Sambal Shiok in Islington

Sambol Shiok is another Malaysian restaurant, hence tried it just to tick the box. When I was browsing the menu, I was in despair and wanted to leave because there were not many non spicy options. The only thing you could choose was the fried chicken and a side of rice which is a bit sad as they didn't even have lasi nemak or something like that. Prices of drinks were as if they were coming from cocktail mixologists. Tried the chicken curry laksa and penang assam laksa. First off both laksas were super spicy but lacked depth, it was just heat and that was it. The noodles in the curry laksa were too soft and the chicken was dry and not fresh as it had some funny taste to it as if it was left overnight. The penan assam laksa came with a spoon of shrimp paste which was weirdly sweet. Last but not least the pandan Americano didn't have the faintest taste of pandan.

Two of use came by for lunch at Sambal Shiok (which apparently means ‘shockingly good sambal’). The sambal is passable but the rest of the food is best described as shockingly poor to average while the prices are best described as extortionate. We started with fenugreek crackers and tomato sambal which were reasonably tasty. The "classic" prawn laksa comprised a tasteless watery broth, a couple of pieces of tofu, six green beans, six prawns, lots and lots of chilli pepper, and noodles ... and that was it for £18. To add insult to injury, they also offer a small carton of coconut milk for an additional £2. My colleague's vegan-special laksa appeared to be a better deal - at least the broth had some substance and taste. As a number of reviewers have already noted, the laksa here is a very pale version of the real thing. Service was very friendly and helpful - and needed to be in order to begin to justify the outrageous bill. Avoid.

The laksa was nice, but nowhere near as good as at my favourite Malaysian in Soho. The portion was half the size and twice the price. Drinks are too expensive, too, and the space is quite cramped. We had high expectations but were sadly disappointed.

Friendly welcome, short menu, and cramped dining room. The fried chicken was fantastic, the laksa was fine (but really overpriced), and the drinks small. Though there was nothing wrong with our lunch, I think there are better Malaysian restaurants in London.

Nipped in here for a quick meal before an event at Union Chapel. The food was ok but their mild broth would have been hot anywhere else so I wasn’t able to finish the bowl. The bill arrived and I checked it over. They add 25% as an optional service charge. I would have paid 10% without question but 25 really is taking the micky. Our server explained that this was standard “in all restaurants”. Sorry guys, we won’t be back

I’ve been here probably 10/15 times before going to the Arsenal. I have never left disappointed. It’s fast, it’s tasty and it’s nice and spicy. Friendly, efficient service and good beer. Winner in my book. See you soon!

“Sambal Siok” (Malay for a great dish with thick pasty sauce). I ordered prawn pineapple Sambal and rice. When I got it certainly wasn’t anything the the name implied. Too much of a western infusion the the Malaysian dish that made it tasteless, preceded at £17.50 certainly highly overpriced and small portion. To give it some taste I asked for Sambal and was given a small portion of tomato/chilly sauce certainly not “Sambal” which they charged me £2.50 extra. If you want to have great authentic Malaysian food don’t go there anymore but go to Laksa or Rasa Sayang in Central London/Soho where you will get large portions of tasty food at 1/3 cheaper price . Then they wanted ti charge me service charge and I was really pissed off because I did not order service just food I could have cooked it myself. Total disappointment and waste of money. Certainly not “Sambal” or “Siok”.

The laksa broth is decent, and the staff friendly. But the portions are small and expensive. If you want egg noodles and and egg - two essential laksa ingredients included everywhere else - you pay a £5 supplement. And it is missing other staples too. This takes your small bowl of Laksa to almost £25, including service. Put simply - nice, but not worth it.

We loved our meal here - we went for the fried chicken and Gado Gado salad for starters, which were both yum, and then had the special laksa (prawn and chicken) and chicken curry. Both were delicious and the rose milk was amazing! The cafe is really nice, with reasonable prices - was happy to see it was fully booked on a Tuesday night - always a good sign! The staff were also so lovely, we had a long chat with Yao the general manager and told him how much we enjoyed our meal - it was very interesting learning about how the laksa is prepared and all the effort and time that goes into it. I would recommend this place to anyone who likes Malaysian food - we’ll definitely be back to try the beef rendang next time!

This laksa was so disappointing. The sauce was thick like a curry sauce that you’d expect to get from a chop shop! Apart from chicken and noodles there were a few green beans, that was all. I’ve attached a photo of the laksa we were served and one of an authentic laksa. You can see the difference. We won’t be back, plenty of fantastic Asian restaurants in London.

Comforting laksa on a cold rainy day. My partner and I were here for lunch on a Thursday at 2pm. We had the mild laksa and we recommend opting for the egg noodles and the extra egg. Our server was also super attentive.

First time I tried Sambal Shiok was a few years back and for my palette, the broth was too sweet. This is the second time here and it seems to have slipped down in standards. I ordered the hot laksa, the broth was rather sweet and too much coconut milk in my opinion. Both the broth and rice noodles were gloopy (because they were over cooked). I’d recommend getting bigger bowls as it was just one big gloop with the noodles squashed with the thick broth in the bowl. Great for a picture however not worth of hype of being the best laksa in London. A positive of the restaurant is that the service was good.

I was very excited to try the laksa here because I’m Nonya and I missed the food that I grew up eating in Penang. Malaysian food in London has generally been disappointing but I had higher hopes because I know the owner of Sambal Shiok is Nonya as well. The flavour of the laksa is passable at best but the food here, including the laksa, is NOT authentic. Why do you have to pay extra for two types of noodles in your laksa when it is traditionally made with two types of noodles? Why are the vegetables in the gado gado sliced so thin they’re basically translucent? What the hell is Malaysian about the Malaysian fried chicken? This restaurant clearly aims to take the money of customers who don’t know any better, especially considering the prices - it’s frankly only suitable for people who have never had actual Malaysian food before and have never stepped foot in Malaysia. It’s honestly a disservice to Malaysians.

After reading rave reviews I finally made it here for a bowl of Laksa, one of my favourite dishes. Lovely caff sort of place with good service. I prefer a more coconutty broth with lots of bits in it (prawns, chicken, fishballs, beancurd, egg...). No fish balls and £2.50 extra for an egg.

I don’t understand the critical reviews . This is not a posh eatery, more of a caff. But warm, friendly, great atmosphere and the food lived up to expectations. Had the chicken and crackers to start and both had a chicken Laksa- portions were generous, cost reasonable. All alcohol ridiculously expensive tho so avoid.

It's hella spicy - you'll pay once at the end of the meal and again the next day. You've been warned. That said, I will be back the first chance I get.