The Local Globetrotters Kuala Lumpur Trot Fact Sheet: Insider Tips on What to Do, Eat and Drink in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1 Eat at a “Mamak” Restaurant There are lots of Mamak restaurants in KL, and most will offer a pretty standard menu. Here is a helpful list of popular mamaks in the KL area. From that list my favorite is Roti Tissue Devi’s Corner, located in Bangsar on the busy Jalan Telawi 3 (note: Jalan means street in Malay). There is a night market Maggi Goreng (or “pasar malam”) located next to the Bangsar mosque every Sunday night from 6pm onwards that is worth checking out for more street food! You will be able to see the mosque from Devi’s Corner. Must tries at the Mamak include: “Maggi Goreng” (essentially stir fried ramen noodles), with your choice of protein. Add a fried egg on top <3 Roti Canai: Arguably the most ordered snack/dish at the Nasi Kandar Roti Canai Teh Tarik mamak, this is a kind of flatbread similar to the Indian paratha. Served with fish curry (but you can request for chicken or beef too), and dhal (lentil curry). Roti Tissue (an almost paper thin, crispier and sweet Eat, Eat and Eat! version of the roti canai). It’s pretty big (see picture on Eating is the Malaysian national pastime. Thanks to the hot and humid weather, air- right, so share with friends!) conditioned malls are always packed with throngs of Malaysians who window shop or Nasi Kandar: White rice with curry poured over the rice watch a movie at the cinema, and of course eat at the many restaurants and cafes that (the curry blend and flavor is what differentiates this dish from one place to another), served with fried chicken, fish, make up a significant portion of any mall. We often eat six times a day: squid eggs or fish roe – you’re in luck if they happen to 1. Breakfast 4. Tea-time have squid eggs! You can tell the server what you’d like or 2. Pre-lunch snack 5. Dinner not want on your rice. 3. Lunch 6. Supper Teh tarik or “pulled tea”: A typical accompaniment to any mamak fare, this drink is hot filtered tea mixed with With the ubiquitous “mamak” restaurants (or stalls) that are open 24/7, it’s easy to get condensed milk and pulled from one big metal canteen to food when you’re hungry no matter time of day it is. If you’re a soccer (football to the rest another to both cool it and froth to this delicious of the world!) fan, most mamaks will have projector screens or TVs that feature live games beverage. Take the Kelana Jaya Line LRT to Bangsar. that. If you’re a night owl and its EPL season or the World Cup, don’t be surprised to see crowds of people eating, drinking their “Teh Peng” (iced tea with condensed milk) and roti canai at 3am watching the game. Try the National Dish, the Nasi It’s no surprise then that you will find most of the tips here to revolve around food and 2 Lemak drink – there are many tourist spots that you can easily find online but chances are you Oh nasi lemak, how I miss my mom’s version of our beloved won’t find many locals hanging out there (the few that are, are probably there for a food national dish. Literally translated as fat (as in the creamy type stall nearby)—it’s too hot, and we’re hungry! of fat) rice, (at its simplest) this dish is made up of rice P/s: cooked in coconut milk (fresh squeezed from the coconut, none of that canned stuff), a sambal sotong (cuttlefish in Where possible, I’ve noted which LRT (Light Rail or Monorail lines) that can get you chili), fried dried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, hard- to recommended trots. boiled egg, and a few slices of cucumber. While this is the All web links provided here will include the addresses of suggested places to go to. basic version, at most restaurants you can add fried chicken, beef or chicken rendang (stewed in coconut milk and spices) Typically eaten for breakfast, it is sold at roadside stalls, on the back of motorcylces, and many many restaurants and Taste the King of Fruits, the Mighty Durian (May – Sep.) hotels. It is often served in business class on Malaysian 3 As a zealous fan of the durian fruit, I highly recommend you try this creamy, oh so good fruit, Airlines and can be eaten anytime of the day. Here is a list of despite the many “horror” stories that you may have heard about this pungent smelling thorny top nasi lemak restaurants that specialize in this