ST×NLB Cross-References: Local noodle dish often eaten with only a spoon
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Husband-wife duo Kotthika Chia and Dr Qian Yu serve just one dish at King Laksa, which recently made Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list. Chopsticks are optional.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
SINGAPORE – This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was constructed by the National Library Board’s John Choo, who is part of a team of 40 volunteers from both organisations. Here’s his message to solvers:
As a first-time constructor, working on this grid gave me a newfound respect for all constructors everywhere. I hope, as solvers work through the different ST×NLB crossword offerings, that they will try their hand at constructing one themselves. And maybe, in time to come, as with our hawker culture, we’ll come to take pride in a crossword culture of our own.
John’s puzzle is a love letter to local food, with HAWKER CULTURE (18A) forming its central marquee entry. Singapore’s [UNESCO-recognised community dining practice] evolved out of migrant street food vendors adapting dishes from their homelands with locally available ingredients.
Today, hawkers operate out of clean, modern hawker centres and many have opened their own standalone restaurants.
In 2016, a stall in Outram run by hawker Chan Hon Meng was awarded a coveted Michelin star for its signature soy sauce CHICKEN RICE (9D). The dish, priced at just $2 at the time, was recognised as one of the cheapest Michelin-starred meals in the world.
Many other hawkers have also been recognised in the Michelin Guide under its BIB GOURMAND (32A) list, which celebrates restaurants and hawker stalls that serve high-quality food at exceptional value.
A bowl of laksa from King of Laksa.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
In the latest edition released on July 28, 97 Singapore eateries made the list. One of the 10 new entrants in 2026 is King of Laksa, run by self-described “new hawker” Kotthika Chia and his wife Qian Yu. The stall in Aljunied serves just one dish: fusion-style KATONG LAKSA (1A), which features noodles that are cut short, allowing diners to eat it with only a spoon.
Other food references in the puzzle include the simple but delicious [Leaf-wrapped fishcake] OTAH (3D), also known as otak-otak; POP (7A), the [Sound made by some kernels] when they turn into popcorn; and bubble tea brand KOI (1D) Thé.
Right, let’s have a look at some of the other clues, before I get too peckish writing this column.
13A. In Gen Z or Gen Alpha slang, AURA refers to the air or energy a cool person gives off. One can gain aura points through confident actions, or lose them by embarrassing oneself. An action done mainly to look cool and impressive is referred to as aura farming, although overdoing it can easily backfire. Other slang terms with a similar meaning through the ages might include vibe, swagger, cred, groove, moxie, or the “it” factor.
Late Cretaceous Park just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
15A. Despite the iconic silhouette of the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton appearing in the logo for the media franchise JURASSIC Park, the king of the dinosaurs actually lived during the very end of the Late Cretaceous period (69 million to 66 million years ago) rather than the Jurassic period (201 million to 145 million years ago). That means the T-rex is closer in time to us humans than it is to actual Jurassic dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus.
2D. Nominative determinism is the semi-humourous theory that people tend to pick jobs that are rather APT for their names. A 2015 study published in The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England by four doctors surnamed Limb found that there was a much greater frequency of doctors with names that were relevant to medicine and subspecialties than would be expected by chance. There are certainly at least a handful of dental surgeons with the surname Chew in Singapore. (We checked.)
7D. Who’s the [Best contractor in Singapore, JB and some say Batam?] Gurmit Singh’s sitcom character PHUA CHU KANG, of course. His catchphrase “USE (31A) your brain!” also appears in this week’s grid, just after his Sar-vivor rap was referenced in last week’s. I guess we’ve had yellow boots on the brain lately, for some reason.
25D. The answer to [Local water body?] is not a lake or a reservoir, but Singapore’s national water agency PUB. Formed as the Public Utilities Board in 1963, it oversaw electricity, piped gas and water. PUB moved away from using the full name in 2001 when the regulation of electricity and gas industries was transferred to the newly formed Energy Market Authority.
Book recommendations
Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.
30A. “If you want big improvements, she said, chew GUM… chewing gum has been shown to improve a person’s immediate recall of learned words by 24 percent. Long-term recall improves by a larger 36 percent.” — Babel No More: The Search for the World’s Most Extraordinary Language Learners by Michael Erard
14D. “Ann McGee had the brass neck to call in sick again that morning, leaving him with the thankless task of running his deli counter and her rotisserie stand all alone. No day ever started well with six dozen RAW chickens, and today of all days, it was stealing the sweetness out of his daydreams.” — Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
28D. “…as I RUN, I don’t think much of anything worth mentioning. I just run. I run in a void. Or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void.” — What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami
Don’t have the NLB mobile app? Download it now on the App Store or Google Play to enjoy more great reads.
Across
1. Local noodle dish often eaten with only a spoon (6,5): KATONG LAKSA
7. Sound made by some kernels (3): POP
8. Parabolic path, or Pasir Panjang mall (3): ARC
10. Hired gun (6): HITMAN
11. Vitality (6): HEALTH
13. Distinctive air, or Gen Z swagger (4): AURA
15. Period often incorrectly associated with the T-Rex (8): JURASSIC
18. UNESCO-recognised community dining practice (6,7): HAWKER CULTURE
20. Bits of the hand that may be cracked (8): KNUCKLES
22. Unclear (4): BLUR
24. Statutory board with a leaf in its logo (6): NPARKS
27. Not imperial (6): METRIC
30. ___ disease (periodontist’s concern) (3): GUM
31. “___ your brain!” (3): USE
32. Michelin award for cheap and good food (3,8): BIB GOURMAND
Down
1. Thé brand (3): KOI
2. Like the name Dr Chew for an oral surgeon (3): APT
3. Leaf-wrapped fishcake (4): OTAH
4. Orang utan, say (3): APE
5. End-of-season occurrences, often (5): SALES
6. The National Gallery is full of it (3): ART
7. Best contractor in Singapore, JB and some say Batam? (4,3,4): PHUA CHU KANG
9. Fowl fare (7,4): CHICKEN RICE
12. Companion of the baker and the candlestick maker (7): BUTCHER
14. Like some deals (3): RAW
16. Competent (4): ABLE
17. Emit a foul odour (4): REEK
19. www.nlb.gov.sg, e.g. (3): URL
21. Taste discovered by Ikeda in 1908 (5): UMAMI
23. There’s no “I” in it, they say (4): TEAM
25. Local water body? (3): PUB
26. Holder for beer or gunpowder (3): KEG
28. Exclamation in many a slasher film (3): RUN
29. Local equivalent to the UK’s MI5 (3): ISD
If you have any feedback, feel free to write to us at stgames@sph.com.sg. See you next week!
