What: Sambal Shiok
In a nutshell: Holloway laksa bar
Summing it all up: Malaysian laksa specialists Sambal Shiok have finally found a permanent spot for their critically-acclaimed dishes. Opening up on Holloway Road they're planning some epic weekend brunches and the Riesling wine list sounds good too.
The low-down
Over the past 5 years, Mandy Yin and her Malaysian laksa popup Sambal Shiok has been steadily growing its fanbase. Starting small, as a street food stall, and then building experience through a series of Central and North London popups, Mandy has now finally signed a deal on her own restaurant.
She'll be opening the bricks and mortar Sambal Shiok on Holloway Road this summer. Talking to Hot Dinners today she told us; "We will be a specialist laksa bar - like a ramen bar but instead focusing on Malaysian Nyonya laksa, the king of noodle soups." If you're wondering what'll be on the menu, let us enlighten you:
- THE STANDARD (£9) - Fat rice noodles, fried tofu puffs, bean sprouts and green beans
- CHICKEN LAKSA (£10.5) - Standard plus poached chicken
- PRAWN LAKSA (£12) - Standard plus king prawns in traditional broth
- THE SPECIAL (£13.50) - Standard plus king prawns & poached chicken - in traditional broth
- THE VEGAN SPECIAL (£12) - Standard plus charred aubergine & sautéed potatoes in vegan broth
Plus there will be beef rendang, Assam fish curry, tarka dahl curry and mini bowls for kids too. Not to mention Malaysian fried chicken with peanut sauce.
Even the wine sounds great with sommelier Zeren Wilson returning to build the list (a compact Riesling-focused one) for them as he did at their Laksa Nights partnership in 2015 at The Newman Arms, with bottles starting at £21.
Size-wise the restaurant, which takes over from the Mexican restaurant Amigos at the Highbury Corner end of Holloway Road, will have room for 40 diners. 10 of those spaces will be held back for walk-ins to do counter dining and the rest will be at tables and - may the gods be praised - they'll take reservations.
More about Sambal Shiok
Where is it? 171 Holloway Rd, London N7 8LX
When does it open? 12 June 2018
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @sambalshiok
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