Daisy's Dream at Urban Hawker

The food court (Urban Hawker) is immensely popular, so it’s difficult to get a table on a Friday night - we therefore decided to do a takeaway. As a result, the laksa was no longer piping hot when we reached our hotel. We are Singaporean so are more demanding when it comes to our local food. On first taste, have to say the laksa was quite disappointing. But some pro tips for you (if you would like a more authentic laksa experience): 1. Ask that they don’t add the cucumber & lemon - that’s not typical of Singaporean laksa 2. If you can take the heat, ask to load up on the sambal chilli (the laksa has been watered down presumably to better suit the ‘Western taste’ 3. Have it hot & fresh at the food court - otherwise microwave to heat up if you do takeaway 4. Add $3 for the shrimps - the ones we had (4 pieces) were generously sized & fresh - definitely worth the add if you are a crustacean fan! Bought 2 sides as well. Love the meatballs (ngoh hiang), deep fried bean curd skin wrapped around succulent, well seasoned meat. The fried chicken chunks were nicely marinated & right level of done-ness (not deep fried to death like how some lesser cook might have done), still tender & reasonably juicy. The sides are about $5 each, not very cheap. But tasted good.

This restaurant is inside Urban Gawker. I ordered the Nonta Laksa with shrimp paste curry. It was a bit skimpy if you ask me. For some reason I thought it came with grilled chicken. It does not. It does not look like the picture on the menu board. The egg was cold. The egg should be warm. It was basically half a meal.

The broth of the Nyonya Laksa + shrimp ($21.72) is very flavorful, the size and freshness of the shrimp is good, and presentation is enticing. The only thing is that the egg noodles were over done, breaking apart easily. If that weren’t the case this dish would be one of the best things to get in the food court in my opinion but maybe it was an off day. Service was super fast.

The laksa was the best I’ve had in the States and even better (but pricier) than some of the ones I’ve tried in Malaysia. It tasted pretty authentic and so far is my favorite dish at Urban Hawker. The broth was my favorite part. The nasi lemak was also pretty good but didn’t have enough meat. The sambal could’ve been spicier but had a good flavor!

I’m pretty sure Daisy’s dream wasn’t to serve cold food. As a tip, should you try the food here, mix it first. The only thing hot is the noodles. The curry with the chicken and potato came lukewarm. The fish cakes, egg, and starch were cold. The flavor in the curry is nice and has a little heat to it. But the execution left me feeling like I came late to dinner and I had cold leftovers. Edit Update: 02/17/2023 - Added 1 more star because the owner responded. Thank you for the response as the flavor of the food was good, just that since it was cold, it wasn't as appetizing nor was the texture. Though i'm happy you've taken corrective action and left better procedures for the team to serve better food. Would definitely be open to trying again.

Hawkers Market review #4. I asked about the meatballs, heard they had shrimp, and almost decided to say no (I don't care much for seafood). I'm glad I didn't say no because they were pretty good! The flavor and texture were both quite unique, and the strange rather thick black sauce was good too, almost like a balsamic glaze. I was quite shocked that this restaurant had a low rating (most of the reviews are about the soup being cold but I didn't get soup so I don't know if they fixed that). The story they had posted out front seemed very sweet and based on what I tasted I think they deserve a real shot. Those meatballs were good and different and they deserved five stars, so I'll post to save Daisy's Dream! At least give the meatballs a try and you can tell me if I was wrong.

Overpriced. The signature ngo hiang was sour and salty. The rice had a spice to it and nothing else. They skimped on the sauce. By itself, it was pretty tasty. It came with some peanuts and dried fish, but they barely contributed to the flavor. The only good thing was that they cooked the boiled egg right. As someone who used to live in Asia, I’ve had a tastier nasi lemak in a Malay restaurant in Chinatown.

Great place so glad I stumbled across it. I unfortunately can’t eat anything spicy but love the cuisine. Asked for a custom bowl with noodles and Chicken. SMASHING. Totally hit the spot!! Staff were great and Friendly! Thank you. The market its self is also wonderful!!

My first Laksa in the city! I've never been to Urban Hawker before which is such a shame because there are so many interesting Singaporean and Malaysian eats here. Definitely need to come back and explore more of the different vendors. Was craving Laksa, so decided to get some from Daisy's Dream which has an interesting name to say the least. The Nyonya Laksa flavors were actually pretty good, and according to my friend from Penang, more authentic than she expected. However, my biggest disappointment was the noodles which I feel like should have more of a ramen texture than the glass noodles texture that they used. Also, all the noodles stuck together and were extremely chopped up already. It was kind of weird and turned me off as at the end all that was left was this heap of noodles. Overall, not sure if I would come back to this specific stand again, but will definitely be back at Urban Hawker.

