"We need the funk, we gotta have the funk".

Never have those words rung truer. Old Grandma is still standing, ordering everyone about and overseeing the quality control. The tables are full of tourists and locals slurping noodles and pieces of flaky mackerel. The soup, although pungeant and insanely fishy, gets more and more addictive the more you dare to eat of it. This is NOT for the faint-hearted, this food is an acquired taste and will send some people running to the hills at the first whiff.

Having spent the best part of a month feasting on every place I could find raved about in Georgetown, I had delayed visiting Mews Cafe just out of sheer stubborness. I had walked past a few times and seen the fanny-pack tourists sitting there lost in idle conversation and decided it wasn't my kind of restaurants. One scorchingly hot afternoon I took shelter beneath a shady leaf and ordered their famous Laksa since it was so highly praised online. 

It was stunning. Truly one of the best curry laksa you'll find in Georgetown. Whatever their family recipe is, they should guard it fiercely because this is a winner.

With vegan alternatives like this who the heck needs meat? Sublime aubergine kung pao with smokey dried chilli's, chunks of fresh ginger and some green pepper. The service was friendly and the location was awesome right opposite a small alleyway with some bars.

Stunning! Seriously! Stunning!

Not the biggest fan of waiting in lines in 35 degree heat/humidity, I already gave up once at this place when I stood for more than 30 minutes and moved all of 2 meters closer to the stall. Today I managed to get a plate of steaming hot koay teow in under 45 minutes. Was it worth it? Yes. 

The other versions of this dish I tried in Georgetown don't compare. This had the kiss of the charcoal wok, the plump prawns, was spicy and not as sweet as many others. Do yourself a favour and avoid the lunch rush, and pray you don't get stood behind someone ordering 10 portions to-go, like I did. You start visualizing death.

Speaking of spices, the potato stems with prawns at Tek Sen don't hold back. The waiter asked me twice if I was sure, but his fears were baseless. It had a hit to it, but nothing that a proper Thai dish won't stoke up. Everything I tasted on the menu here was excellent, but come early unless you want to sit in a plastic chair waiting room for what can be an hour. It's really THAT popular.