My
last few posts have explored the wilds of Sarawak Borneo where I was lucky enough to visit on a food blogger trip with
Malaysia Airlines. Now I flee the forest and turn to the bright city lights…..and what lights could be brighter than those of Malaysia’s capital city,
Kuala Lumpur? Our visit there was all too brief, giving us merely a taste of this vibrant city however see my flying visit guide for a quick hit of where to explore.
How to get here: Malaysia Airlines run a twice daily flight to Kuala Lumpur, with tickets starting at around £817 for economy. See my
previous post for information on the flight experience and
food. If you think airline food is all about microwaves and plastic bread, think again and read. A trip to their catering facility truly enlightened me – think medium rare steaks at 40,000 feet and homemade puff pastry (insanely difficult).
From Kuala Lumpur airport it’s around a 40 minute taxi into the city centre, or a short hop on the direct train. The traffic is infamously terrible; if you don’t have too much luggage do consider the train!
Where to stay: The Majestic Hotel is a pillar of calm luxury in a city that can seem at first glance chaotic. It towers, a white neo-classical sprawl, across a hill top with views out over the city from the higher floors. Inside it is a remarkable example of grand art deco, with roman columns, elegant marble floors in geometric patterns and gold
everywhere. There are various levels of rooms and all are lavish. Think free standing bath tubs facing flat screen televisions, rain showers and four poster beds – and these are just the standard room features. As insane as the rooms are the prices. Rooms start at around £70 and you can stay in a colonial suite spanning 40 square metres with your own butler for barely £100! Oh and that includes breakfast.
Alongside the rooms they have a roof garden, various pools, a world class spa and several restaurants, including a very special tea room filled from wall to ceiling with beautiful orchids. The service does not stop there; a complimentary shuttle runs throughout the day to various points in the city. Truly, truly recommended.
What to do:
A visit to the
Petronas Twin Towers is a must. These are the tallest twin towers in the world, towering 451 metres and 88 floors from the ground. These are best seen at night, illuminated and otherworldly. Even better, head to
Marini’s on 57 for a sun down cocktail on top of the world. This is an exceedingly swanky bar and restaurant on (you guessed it) the 57th floor of the towers – you’ll be hard pressed to find a better view. I'd recommend it primarily for drinks rather than the food which I found over-engineered (think deconstructed salads, dressed at the table with pipettes! Ouch.).
For rival views, head to the Menara KL Tower. At 420m tall it stands just short of the twins, but remains an iconic aspect of the KL skyline.
Jalan Alor street has long been a food lovers heaven. This street houses a myriad of open air, casual street food eateries. Food hopping here is the work of a long and pleasant evening – and the perfect way to cut to the chase of Malaysian eating.
One of my favourite things to do when travelling is to visit the markets. I just love the hustle and bustle that comes with frantic trade. The Night Markets of Kuala Lumpur, whilst I’m told authoritatively by locals are only for tourists, are still amazing places to potter in during the cooler hours. Everything is sold here and it’s a wonderful place to visit to pick up those all-important holiday souvenirs.
The Central Market, open during the day, is similar although with less of the hustle and perhaps even more of the tourist tack. It makes for a pleasant potter, although branch out into the side streets to explore the other shops.
For covered shopping, the central Pavilion is a huge and modern mall packed full of shops, restaurant and a cinema. It’s right under the Petronas Towers so ties in well to a visit there.
Where to eat:
I wasn’t in KL long enough to truly explore the culinary wonders of this sparkling city, however what I tried was fabulous.
Street food for me is always a win. Head to Jalan Alor and eat your way along the strip, food hopping from open air restaurant to open air restaurant, trying a dish at each. It’s a great and cheap way to eat and means, for greedy pigs like me, you get to try lots and lots of different things.
Take the opportunity to explore
Nyonya cuisine. Nyonya food (or Peranakan food) has its roots back in 16th century trade between China and Malaysia when the two cultures came together, intermarried and birthed Nyonya culture with its own distinctive style of cooking. China brought cooking methods such as stir frying to native Malay ingredients, producing cuisine that is tangy and rich. Luckily enough, one of my trip companions was Nyonya supper club chef, Guan from
The Boy Who Ate The World, and he guided us to one of his favourite Nyonya restaurants:
Limapulo. This is a tremendously cool spot serving authentic Nyonya cuisine cooked up by ‘Uncle John’ from his repertoire of old family recipes. Think spicy sambal, sour and hot shrimp paste and tonnes of tamarind. Frankly delicious and very reasonable.
If you’re in KL in May, look out for the KL Big Kitchen Festival. This is a humongous food festival set in Merdeka Square celebrating Malaysian food. Curated by Malaysian celebrity chef Norman Musa and the tourism board, it’s a wonderful time for foodies to visit this city. See our next post for more information on this festival, which we were lucky enough to visit!
So ends my flying visit guide to Kuala Lumpur. Painfully short, fleetingly brief, but enough to motivate a return visit (and soon!). KL, I can’t wait to see you again.
