Malaysia: Savoring the Best of Malaysian Cuisine

They say that a way to a [wo]man’s heart is through herhis stomach. More so, a way through a traveller’s heart (aside from the destination, people and way of life) is through their stomach too, I suppose. Ask any traveller why they come back to a certain destination over and over again and one of the top answers you’d get is definitely the food. This is basically the reason why I love Thailand so much!

I believe that a traveller will never enjoy a place as much as they would want to if they are deprived of good food. It’s too hard to carry a heavy backpack or drag one’s luggage on an empty stomach because you have this appetite to eat only the best-tasting and yummy food out there. And it’s quite interesting to discover that Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia, is able to provide the basic needs of a hungry nomad. With its rich cultural heritage, this Muslim country has transformed into a huge melting pot of gustatory delights where both locals and tourists get to enjoy the fusion of Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Thai, Indian and Arabian cuisines.

During a quick visit in Kuala Lumpur, I was one happy foodie when given the privilege to sample a wide variety of Malaysian cuisine – from home-cooked cuisines, street food and even savoring on fine dining courses.

Allow me to share with you the food that I enjoyed gobbling during my short visit in Kuala Lumpur.

What to Eat in Kuala Lumpur

Home-Cooked Chinese-Malaysian Cuisine

If you are wondering what to eat in Kuala Lumpur, you need to know that there are dozens of places where you can savour Malaysian food. But if you want to know where to eat in this bustling city, you can head over to Restoran Muar. Located at No. 6G Tengkat Tong Shin, this restaurant is nestled in a backpacker’s neighborhood where you can equally admire the architecture of the old buildings within the area.

L-R, Top-Bottom, clockwise: Steamed Beancurd, Butter Kailan, Garlic Kankong, Dried
Chili Fish, Petal Squid and Prawn, Crispy Fried Egg, Cendol for dessert

Restoran Muar serves a fusion of Malay and Chinese cuisine. The place might turn you off as this is not one of those posh dining places in KL that you’d probably expect. But the food served here makes up for the rustic atmosphere you’d end up probably grabbing the menu again to order more. The dishes are that good. Surprisingly, my favorite were those fried kailan leaves called Butter Kailan.

International Cuisine

When you travel to KL, it would be wise to splurge on international cuisines too. And the Azur restaurant housed inside the 5-star hotel Putrajaya Shangri-La offers one of the best-tasting European cuisine in Malaysia.

L-R (clockwise): flower arrangement (not edible, of course), Herb Parmesan Crusted Chicken accompanied with Cream Mushroom Sauce, Chocolate Panna Cotta with Seasonal Fresh Fruit & Caramel Sauce, Smoked Salmon Rose accompanied with Mixed Mesclun Salad & Mustard Dressing

The symphony of flavours infused on all of the dishes served at Azur offers anyone the opportunity to enjoy an excellent dining experience while appreciating the view of the stunning gardens and lakes that envelops the hotel. They have a wide variety of dishes to choose from their menu that won’t disappoint your taste buds. My personal favorite is their smoked salmon.

Street Food

Every traveller who goes to Kuala Lumpur must visit Jalan Alor (meaning: Street Alor). And if you are one budget traveler, it’s more than enough reason to visit this place for you will find the best-tasting street food in KL in this side of town.

skewered veggies and barbecue frogs, anyone?

fried kuey teow noodles and milk tea

This famous street-food paradise in KL transforms into a giant open air restaurant at night to cater to the hungry locals and tourists in Malaysia. In here, you have the option to choose from a wide variety establishments. Have you tried eating skewered eggplants, mushrooms, prawns, or even frogs? They have it! It’s just a matter of finding the best place to eat in Jalan Alor as there are countless restaurants in the area offering different food varieties including their very own…

Malaysian Cuisine

We tried 2 of the restos in there and declared the one below the Town View Hotel – Restoran Dragonview as offering one of the best Malaysian cuisine at Jalan Alor.

yummy dishes at Restoran Dragonview
photo credit: penfires.com

Because of its strategic location and popularity, the Restoran Dragonview is frequented by locals and tourists who visit KL. Their menu lists a wide range of dishes and it comes with photos too for easy identification with foreigners who dine there. We’ve feasted on a couple of dishes from their menu and the food served didn’t fail to disappoint our palates.

Breakfast buffets

If you are staying in hotels that offer free breakfast buffets, make sure you take advantage of tasting every dish or food served. You’ll need to have a full stomach before you head out and tour the city. This is also a great way to discover the kind of dishes offered in a country you are visiting.

The Taman Sari Brasserie at the 5-star Hotel Istana offers a wide range of local and international cuisines where diners can dine buffet-style or choose from their a la carte menu. There’s so many to choose from.

Cakes and Other Desserts

For the sweet tooth addicts, Malaysia surprisingly offers yummy cakes, pastries and other desserts. In fact, at the Atrium Café & Lounge of Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, I enjoyed indulging on their cakes as much as the food served at their buffet table.

couldn’t get enough of those cakes from the buffet table of the Atrium Café & Lounge to be honest.

tempting pastries at The Loaf

And if you get tired after roaming around the shopping malls in KL, you can also head over to pastry shops within the malls such as The Loaf, which is located at the main entrance of the Pavilion Mall at the Bukit Bintang district, to enjoy munching on assorted pastry delights and sipping coffee while observing the busy streets of Malaysia.

Our 2-day trip to Kuala Lumpur was too short to fully immerse on Malaysia’s cuisine but I’m thankful that even within that time-frame, I got the chance to taste the different food offerings in that region. Thinking of all those yummy dishes make me want to book my next flight to KL as I couldn’t wait to discover more and feast on their culinary treats.

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This trip was made possible by AirAsia Zest – The Right Way to fly and Tourism Malaysia – Visit Malaysia 2014. AirAsia Zest now flies to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia from Cebu Mactan International Airport. Visit www.airasia.com for flight schedules, promos and online flight reservation. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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