Eat Your Way Through KL

By Jamie Barys, 2016-04
So you scored a dirt-cheap flight to Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia, and now you’re looking at what to do in the city on your next layover? The answer is easy: EAT. A melting pot of Indian, Chinese and Malay culture, Kuala Lumpur offers some of the best food in Southeast Asia – if you know where to find it. Here are some of the country’s most iconic dishes, plus where to get them.
Coffee Shop (Kopitiam)
In Hokkien, kopi translates as coffee and tiam is shop, but many of these eateries are more food court than café, often serving breakfast in the morning, then opening their space to different food hawkers for lunch and dinner. While variety can be appealing, one kopitiam institution in town keeps all the recipes in the family. Currently on its third generation of owners, Yut Kee has served its famous gravy-soaked chicken chop and dark-roasted coffee since 1928 – although it got new digs in 2014 thanks to rising rents. Go at the weekend to get a slice of unforgettable roast pork belly – an extra bonus in a city where most restaurants serve halal dishes.
1 Jalan Kamunting (off Jalan Dang Wangi). Tel: +60 3 2698 8108. Hours: Tues-Sun 8am-5pm.
 
Chicken Rice (Nasi Ayam) 
Roasted chicken rice is, well, roasted, while the Hainan version is slow poached in stock. Both are great – and not just because they are served with rice stirfried with aromatic ginger and garlic and cooked in schmaltz to an oily, addictive finish. Grab the Hainan version of this dish at Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Wong Kee, a kopitiam that houses the Hai Lam Chicken Rice stall. The meat on these birds is downright silky, and you can order a side of the best siew yoke (crispy pork belly) in town from the coffee shop’s main vendors.
30 Jalan Nyonya, Off Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: +60 3 2145 2512. Hours: noon- 3pm (closed first Mon & Tues of the month and on all public holidays). 
 
Hokkien Mee
This Chinese-Malaysian dish is a take on Fujian-style fried noodles. Thick yellow noodles dyed deep brown by dark soy sauce are wok-fried with shrimp, squid, greens and crackling. The dish was invented in 1927 at a hawker stall in Chinatown’s Petaling Street. Still in operation, Kim Lian Kee is now a full restaurant with a large menu, but dinersin-the-know go here to find out what nearly a century of wok hei (the breath of the wok) tastes like.
2F, 49 Jalan Petaling. Tel: +60 3 2032 4984. Hours: Mon-Tues & Thurs-Sun 11am-11pm (closed every second Wed of the month).
 
Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls (Chee Cheong Fun)
You've probably had these stuffed with roasted pork or youtiao at dim sum, but KL has so many versions of the rice noodle roll, they might be unrecognisable. For one take, head to Imbi Market, a wet market with a hawker centre out back, to try Ah Fook’s version of the dish. Sliced rice noodle rolls are topped with deep-fried tofu, drizzled in sweet sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Almost as good as the food itself is the charming owner – just let him choose your toppings for you, if you aren’t sure which to order.
Imbi Market, Jalan Melati (near Jalan Kampung). Tel: No phone. Hours: Tues-Sun 6am-11am.
 
Nasi Lemak
You can’t visit KL and not try Malaysia’s national dish. The “fatty rice” gets its rich texture from coconut milk and is served with a boiled egg, sweet or spicy sambal (chili paste), fried anchovies and roasted peanuts. Head to the underdeveloped neighbourhood of Kampung Baru to try the dish at Mak Wanjor. Hidden in a strip of restaurants – many of which serve a very good nasi lemak as well – Mak Wanjor wins bonus points for its tamarind-infused sambal and ayam rempah (fried chicken dry-rubbed with spices).
8 Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru. Tel: +60 12 395 3884. Hours: Wed-Sat & Mon 7am-noon & 4pm-1am.
 
Satay
A staple throughout the world, meat skewers translate well in most cuisines, but Malaysia’s version gets an extra kick from the dipping sauce, a spicy peanut concoction that will keep you coming back for more. For the best version of this in KL, head to Capital Café. The kopitiam hosts multiple vendors, but the satay man (known as Kamaruddin, a third generation fanner of the charcoal flames) comes at 5pm and grills fatty Javanese beef, when he’s not catering private events at the Seri Menanti Palace.
213 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. Hours: Capital Café: Mon-Fri 7.30am-8pm, Sat 11am- 8pm. Satay Vendor: 5-8pm or earlier if they sell out.
 
Laksa
There are so many regional variations on this noodle soup that the umbrella term “laksa” covers all manner of sins. Most come with either a spicy coconut broth or a sour fish soup, often with curry, and feature rice noodles and prawns or chicken. Head to the Madras Lane wet market in Chinatown to try the curry laksa or asam laksa from any of the no-name stalls. Asam laksa, a Penang-style soup noodle broth, is flavoured with tamarind fruit, making it distinctively sour.
Petaling Street Wet Market, Madras Lane, Jalan Sultan. Hours: Tues-Sun 7am-12pm.
Banana Leaf Rice
Named for the “dish” it is served on, banana leaf is a South Indian meal to itself: rice, vegetables, pickles and curries all piled atop a leaf and crowned with crunchy papadom. You’re supposed to eat with your right hand only, although many places provide cutlery, and when you finish fold your leaf from the top down towards you and hold it down with cup or utensil– that’s your way of telling the chef you liked it. A hidden gem in the predominantly Indian neighbourhood of Brickfields, Yarl’s Restaurant is run by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. The inexpensive curries and vegetables are served buffet-style, which is good because you’ll want to keep piling them up to try them all.
50 Jalan Padang Belia, Brickfields. Tel: +60 10 360 6624. Hours: Tues-Sun 7am-10pm.
 
Street Food
If you’ve never experienced Malaysian street food, then start at Jalan Alor. The street started as the city’s red light district, but now serves up its fun in the form of sizzling hot food. Sure, it’s a bit touristy now, but that means all the menus will come in English. Don’t miss Wong Ah Wah’s legendary chicken wings at the top of the street – you won’t find anything better the whole block, but you’ll have a lot of fun trying.
1 Jalan Alor. Tel: +60 3 2144 2463. Hours: 5:30pm-4am (closed every other Mon).
 

Where To Stay: Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur

When it comes to eating well in KL, the Shangri-La knows the deal. In addition to having five on-site restaurants, they also host an al fresco farmer’s market next to their garden maze every Saturday. The same suppliers who help make up their brunch spread at Lemon Garden Café bring in organic produce and fresh, sustainably-sourced seafood, all at market prices. By 2017, more than half of the food served at the Shangri-La’s restaurants will be locally-sourced – an impressive feat made all the more delicious by the cornucopia of tropical fruits available in the area. By the time KL’s late afternoon thunderstorms roll in, it is the perfect time to head to the Horizon Club Lounge for happy hour. And their shaded outdoor pool makes for an excellent way to while away the day between meals.
Web: www.shangri-la.com

Trader’s Hotel

Just across KLCC Park from the Petronas Towers, Trader’s Hotel offers panoramic views of the twin skyscrapers. Whether you’re working off the Hokkien mee at the gym or waking up from a food coma in your room, you’ll have an unbeatable vista – but none can beat the one from SkyBar on the hotel’s 33rd floor. This rooftop indoor pool by day turns into one of the city’s most exciting clubs after the sun sets. Reserve a cabana by the water to make sure you get floor-to-ceiling views of the 88-storey towers.
Web: www.shangri-la.com