Eating and Shopping in Kuala Lumpur

I have always had a soft spot for Kuala Lumpur. It is a modern city with skyscapers and megamalls, and it is a town with charming pre-war shophouses and old banyan trees in the most unlikely places.

Quick Tips:

Security is a huge issue, as crimes are becoming more violent in nature. This cannot be emphasized often enough: keep your wallets/handbags close by at all times.

Best Way To Get Around:

Kuala Lumpur is notorious for its traffic jams, especially near the Golden Triangle. Avoid travelling by car near these areas; the LRT is a better alternative. Otherwise, I usually zip around Kuala Lumpur in taxis. Be sure to ask the driver to switch on the meter though and always say NO if the driver asks if he can make a quick stop to refuel. This is a common trick employed to increase the fare (yes, the meter is left running while the driver refuels the taxi).

Mention Ampang, Kuala Lumpur and the locals will inevitably ask if you have tried the Hakka yong taufu (assorted vegetables and bean curd stuffed with fish paste). A visit to Kuala Lumpur will not be complete without trying this dish that has inspired many imitators, even in Singapore.

This restaurant is very popular with the locals and visitors from as far as Singapore. This restaurant was even voted for having the best yong taufu by a popular eatery TV program in Singapore. During lunchtime, particularly on the weekends, it is always crowded, despite the remote location. To get there, just hop into a taxi, preferably one with a Chinese driver and mentionAmpang yong taufu; you'll soon be on your way.

This restaurant is mainly self-service. Patrons need to scout for their own table before heading for the counter to place their orders. There is hardly any menu. The easy and quickest way is to ask for a mix selection; 40 pieces is sufficient for four average eaters.

The Hakka yong taufu differs from those from other dialect groups in that high-quality, dried, salted fish bits are added to the fish paste. The dish is best eaten dipped with sweet or chili sauce (all homemade of course).

This restaurant is closed on Tuesday. The price for a mix selection, 40 pieces, costs about RM$21. Drinks, usually homebrewed Chinese herbal tea, are from RM$1 upwards.

Petaling Street, or better known as Chee Cheong Kai, is another favorite haunt of mine. I was saddened when the local government decided to update the Chinatown image to a more commercialised one. Nevertheless, the renovations are over, and many of the street stalls are back again!

If you venture off the main street selling touristy sovenirs and fake, branded goods and into the side lanes, you will be well rewarded with delicious food and a glimpse of the old Chinatown folks.

Start the morning with yum cha at one of the oldest coffeeshops, Yook Woo Hin, on the corner at end of the street before the Swiss Garden Hotel. They serve dim sum as early as 6:30am, the traditional way. I love the atmosphere here and have been coming to this place since I was a child. Little has changed here, and the atmosphere is lively as orders are shouted across the room. Tea and cutlery is still served emersed in hot water. The dim sum is cheap and freshly made in the shop.

My favorite food: wanton mee
There is a particular stall in the foodcourt at the other end of Petaling street that is touted as the best in KL (with Swiss Garden Hotel on your right, walk down until you reach a junction, turn right, and it is at the corner). For RM$2.50, you get a plate of yellow thin noodles that is cooked al dente and covered in light oyster sauce, served with cai xin, thick, roasted bbq slices of char siew (roast pork), and a small bowl of wanton soup (cantonese meat dumplings).

You can see the workers frantically churning out the noodles and wantons diagonally across the foodcourt in a dark coffee shop hidden by streetcarts selling fruits. In this same shop, you will also find one of the oldest stalls selling the best-tasting chee cheong fun (paper-thin rice noodle). Their sweet sauce recipe has a 60-year history.

Dessert? Head towards Bee Chung Hiang (you can see a huge red and yellow signboard), and look out for a streetcart selling silky jelly beancurd and a soybean drink, just before Bee Chung Hiang. For RM$0.60, you will not only get a bowl of silky beancurd (which is reportedly good for your skin) with a choice of either brown syrup or plain syrup, but you will get to be Ms./Mr. pretty/good-looking lass/lad for the duration. Look out for the middle-age couple in yellow baseball caps. They are usually there from noon onwards. If you are still unsure of who they are (there are quite a few), they are usually surrounded by students or a crowd of aunties.

Stomach still growling? Cross over back to Chinatown central again; this time go into the back streets. There, you will find a few stalls selling anything from wanton mee in claypot to a strong, thick local coffee brewed in socks.

How local can it get?

Petaling Street, or better known among the locals as Chee Cheong Kai and Chinatown among tourists, respectively has in recent years undergone a superficial facelift of sorts. Gone are the uneven roads and broken pavements and the huge colorful umbrellas that protect the goods sold from wooden pushcarts. Chinatown is now sheltered, with two large Chinese arches placed at both ends of the street to welcome visitors.

Where once you could find a variety of products, from pirated DVDs (but the copyright laws have put a stop to that), to old-fashioned hair accessories and clothes for babies; these stalls are a rare find now.

Chinatown has lost some of its flavor since the facelift. Though cleaner, pushcarts nowadays sell mainly imitation branded t-shirts, handbags, shoes, and local snacks; products tailored towards the tourists.

Nevertheless, Chinatown is still a worthwhile place to visit for the food. If you wander into the side lanes, you will still be able to glimpse the old Chinatown, from the lane that sells funeral wreaths to the almost hidden wet market selling live poultry, seafood, and fresh vegetables.

Bargaining is allowed; in fact mandatory unless you do not mind being ripped off. Prices are usually quoted 10 to 15% (or higher) more than what they should be.

The Golden Triangle encompasses the area of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Imbi. It is the Orchard road of Singapore, Tsimtsatsui of Hong Kong: the shopping paradise! From high end branded designer togs (no fakes here) to cute t-shirts from Korea, from Swarovski crystals to tacky glass trinkets, the Golden triangle has something to suit every budget size.

High-end:

StarHill- Looking for designer wear? This is the place to be. The anchor tenant is Tangs (from Singapore), but it houses smaller boutiques as well. Outside, there are sidewalk cafes where shoppers can rest their feet and watch the world go by while they sip their tea.

Lot 10 is where shoppers head for the latest in fashion trends. The anchor tenant is Isetan, who is from Japan.

Mid-end to budget:

Sungei Wang Plaza is right across the monorail station. This mall is the favourite among the locals, particularly among the young and hip-hop ones. There are about 500 outlets here offering a wide range of merchandise, from furniture to cheap trinkets. It is the best place for cheap fashion wear, footwear, and accessories; or simply a good place to spend a leisurely afternoon. If you need to eat, there is a variety of food to chose from here. From sushi to burgers, shoppers are simply spoilt for choice.

Times Square is the latest new kid on the block, and touted as the largest shopping mall in Southeast Asia. There are countless of shops selling a huge range of merchandise, but the star attraction here is the indoor theme park located on the 6th floor.

Imbi Plaza is a run-down building(in contrast to the others) that has devoted itself to selling all things related to the computer. This is THE place to hunt for computer accessories and software (although the authenticity may be questionable).

Out of the Golden triangle

The mid-valley mega-mall is located between Kuala Lumpur central and Petaling Jaya, at Jalan Syed Putera. This mall spans a total of 8km, housing 400 retail shops, offices, a 680-room hotel, an 18-screen Golden Screen Cinema, and a 38-lane bowling alley. The anchor tenants here are Carrefour Hypermart, Jusco, and Metrojaya. What more could a shopper want?