Coconut House

Sometimes only a laksa will do, and Coconut House offers one of the best. Rich bowls of broth arrive quickly, loaded with beef, chicken or seafood and heaps of hokkien and vermicelli noodles. There’s no table service and you don’t come for the decor, but there’s a fun selection of eye-wateringly sweet fruit drinks, and a range of other Malaysian dishes. Some are better than others – try Hainanese chicken rice or an intense nasi lemak. When things get busy (and they do), there’s a second restaurant a few doors down but it uses the same kitchen, the dishes ferried down Elizabeth Street on foot.