste of calories thus I really appreciate how this stall took the trouble to make sure their cockles stayed on top.

Or maybe there is too much bee hoon below that there is no more space for the cockles to fall below? Nevertheless, I am sure you would agree with me that overcooked cockles is not much of an enjoyment.

I do not like the coconut milk in my laksa to be too heavy but the consistency of the laksa broth here is creamy without being overwhelming - just how I like it to be. Of course, the addition of laksa leaves that give laksa its distinctive flavor cannot be undermine too.

My only gripe is that the chili is kind of sweet and not spicy. I actually prefer the taste of the laksa before the chili was mixed in.