We had a meeting in Puchong and that concluded just in time for lunch. Puchong, as you know, offers a variety of options for food and the only reason we decided on Hai Siang Kopitiam was because of their Sarawak Laksa. I read some of the restaurant’s review online and a number of them said the Sarawak Laksa here was good. Since some of them were Sarawakians themselves, so … it must be good, right?

I haven’t had Sarawak Laksa in ages. The last I did was at James Brooke Cafe in Kuching, Sarawak about 5,6 years ago. From what I can recall – it was really good. Slightly thickened broth that was flavorful and simply yummy. So, I was looking forward to relieving that feeling again.

The first dish to arrive was the Sloppy Joe Sandwich. We ordered it because we missed the taste of flavorful minced meat with a good dose of spices and cubano sauces. Simply thinking about it got me salivating… yum! Anyways, what we got was just a Joe minus the Sloppy part. It was dry as hell. There was lightly toasted wholemeal bread without an ounce of butter on it, small bits of dry chicken meat layered with a piece of chesdale cheese. Apparently it was suppose to come with caramelized onions, we did not get any. The dish was dry on dry, tastewise pretty bland. So, do request for chili sauce if you order this dish. Funnily enough, the simple taste of the sandwich reminded of my college days. There were days after class when I was tired and lazy to think about what’s for dinner. So, usually I’d end up stir frying some chicken and accompanied with a slice of bread and cheese, that was dinner. So, I suppose for nostalgic purposes, this Sloppy Joe sandwich was tolerable.

The Sarawak Laksa was okay but I am not too sure what all the positive ratings online was about. The broth was soupy and watery. Sure, I know that this laksa generally has a less thicker broth than Curry and Asam Laksa but I am pretty sure it shouldn’t be as watery as the one here. It’s almost as if they decided to forego the little coconut milk needed for this dish. Oh well, what would I know, right? I’ve only tasted a few Sarawak Laksas prior to this. Tastewise, it was decent. There were lots of shredded chicken and noodles. The slight sourness, usually derived from tamarind, was missing or perhaps very mild. Despite the lack of, it was not bland. Somewhat flavorful. So, that was good.

Perhaps we ordered the wrong dishes? Or perhaps this is a matter of preferences? Should I have gone with Curry Mee instead? I don’t know. I wasn’t impressed with the food. Customer service was great though. Despite the full house, we were attended to quickly, food arrived speedily too. I most probably would not be back here.