While I was tempted to try every stall at Urban Hawker, I was ultimately drawn to Daisy's Dream because I was craving laksa noodles. I visited on a Sunday evening for an early dinner, and there was no line to order. With four main menu items to choose from, I ordered the Nyonga Laksa Noodles with shrimp and rice noodles (you can choose between egg noodles and rice noodles, as well as type of protein). Most of the restaurants at Urban Hawker are a grab-and-go situation, and I was able to find a table by the time my order was ready. When my food arrived, I immediately dug into the spicy broth and chewy fishcakes. Each bite was delicious - the broth was spicy without overdoing it, and the noodles absorbed the spicy seafood flavors perfectly. Everyone in my group ordered the same dish (however, they ordered the version with egg noodles and chicken), and we all raved about how the laksa noodles really hit the spot. I would definitely order the laksa noodles again, but the rice dishes on the menu also looked tasty.

Food (4/5): We ordered the Nyonya Laksa with meatballs which was quite decent. The meatballs tasted a bit like artificial meat oddly but was still alright. The laksa sauce was delicious except for near the bottom where the spices were too overpowering. Overall solid spot for the food we ordered. They also had a buy one get one 50% off which we used with a friend. Service (4/5): Solid service where they took our order without issue. The food came a bit slow but not too long duration. The staff had a neutral greeting to us and we had no issues in the ordering process. Ambiance (4/5): Part of the Urban Hawker food court. We secured a couple tables after a bit of a while. Overall cool spot for checking out southeast Asian food.

We came to Urban Hawker for lunch last weekend - of course we dispersed to find what stalls caught our eye, and my friend and I decided to order from Daisy's Dream. I had the nyonya laksa with the chicken cutlet. Sigh. I really like laksa and was really disappointed with this bowl. The broth was really salty but didn't have much flavour otherwise, and there was WAY too much thai basil that basically entirely drowned out any semblance of curry flavour. I got the half egg noodle half rice noodle options; egg noodles were yummy, but the rice noodles were too chewy / a little soggy for my taste. The chicken was not great - not very flavourful and really chewy texture. My friend has the nasi lemak which was similarly disappointing. The chicken had little to no flavour - at times it was so soggy it tasted like it had been dunked in water and then reheated. Even the rice was dry. The other veggies etc were meh as well - the only redeeming quality was the sauce which was basically the only thing not dry in the whole plate. And each order came out to over $20?? *shakes head* The hunt for good and affordable Singaporean food in NYC continues - unfortunately, I don't think you'll find it here. Definitely misplaced social media hype.

One of the best laksa I've had in NYC! It's hard to find decent Singaporean food in NYC but luckily there's Daisys Dream. We got the seafood laksa with clear noodles. Service was quick and efficient. The laksa broth was very rich, slightly tangy, creamy, with a hint of spice. It's the perfect meal if you're looking something to warm your soul on a cold day.

I got the Nyonya Laksa with Shrimp and a size of meatballs. They meatballs are delicious both by themselves and with the sauce. The laksa oddly tasted like dawn dish soap....i think it was the shrimp but that's very odd. It's very rare for me to not finish a meal, but I couldn't eat the whole thing.

**3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars** This is one of the stands in the Urban Hawker, which is a new Singaporean Hawker food hall in NYC. I ended up coming here to try the nyonga laksa ($14.95). The bowl was decent with a good amount of food (fish cakes, bean curds, bean sprouts), but I felt like the flavor was a a bit muted. I would consider coming back here again to try the other dishes, but there are also tons of other options in the food hall that look interesting too!

This food is SO disappointing- comes out lukewarm and very bland, and bitter due to the addition of an entire half dried out lime! The "homemade meatballs" are DEEP fried (hours ago) and come out soggy and cold, and somehow medicinal tasting. Very very disappointing. The noodles were soggy as well, despite the lukewarm broth. Entering going into the soup was prepped way too long ago, and dried out. What a disappointing meal, the saddest in a long time. I'm actually still hungry after this and good thing I'm headed to dinner! Very friendly though!

This was my first time trying Nasi Lemak and I really enjoyed it. I've heard in the past the star of this dish is the rice with all the toppings and sambal (not the protein you get with it) and I have to agree. The rice was the most fragrant and flavorful steamed rice I've had which was complimented really nicely with the tiny fried fish, peanuts and the sambal. The sambal had great heat and complexity that burned just enough for you to keep going back for more. The protein I chose for the dish was curry chicken. The curry chicken had a nice balanced flavor. I enjoyed this as well but I think it clashed too much with the Nasi Lemak. Next time I would try another protein that was not as strongly flavored and complimented the rice and toppings more.

