Wan Dao Tou Assam Laksa

Wan Dao Tou (湾岛头) is an assam laksa specialist now on Jalan Gottlieb, in the Gurney/Bagan Jermal pocket of George Town, and a holder of a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The third-generation owners cook to a 50-year-old recipe handed down from their grandparents: every fish is deboned and shredded by hand before being simmered into the stock, giving a lighter-coloured, cleaner broth than many versions in town. The bowl of sour-spicy assam laksa is the whole point — a tip from the kitchen is to add the fried popiah so it soaks up the soup. A handful of kuih and snacks round out the visit.