The Holloway Road Malaysian that’s more than just crowd pleasing

It’s no secret to most Londoners that Wagamama isn’t very good. That shouldn’t be a surprise given that its menu straddles five or six disparate South East and East Asian cuisines, many of which don’t have that much in common apart from a preference for rice, making that chain the master of none and the jack of zero trades. But it’s also no surprise as to why that pan-Asian chain remains enduringly popular, with plenty of prosaic reasons ranging from happily accommodating vegans and coeliacs to almost all branches having high chairs (presumably for children and not pets or handbags).

Sambal Shiok, a restaurant specialising in the Malaysian noodle soup dish laksa, isn’t necessarily an obvious choice as an exemplar of an independent restaurant that also happily makes such accommodations, while serving food that isn’t some kind of coded neo-colonialist insult. It serves vegan and coeliac dishes, to adults and warbling little people alike, although presumably only the latter can use the high chairs.

Laksa noodle soups at Sambal Shiok

Sambal Shiok’s signature laksa is gluten free by default, as it comes with thin, vermicelli-style rice noodles – although you can opt for wheaty egg noodles if you so desire. The star of the proteins had to be the firm, pearlescent prawns. Tofu was airy and lightly chewy. The smooth and thinly sliced chicken was by no means bad (even by the standards of British chicken) – it just couldn’t compete with the prawns. Green beans weren’t overcooked and there wasn’t too much beansprout filler. The curry-like soup was a sophisticated yet understated thing of beauty – thin yet lightly creamy with a bit of sweetness and a cumulative peppery heat.

The soup of the Penang assam laksa had a similar peppery heat, but was accompanied by a gentle molasses-like sweetness, as well as an umami that was musky with rich hints reminiscent of fish sauce. There wasn’t much mackerel to accompany the thin rice noodles, but the fish that was present consisted of richly meaty flakes.

The veganised version of the Sambal Shiok’s signature laksa had a soup that was essentially indistinguishable from the non-vegan standard, with the prawn base replaced by miso. Fleshy aubergine and bready tofu, neither of which were too soft, took the place of the prawns and chicken. This was an eminently satisfying vegan dish, standing on its own merits and apart from its non-vegan source material. Wholly vegan restaurants could learn a thing or four.

Small plates at Sambal Shiok

Fried chicken came in batter that was nutty, gently crisp in places and free of excess grease. A nutty satay-like sauce livened up the inevitably meek chicken meat underneath the batter.

Gado gado salad was a cool, gently sweet and eminently refreshing mix of pickles and cassava.

Think of the fenugreek crackers as mustardy poppadoms. Each one was made even better by ladling them dollops of the mildly spicy and umami sambal.

A noodle salad combined thin and narrow rice noodles with disappointingly floppy prawns. A tingly, cumulatively spicy sauce helped make up for the limp prawns, as did the zesty basil and mint.

Although not a small plate, I’ve got no other place to mention the rather tame beef rendang. Tender and a bit coconutty, it was fine, but no more than that.

Desserts at Sambal Shiok

You order the pandan almond cake, and its accompanying condensed milk yoghurt, for their texture rather than their taste. The former was soft, squidgy and crumbless, while the latter was thick and creamy. Neither tasted of much.

The coconut pudding was arranged like a parfait. The top layer of coconut sheaves, toasted to a crunchy finish, contrasted well with the smooth softness of the coconut pudding which formed the bottom layer. It’s therefore a shame that the small size of those pudding lobes made it hard to fully appreciate their milky smoothness. The thin second layer of pepper strawberry was neither here nor there. Sambal Shiok could learn a thing or two about coconut puddings from Phở Thuý Tây.

The Verdict

Sambal Shiok only serves a few things and – unsurprisingly for a laksa specialist – the best dishes by far on its menu are its laksa noodle soups. Its only rival in this regard may well be Normah’s Cafe. Even better, it’s a genuinely welcoming place with its friendly waiting staff and ability to accommodate vegans, coeliacs, kids and even vegan, coeliac kids. Once you’re ready to graduate from Wagamama’s, Sambal Shiok will be waiting with open arms.

What to order: Any of the laksa noodle soups

What to skip: The desserts

Name: Sambal Shiok

Address: 171 Holloway Road, London N7 8LX

Phone: 020 7619 9888

Web: https://www.sambalshiok.co.uk/

Opening Hours: Monday and Wednesday-Friday noon-15.00 and 17.00-21.00. Saturday-Sunday noon-21.00. Closed Tuesday.

Reservations? essential.

Average cost for one person including soft drinks and service charge: £43-47 approx.

Rating: ★★★★☆