Lunch hour here rivals the finest peak Sydney Trains can offer, from the queues to the scarcity of seating, but the reliability and efficiency of staff at this no-frills monument to laksa mean the wait is short and the product satisfies. Twenty years of experience goes into balancing the fire, salt, cream and spice of  their broth. It comes in eleven varieties, including the particularly satiating fatty chicken drumstick, each arriving with a vibrant red layer of chilli oil and oodles of vermicelli. There’s no reason to browse the bain-marie; 30 cents buys a bib to protect business shirts from noodle-slurp splatter.