I love Urban Hawker, due to my love for visiting Singapore. But of all the food stalls I love to browse through, I always come back to Daisy's Dream for their laksa. I've tried other laksas in Manhattan, but I really believe this is the best one. The only other ones that could be better are found in Queens. The broth is very flavorful; they have a choice of noodles, either rice or egg noodles; and the additions are right on spot.

Solid quick lunch spot in Urban Hawker, the new Singaporean food hall. There wasn't a huge line and the wait was quick so I ordered from this spot, I also heard within the food hall the Hainan Chicken spot is a crowd favorite. This place is located in the back of the food hall but the food looked really colorful! I got the curry rice and the nyonga laksa noodles. The curry rice was good but there wasn't alot of meat, there was alot of potatoes and rice so I think there could've been more variety in the food toppings since it felt very heavy after I finished eating it. The noodles looked incredible and my friend ordered that so I may get that next time!

Overpriced and mushy Nasi Lemak with flavorless chicken curry. I hate to write a bad review because the people behind the counter were very nice, but I have a few bones to pick with this establishment and the food court in general. First off, could they take it easy with all the plastic packaging? I was eating in, yet I had to throw out so much plastic after I was done. I was disgusted. I noticed other vendors were using biodegradable dishes and utensils. What really pissed me off was they charge a dollar for using a credit card. Even though the food is so expensive. Unfortunately I didn't see the charge until it was too late. They should have a sign upfront on the counter about the surcharge. The other problem is the overall blah, crowded noisy atmosphere. Maybe if you are wandering in Midtown and desperate for food in this neighborhood, I understand why you would come here. After all this part of Midtown is not necessarily known for its cuisine choices. But if you're curious and have a little more time, I would go downtown take the F train to Essex Street. You'll have your choice of excellent food establishments of all kinds down there. I'm

This is one of the few stands in Urban Hawker and it's easily the worst I have had food from. Daisy's Dream serves Peranakan/Nyonya cuisine (which is generally considered to be one of the flavor capitals if not the flavor capital of the country) consisting of a few dishes which I've had before. The Nyona Laksa consisting of rice noodles in a dried shrimp coconut curry with fish cakes, fried bean curd, boiled egg, and bean sprouts was $14.95 (or 17.95 with shrimp) and it was alright. The flavors of the broth were no near as good as at Rasa/Nyonya downtown being not nearly as complex in terms of the shrimp flavor. It's usually a shrimp and coconut bomb and I found the flavors to be muted. The fact that this was the much better option of what we had compared to the nasi lemak is rather unfortunate. Said Nyonya Nasi Lemak with fragrant coconut jasmine rice with fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, cucumber, boiled egg, and sambal which came with a choice of side (I picked the fried chicken cutlet instead of the curry for some reason or another) which was also 14.95 and by far the worst I've ever had. The "coconut" jasmine rice was so barely flavored with coconut that it tasted more like jasmine rice and it was hard to tell whether they mistook the order for regular jasmine rice (but that's on the menu) so I doubt it. The sambal was just light heat while the chicken was alright and would be a decent side to another meal somewhere else. The food took a while and it just wasn't good.

I came to urban hawker with some friends on a Friday for dinner. I was glad that it wasn't so crowded we had to wait for a seat. I was in the mood for something soupy and decided to try a vendor I haven't been to. Daisy's had mixed reviews so I was a little apprehensive but glad I tried. My laksa with shrimp came out pretty quickly. It had lots of toppings - fried tofu, fish cakes, and egg. Shrimp was an additional 3 dollars but it was worth it for me since they were nice and plump. I haven't tried too many laksas but it was just what I wanted - warm, comforting and filling.

Picked up an order of Laksa ($15) without shrimp from this stall. They were out of the thin rice noodles, so I got it with the yellow noodles instead. Overall it was okay. Wasn't too impressed it as I expected better flavors. The last few bites of the Laksa was not good for some reason. Don't remember encountering that issue before with Laksa. 3.5% credit card surcharge enforced.

I've been here a few times and I really tried to like it but I just can't. It smells great but the flavor is not there. The chicken is dry and the curry flavor is bland.

