Thursday, September 4, 2014

A taste of Malaysia's Cuisine

Before even leaving for Malaysia, it was common knowledge (albeit unspoken) that we'll be indulging with food and coffee. As a result, I've decided to do a separate post on the restaurants that we tried while in Kuala Lumpur.

As I mentioned in a previous post, our hotel is located beside several hotels so the restaurants I'll be touching on are found in either Avenue K or in Suria KLCC. Let me start with Suria KLCC which houses our favorite (and probably the favorite of other tourists and locals as well), Madam Kwan's!

Madam Kwan's offers Malaysian hawker food but in a restaurant setting. Aside from its excellent food, it's notorious for having long lines even after the usual lunch time. We got there at 3 PM and there still were several people waiting for a table. Fortunately, they were able to accommodate our small party right away.


We ordered some dishes that they're known for - Nasi Lemak and Nasi Bojari and some that we just wanted to try - Mixed Satay and Deep Fried Dumplings.

All the dishes did not disappoint. We especially loved the deep fried dumplings for its crunchy texture and fresh filling of crab and shrimp. We liked the dumplings so much that we ate there twice. I had the Nasi Lemak the first time we dined there and tried the Nasi Bojari on our succeeding visit.

Madam Kwan's is located on the 4th Floor of Parkson Suria KLCC. Just a little reminder, on the same floor is a similarly named stall, Miss Kwan. That is an entirely different restaurant.

Another dining spot that we tried in Suria KLCC was 8 Ounce Coffee.

We were curious about their coffee but only got the chance to try it on our last day. Honestly, I didn't like their coffee that much. It tasted too sour for me. But don't let my comment stop you from trying them. We all have different coffee preferences, so you just might like their brew.

8 Ounce Coffee is located at the 1st Floor of KLCC.

The last restaurant we tried in Suria KLCC was a dessert place, Wafflemeister. It is originally from London and, as the name suggests, specializes on waffles.

We decided to try this because I was craving for something sweet and familiar. I also read online that this is the only branch outside London and UAE. The one pictured above is called Dream Team. It comes with one scoop of your choice of gelato and a drizzle of either dark, milk, or white chocolate. I chose Hazelnut gelato and dark chocolate. Yum!

Wafflemeister is at Suria KLCC's 3rd Floor.

The other mall close to our hotel is Avenue K. This mall has an underground passage and is connected to the train and to Suria KLCC. Naturally, we explored this mall before venturing to Suria. So, the day we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, we decided to try Taste Enclave in Avenue K for dinner.
 
Since it's a food court, we got to order several dishes from separate stalls. Seen above are the Sentul Ah Yap Charcoal Hokkien Mee and the Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice. The crispy pork bits in the Hokkien Mee and the mixture of chicken and sausage in the Claypot Chicken were pleasant surprises.

Taste Enclave is in Avenue K 2nd Floor, Jalan Ampang

The first coffee shop we tried during our  stay in Malaysia was The Library Coffee Bar. Among the coffee shops we tried, we ended up loving this the most for its flavorful, full-bodied coffee. We liked it so much that we finished our drinks way before remembering to take pictures of it!

As you can see in the picture, they also offer spiked coffee and cocktails. Sadly, we weren't able to try any of those.

 The Library Coffee Bar is located at the Ground Floor of Avenue K (beside Johnny Rockets; entrance can be accessed from outside)

We also dropped by Old Town White Coffee several times (to order snacks for take away and to buy instant coffee to bring home to relatives and friends). Old Town is the most famous brand of White Coffee in Malaysia whose popularity has spilled over to its neighboring country, Singapore. I remember my friends and I hoarding these in Singapore last year


Old Town White Coffee has several locations but we frequented the one in Avenue K, Upper Concourse level.

Last but not the least is Urbean. This is my second most liked cafe among all the coffee shops we tried in KL (next to The Library).

It wasn't just the coffee that's worthy of praise; the ambiance and the very attentive staff are also commendable. The meals we ordered were not only pretty but also delicious!

Urbean is in Avenue K's Concourse level.

A bonus foodie retreat that we went to was strongly recommended by my college friend, Katy. Jalan Alor is a popular food street that is walking distance from the shopping district of Bukit Bintang. 


We arrived at 7 PM and the place is starting to get packed. To reach Jalan Alor, you can take the train to Bukit Bintang station. Once you're out of Bukit Bintang Station, go left (away from Lot 10 mall). Go right once you see the KFC on Changkat Bukit Bintang. Just keep walking straight and you'll see Jalan Alor to your left. You've now reached Jalan Alor, enjoy!

As the post proves, what we did in Malaysia was mainly to stuff ourselves with great food and great coffee. That just shows that we're firm believers of experiencing the country through their food. :)

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed composing it. As Kurt Vonnegut said, "You can't just eat good food. You've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.”


Suria KLCC
Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur City Centre,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Madam Kwan's: 4th Level
Wafflemeister: 3rd Level
8 Ounce Coffee: 1st Level



Avenue K
156 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Taste Enclave: 2nd Level
The Library Coffee Bar: Ground Level
Old Town White Coffee: Upper Concourse Level
Urbean: Concourse Level

1 comment:

  1. Waaaaah! I really should've went to KL! All the coffee drinking you did!!! Huhu, I miss you so so so much S!

    ReplyDelete

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