Cambodian cafe Angkor Takeaway won the Golden Bowl award at the Darwin International Laksa Festival on Saturday, taking the top prize after a blind tasting judged by high-profile guest chefs Luke Nguyen and Junda Khoo alongside local executive chef Samantha Bennett.
The annual festival celebrates the Top End’s unofficial official spirit dish across October.
What began at the inaugural 2019 festival with 33 venues serving laksa specials has expanded, drawing participation this year from 50 different laksas and 175 laksa-inspired creations ranging from prawn toast and laksa toasties to cocktails and cold foam coffees.
Angkor Takeaway Claims the Golden Bowl in a Unanimous Decision
Cheata Ouch of Angkor Takeaway arrived at the final cook-off better prepared after finishing in the top three during the 2025 event.
Operating a festival stall right up until the 6 pm finale alongside partner Ollie Howe, Ouch prepared her laksa using kroeung, a lighter and more fragrant Khmer spice paste compared to richer south-east laksa bases.
The 20-minute stage finale required finalists to assemble bowls for blind judging using preprepared stock, toppings, and locally made Kongs wheat noodles rather than frying off paste from scratch.
Guest judge Luke Nguyen announced to the 500-person crowd that the winner was decided by a unanimous decision.
We tasted all the time, dedication and passion you put in your food, We really felt that.
The announcement prompted an immediate reaction from Ouch, who leaped with her hands clasped over her mouth after hearing her Angkor Takeaway cafe named at the top of the scoresheets.
Operating their festival stall until the very start of the 6pm cook-off, Ouch and her partner Ollie Howe had been busy cooking right up until the event began.
Kopi Stop Secures a Historic Triple-Crown and People’s Choice Double
The competition also featured strong showings from fellow returning finalists, led by Singaporean-born Jules Mou, owner of Kopi Stop.
Kopi Stop’s unctuous, mildly spiced laksa secured the public-voted People’s Choice award, while sister venue Makan Stop won the People’s Choice Laksa Inspired-By prize for its laksa cookies.
Combined with Kopi Stop’s earlier finalist ranking, the performance marked the first triple-crown in the festival’s history.
A Civilized Cook-Off Under Darwin Build-Up Heat
Tully Leitch was delighted to reach the final.
Alongside numerous attendees packing the Darwin Waterfront, Tully wore laksa-inspired clothing—specifically a purple garment crafted by King King Creative, a fellow small business based in Rapid Creek.
Comedian and laksa enthusiast Amy Hetherington – thrilled that her local Pho Rapid Creek was in the running – entertained the surprisingly attentive audience during proceedings that lacked the chaos typical of televised cooking contests.
Noting the absence of any last-minute rush, Hetherington described the structured finish on stage as the least Darwin cook-off ever
.
Behind the scenes, it was hot and muggy on a classic Darwin “build-up” day, and that much heat, chilli and pressure affected the judging panel as they sampled bowls on stage.
Guest judge Junda Khoo really felt it by the time he got to his second bowl because of the heat and spice levels during the tasting.