I thought the nyonya laksa here was quite good, and the dish was certainly better than anywhere else in town I've tried it. It's coconut-based, but not cloyingly so - just a touch, and blended nicely with the kind of spice that isn't overwhelming but does occasionally get in your throat and make you cough. The shrimp they use is very fresh-tasting (and it better be, because they charge $3 for shrimp and there are only 3 shrimp in there). The base is also heavily shrimp-pasty, so be prepared for that if you're not expecting it (I was, and I love it). There are also a bunch of fish cakes, and a respectably 3/4-cooked egg, and a whole pile of noodles. My small appetite was completely sated by this bowl, but if yours isn't, there are so many stalls nearby to help you out. I wished I was still hungry afterwards for more than a slice of cake.

I've been wanting to try Urban Hawker for a while, and I've also wanted to ry Laksa, so figured I'd stop by here despite the relatively poor showing on Yelp. I got the Nyonya (curry?) Laksa with Shrimp, as well as Ngoh Hiang (little five-spice pork meatballs). The initial smell had a very strong fish sauce vibe. It was a bit off-putting to my western palate initially, but I powered through. The laksa had a coconut milk broth, thin (rice?) noodles, a hard-boiled egg, a slice of lime, and a spices. It was good -- not 5-star good -- but solid, and I'm glad I tried it. I definitely liked the Ngoh Hiang. All-in-all, I thought this stall deserves more stars than the yelp consensus right now, though I couldn't justify a 5-star. I'd like to try some other salls at Urban Hawker to get a comparison.

Overpriced and petty. $18 for lukewarm laksa noodles. Apparently I did not tip enough for that, so the server "Onostasia" per the receipt, served me the dregs of the soup, so my broth was sandy and gritty. I don't understand the social media hype around this place. It is overrated, and hardly "Anthony Bourdain's (Daisy?) dream come true."

Amazing Hawker Market! Reminded me of the ones in Singapore. First time trying this place... I had the Meatball Nasi Lemak for lunch. Great Singaporean street food!

The chicken curry is absolutely incredible. It's the best curry I've never had in my life. The flavors are out of this world. A really nice spice level too.

I have never eaten Singaporean food before and I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it is! The Nyonya Curry Chicken was excellent!

The nyonya laksa is pretty bland. That's hard to do for laksa! The portion is also quite small.

I was excited to check out the Urban Hawker that just opened by my office. I stopped by at noon on a Friday and decided to try the laksa here. I opted out of getting the shrimp since it was pretty overpriced as is. I was also hoping to get a noodle substitute but rice noodle was all that was available. The laksa had a nice coconut milk taste and was flavorful. It was a great lunch option for the area but I don't think I will be returning due to the price.

I had the nasi lemak there and got food poisoning! Was throwing up for 8 hours. Would not recommend.

Great authentic Singapore food. Flavor is there and neighboring stalls just add to the feel. Seating is limited so grab seats first then take turns getting food

The rice in the curry chicken was raw the curry did not have any authentic flavor as advertised. The raw rice was a concern as this could be problem. Would not recommend this spot.

I stopped in for the Nyonya Laksha Shrimp and it was delicious! Filling, fresh and flavorful broth. Only con is it is a little pricey.

A great place for takeout in Urban hawker. The Laksa is amazing, so flavorful and filling. I would say the spice level of the laksa is only about 2/10, so if you don't eat spicy food it's still enjoyable. The prices do come with the midtown price tag, but so do all of the other options here. Takeout is fast. And the servers are all nice and will answer any questions.

Came here for the Laksa and it was tasty. Definitely ask for a couple cups of the chili paste to add to the broth, it really makes the whole thing pop.

I feel deeply disappointed by the laksa and worst still the otah. The gravy tasted more like a mee Siam gravy and the girl literally counted the number of fish cake slices (3 thin slices) to put in my bowl and the tofu was dried out and tiny and the prawns were not fresh. For $17, you'd like to think they could be more generous with the ingredients. The otah tasted so bad. It was steamed not grilled and the texture and taste was horrible, I took one bite and left it. Two young adults who know not thing about Singapore food mending the stall. Sorry, I tried but not going to patronize your stall anymore. I am born, raised and am half peranakan Singaporean.

The Nyonya Laksa is authentic Right sour taste from tamarind in the soap, with noodles, egg, extras. Also Yeo Hap Seng drinks. Near the Sling Bar, where beer costs $10.88, so that's for hedge fund types only!

Very disappointed. For a $17 dish, it comes with a mound of rice, some peanuts, 3 pork meatballs the size of a quarter, and a hard boiled egg.... It's overly priced and not filing at all. Try another stall in the market and skip over this one! (You'll notice no line... so take that as a hint)