Our time in Kuala Lumpur was very short, so we couldn’t try as much as we would have liked, however, here are some suggestions:
Jalan Alor food street
This bustling street, packed with people, restaurants, food stalls, fruit, and juices, is one of the must-do stops in Kuala Lumpur, especially in the late afternoon or evening, perfect for dinner. The Jalan Alor food street is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel where we stayed in Kuala Lumpur (check out the post Hotel in Kuala Lumpur), and we chose one of the restaurants closer to the beginning of the street from the Bukit Bintang side, the LDS Restoran Chao Zhou. This restaurant was quite popular, and we were lucky to get a table, although we did have to wait quite a while for our food.
We asked the girl who set the table for us to help us choose the dishes, and they were good, but my favorite was definitely the grilled stingray.
If you fancy walking to the end of the street, there’s another very popular restaurant, Wong Ah Wah Restaurant (W.A.W. Restaurant), which also seemed to have a lot of fish and seafood options.
Kim Kee Noodles
Our guide, Hoopy, (find out more about our one-day trip in Kuala Lumpur here) took us to this restaurant after visiting the Batu Caves, so it’s a bit away from the centre of Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant is mainly frequented by locals, and we had the traditional Pan Mee noodles, which were absolutely delicious. We ordered a few different dishes, but my favourite was definitely the Chili Pan Mee. Discover more about this restaurant here.
Chili Pan Mee is part of the list of culinary specialties invented in Kuala Lumpur, learn more here.
In the square opposite the restaurant, there were stalls selling Malaysia’s most popular fruits, including the so-called king of fruits, the famous durian, and the queen of fruits, the mangosteen. We bought mangosteen and also a bunch of rambutan to bring to the hotel later. Hoopy even convinced us to try the durian, and although I didn’t think it tasted as bad as it smelled, I wasn’t a big fan either.
Wong Mei Kee
If you’re looking for a local street food experience for lunch, check out this restaurant which is particularly famous for its crispy roasted pork belly, as well as roasted pork. I found out about this restaurant after my visit to Kuala Lumpur, when Hélio was watching a YouTube video about local street food. The video showed the immense hours spent preparing on the chicken and pork before opening, which disappears within a few hours of opening.
Although it has a bit of a wait, I’ll leave you with this recommendation, that is also listed in the Michelin Guide for Kuala Lumpur.
Food Tour
Although we didn’t have the time to do it, if you can, go for a food tour. It’s one of the best ways to experience the local cuisine of a country or city, especially in places where the menu isn’t always available in English. You can find these tours on Get your Guide.
If you’re staying in the Bukit Bintang area and need a quick and cheap food option, you can also head to the Pavilion shopping centre, which has a ‘Food Republic’ food court with a wide selection of Asian food.
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