dish, from a fruit. Fans like me describe the taste of durian as a sweet, sharper, creamier, thicker version of trusted blog. From that list a favorite among my circle of custard, and it smells exactly the way it tastes. Detractors however claim that it smells like rotten Malaysian foodie friends is the Village Park nasi lemak baby’s vomit, or socks, which I frankly and vehemently disagree with! It’s a rather polarizing fruit . located in Damansara Uptown. The smell is so strong that hotels will not allow you to bring one in, and At Village Park, the basic you wouldn’t want to keep this in your car. The best way to eat it is combo comes with fried have it opened up at the stall itself, and eat it the way locals do, by the chicken, with a sambal roadside. My favorite breed of is the Musang King (Fox King), which that’s more sweet than tends to command a price of RM22/kg (~$7/2.2lb), but if you’re fiery. Be prepared for a half apprehensive about trying a whole durian, try out the pre-packaged hour wait if you’re dining at ones available at big supermarkets, otherwise, check out the Soon Village Park, or a 15 minute Huat Durian market featured in this durian blog post at Jalan Pandan 1, queue if you’re ordering to Pandan Jaya, KL. go. 1 Eat at Soo Kee Resturant, Jalan Imbi Ngau Yuk Hor 4 There are three things that you must try at this restaurant located in the Bukit Bintang shopping triangle. The star of this Cantonese Chinese restaurant is the “Ngau Yuk Hor”, or Egg Drop Beef Noodles. Literally translated it means “cow egg wide rice noodles”. The noodles are fried over very high heat, and the beef is so tender that it melts in your mouth, covered in thick sauce that’s full of egg-y goodness accented with a delicious taste of spring onions and slightly charred noodles. It’s addictive! Paper-wrapped The second dish that this eatery is famous for is the Sang Har Mein, or fried egg noodles with water prawn. The Chicken noodles are toasted in a very hot wok until crispy, and then covered in flavorful braised freshwater prawns in a sauce with eggs and ginger. Lastly is the paper-wrapped chicken, which you can order as an appetizer while your noodles are being prepared. Wrapping the marinated chicken in paper allows for the chicken to be Sang Har steamed while being fried, all at the same time. It’s wonderfully juicy. Try to get to here before 7pm, otherwise expect a wait! Mein Soo Kee Restaurant is located at 14, Medan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. Take the Monorail line to Bukit Bintang. Cool Down with Local Desserts Nightlife Entertainment Along Changkat Bukit 5 6 You’ll find that you will need to cool down after walking around the city in Bintang the heat, what better way than to do so than with a nice bowl of “Cendol” or Changkat Bukit Bintang is an avenue of Jalan Bukit Bintag that’s lined with “ABC” (Air Batu Campur or mixed ice). Cendol is a dessert that’s made of shaved upscale and trendy bars and restaurants. My favorites include Havana Bar ice, coconut milk and green jelly noodles made from flour and colored using (Cuban-styled hacienda salsa club), No Black Tie (arguably KL’s leading jazz club pandan leaf and syrupy palm sugar. Don’t be put off by the green wormy looking – if you happen to visit when my good friend Rozz is performing, tell her Nurah noodles, it’s absolutely delicious. A renowned cendol stall in KL is the Sulaiman sent you ), Frangipani (a French-Asian fusion fine dining restaurant with a Cendol stall located in the bustling Pudu market. You can choose to add creamed romantic ambiance, featuring body of water in the middle of the dining area). corns, red beans and also sticky rice for a heartier bowl of cendol. Most bars have an outdoor patio seating which is ideal for people watching You can also try the ABC at Sulaiman. The ABC is also topped with a heap of and soaking up Changkat’s energy. Werner’s on Changkat classes up Italian shaved ice, but red beans is a core ingredient along with grass jelly, agar-agar dining in a James Bond-ish setting, Black Forest KL if you’re in the mood for a (colorful jelly made from algae), and creamed corns. Condensed milk and red meter long glass of beer, El Cerdo (specializing in pork dishes), and the Whisky sugar syrup is then drizzled onto the ice, and sometimes topped with a small Bar has an impressive list of whiskies.