THERE is all manner of laksa variants in Malaysia – the rich, coconut-milk-based Curry Laksa (or Laksa Lemak) and the tart, tamarind-infused fish-based Asam Laksa.
Then almost every state offers its own unique spin, notably Laksa Penang/Kedah (the Asam Laksa variety), Laksa Johor, Laksa Sarawak, Laksa Nyonya (Melaka), Laksa Utara (Perlis/Kedah), Laksa Ipoh (Perak) or even Laksam (Kelantan/Terengganu).
This is till the Laksa Tikus (literally “mouse”) made its debut after the owner of Warung D’Tanjung Semilang in Langkawi was forced to defend her business credentials upon accusation by a customer that his take away laksa order has a mouse carcass floating in the broth.
As revealed by current affairs portal The Reporter on June 17, the shocking find has since found its way onto social media which left the owner with no choice but to lodge a police report.
Apparently, a customer had swung by for a takeaway order of Laksa Sarang and Thai koay teow soup at 4.20pm on June 16. However, the customer returned at 5.30pm to complain that his laksa contained ingredients he did not bargain for.
The restaurant owner vehemently denies this claim by contending that each dish is inspected before it is served. However, the disgruntled customer was still given RM50 to seek treatment at a clinic.
Alas, images of the alleged Laksa Tikus had gone viral, causing the owner to go on the defensive.
It was highlighted that the restaurant had recently been inspected by Health Ministry (MOH) which found no reason to issue compounds for hygiene or cleanliness. Moreover, this was the first time that the restaurant had faced such allegations in its 11 years of operation.
The Facebook post has generated 2.2K likes, 565 comments, 619 comments and 433 shares at time of writing with some rib-tickling suggestions to get to the bottom of the matter.
Top of the suggestions was for the relevant authorities to send the remnants of the laksa broth for DNA testing. If there isn’t any trace of vermin DNA, then the restaurant owner should take legal action for libel.
There were also hilarious attempts to rename the dish. One sarcastic commenter noted that what type of laksa sarang would depend on what species was found in the bowl.
He further recommended that customers specify precisely what sort of laksa sarang they wished to order. Another also made reference to famed Pixar animation movie featuring a rodent-turned-chef in a French kitchen – Ratatouille.
Some cheeky observers tried to shift the blame to the customer, suggesting that the unfortunate moouse was running around the ceiling beams of his home before drowning in laksa broth.
More than a few eagle-eyed foodies could not believe that the person packing the laksa would have missed such an offending subject floating in the broth.
A few cast aspersions on the customer. One who claimed to have viewed the clip questioned the motives for recording the unpacking of a normal packet of laksa as if the customer was anticipating an awful discovery.
The belief that the restaurant owner was a victim of fitnah (malicious lies) was also apparent in a number of comments.
A fellow F&B trader recounted how a customer alerted her that there was a rock in one of her dishes although it was impossible not to have noticed such a large object when cooking. She put this down to business rivalries and jealousy.
There is always bound to be suspicions of foul play when such incidents are highlighted. Suffice to say, the restaurant owner will have to deal with the fall-out regardless of whether the mouse in question did indeed fall into the laksa broth at the restaurant.
It does seem too easy to damage a carefully curated reputation. Years of hard work can be wiped out by a single dead rodent, a bowl of laksa and a handphone set on record. – June 20, 2026
