READ & REVIEWED: Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe + Giveaway

Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe by Janet Tay is a treat for the senses, featuring mouthwatering Malaysian food and a rich cultural setting alongside deeper themes of family and ambition.

Ah Hock is a laksa master in Kuching, Malaysia. With age catching on, he hopes to pass down his secret recipe and family business to his son, Wei Ming. But their strained relationship makes things tricky and Wei Ming would rather chase his own dream of becoming a chef in his own right. When Wei Ming eventually returns to Kuching from Hong Kong, father and son are forced to confront their differences and even as a businessman threatens to take over Ah Hock’s laksa business.

Warning: You might get really hungry reading this as Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe story is such a feast for the senses 😌 I was transported to Kuching's famous Carpenter Street with its old shophouses, traditional eateries and nostalgic charm, where the aroma and taste of hawker food like laksa and kolo mee practically rose off the pages.

The cultural backdrop felt both fresh and familiar. Singapore and Malaysia share many similarities, so while the book whisked me to Kuching, it also carried a comforting sense of home. The characters themselves are relatable: Ah Hock, the grumpy hawker who’d rather turn you away than entertain too many customisations, yet underneath that sharp tongue lies a soft heart; and Wei Ming, torn between ambition and duty, wants to prove himself in the food world but wrestles with the weight and duty of being the only son.

Beyond the mouthwatering food and rich cultural setting, I also enjoyed the novel's deeper and relatable themes: the push-and-pull between ambition and family, the question of whether we’ll ever be “good enough”, and the ties that bind us even when we try to break free.

Thank you, Pick A Book Asia @pickab00kasia , for sending me this newly-released adult fiction! Early Mornings at the Laksa Café by Janet Tay is available at its Shopee store at https://s.shopee.sg/6VJIgYlAm6 . We also have a copy for giveaway - do hop over to my Instagram post for a chance to win!

Disclaimer: The book was provided by Pick A Book Asia for our review. As always, all opinions are ours.

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