Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe - Janet Tay

Every morning before sunrise, Lim Ah Hock prepares the best laksa soup in Kuching. According to Lim family legend, the laksa’s secret ingredient – their ancestral broth – was gifted to them by a deity, who promised prosperity if the broth is passed down through the generations. But Ah Hock is aging, and the broth’s quality is fading.

His only son, Wei Ming, has no interest in the family business, having spent eight years in Hong Kong trying to prove himself as a chef. Now, struggling with gambling debts and his own work troubles, Wei Ming sees a chance to escape when he's invited home to Malaysia for his father's 60th birthday. As old conflicts resurface and a local businessman threatens to destroy the family legacy, father and son are forced to ask themselves what truly matters.