Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe

Amid the bustle of Carpenter Street, Lim Ah Hock sells the the best laksa soup in all of Kuching, tirelessly keeping his ancestral broth simmering with his wife, Kim Choo. According to family legend, a deity gifted them the recipe, promising prosperity as long as it remains boiling. But Ah Hock is aging, and the broth''s quality is fading. Compounding the problem, businessman Towkay Lau has opened a rival laksa café next door.

In Hong Kong, Ah Hock’s son, Wei Ming, has spent eight years trying to prove himself as a chef, hoping to show his father there''s more to life than laksa. However, he''s struggling with gambling debts, the woman he loves is in the arms of a gangster, and the sushiya he''s been left to run has lost its Global Restaurants Guild star. Facing his mentor, the esteemed sushi master he calls Sensei, seems impossible.

Invited home for his father''s 60th birthday, Wei Ming sees a chance to escape his troubles. But in Malaysia, Ah Hock remains entrenched in tradition. Determined to protect the family legacy, he strikes a deal with Towkay Lau, a showdown to determine the best laksa café on Carpenter Street -risking everything he holds dear.

As father and son reconnect, old differences resurface, forcing them to confront whether preserving a legacy is more important than embracing the future.

A mouthwatering and uplifting story about honouring tradition and finding your own way in life, set in family-run restaurants between Malaysia and Hong Kong‘Deeply comforting and nourishing' SAMUEL BURR, author of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers‘A delicious read with lots of heart' SHANNA TAN, translator of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong BookshopEvery morning before sunrise, Lim Ah Hock opens the shutters of his small kitchen on Carpenter Street, lights an incense stick and prepares the best laksa soup in all of Kuching. According to Lim family legend, the laksa’s secret ingredient – their ancestral broth – was gifted to them by a deity, who promised the family prosperity as long as the broth is passed down through the generations. But Ah Hock is aging, and the broth’s quality is fading. His only son, Wei Ming, has no interest in the family business, having spent eight years in Hong Kong trying to prove himself as a chef. Now, he's struggling with gambling debts, embroiled in a love triangle, and the restaurant he's been left to run has lost its Global Restaurants Guild star. Invited home to Malaysia for his father's 60th birthday, Wei Ming sees a chance to escape his troubles. But when old conflicts resurface and a local businessman threatens to destroy the family legacy, father and son are forced to ask themselves what truly matters. Readers love Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe'A delicious read''Warm and emotionally honest...a very comforting book''A delightful read for anyone who loves food-centred narratives, stories about family dynamics’‘Beautifully captures the idea that love doesn’t always need to be spoken – sometimes, it’s served in a bowl of food''This book truly stands out'

• | Author: Janet Tay
• | Publisher: Vintage Publishing
• | Publication Date: Jan 22, 2026
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781787305298
• | ISBN-10: 1787305295