Aux Epices – Seafood Laksa

• MAN
• $9.95 ($12.95 at dinner)
• SPICY
• Photograph by Chris Crowley

The seafood laksa at Aux Epices pits coconut milk against seafood funk, sour against spicy and your noodle of choice against head-on shrimp. It’s a jumble of competing flavors, yet this bowl of soup comes together beautifully. The udon noodles do a fine job of soaking up that gloriously flavorful broth without falling apart, though messy slurping and shrimp wrangling will ensue. A bonus: The cafe’s Malaysian-French influences mean you’ll likely dine to a French soundtrack.

Aux Epices on Midtown Lunch
121 Baxter St. at Hester St. (map)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 274-8585