I agree in regards to Larvel. It was a breath of fresh air in the early days but they have baked so much magic into it and break backwards compatibility constantly that I have long given up even considering it. I will second the recommendation for symfony [1]. It lets you compose your app of just what components you need instead of the everything and the kitchen sink approach. However, composable systems are my preference but may not be for everyone.

[1] https://symfony.com/