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Malaysia Mondays – Kuala Lumpur Part 1

Welcome to the first of my Malaysia Mondays posts! Rather than subject everyone to a barrage of Malaysian posts I’ve decided to space them out a little and post weekly updates. Be warned the posts are heavy with text, an inappropriate amount of rambling and yes, a truly ridiculous amount of food.

A few months ago Billy proposed the idea of a blogger style holiday, I’m always keen for a holiday and quickly agreed with no idea of what I was getting myself into! An Airasia sale later we were booked for a two and a half week Malaysia/Thailand holiday scheduled for the middle of monsoon season.

Our itinerary was a little insane: Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Penang then a pit stop over in Thailand, Penang before one last run at Kuala Lumpur.

Day 1 – Kuala Lumpur: In which we learn that you really do have to keep an eye on your luggage.

In true form I’m running late! We’ve bought our AirAsia tickets on sale but it also means that we’re flying out via Melbourne, I’ve got to dash to make the domestic flight out of Sydney but for once trains are running fine and I’m at the airport in no time. I quickly realize that my luggage is the smallest in the group, (Simon easily wins for largest and Helen’s is funkiest – Silver Bullet!!).

Things seem to be going well until the lady behind the counter suddenly freezes and looks at us with a guilty expression, “I just sent that bag down without a tag…”. It’s Billy’s bag which has been subjected to luggage hell and despite his super accurate description, “Err black with a brown/beige trim?”, the bag is nowhere to be seen in Melbourne.

A flurry of phone calls confirms that yes, the bag is still in Sydney. A rush is put on the bag and it manages to catch up with us in time for our flight out to Kuala Lumpur, but not before we make a quick jaunt into the city for a Lord of the Fries run (mmm the poutine!) and a hearty dinner of Greek.

The less said about our AirAsia flight the better… From the BO coming from the row of teenaged boys behind us on route to Phuket to the chorus of the continually sick boy a few rows up, it’s a flight I’ve never been happier to see the end of! With no luggage mishaps this time around we check into our hotel and decide to hit KLCC since it’s the closest shopping center to our hotel.

Lunch – KLCC Food Court

I’m having a disagreement with Helen. With the humidity beating down on us all I can think about eating is a spicy curry, Helen is mildly aghast at the thought, her brain consumed by thoughts of Ice Kachang. “Eat hot foods when it’s hot and sweat it all out!” I’ve had this drilled into me since I was a kid and I live by it! *laughs*

The curry soup is thick, creamy and exactly what I’m craving! It’s standard food court fare but knowing that my lunch has come to the grand total of 3AU makes me warm and fuzzy inside, it doesn’t take many meals for me to realise that even this is somewhat overpriced. My first (of many) Milos on this trip, it’s made piping hot and filled with ice cubes to make a chilling chocolate blast. The Malaysian bloggers will argue bitterly that it’s worlds above the Australian equivalent but all I know is that it’s malty chocolate goodness in a cup.

Helen’s gotten her wish! I’m sated by my Milo but the others decide to finish off their meal with Ice Kachangs and Red Rubys. It’s the first time I’ve seen this dessert and I’m mesmerised by the blinding red and white of the dish, it’s an icy mixture of coconut and water chestnuts and is strangely alluring. I have to confess that before this trip, Ice Kachang wasn’t a favourite dish of mine but I’ve slowly been converted to its appeal.

Shopping time! There are hundreds of stores in KLCC but somehow I find myself drawn to two stores, Zara (which seems to be going through an explosion in floral prints) and Watsons (Priceline on crack at a fifth of the price). We’re shopped out and as if on cue the skies have opened up, we’re retreating back to the hotel for a very well needed power nap.

Dinner – Hakka

We’re headed over to Hakka for dinner, Billy’s been here before and it’s an easy choice. The restaurant is straddling the line between kitschy and touristy but manages to just pull through, the crowds a mix of locals and tourists. We opt for an outdoors table, the weather has thankfully cooled down to be manageable and ceiling fans perched above each table help, the outdoor setting is sprinkled with fairy lights, red lanterns and even a distant view of the towers in the distance.

Girls in skimpy Tiger beer branded mini dresses are stalking the tables hoping to entice the men into buying a jug of beer. They’re rewarded on a commission basis so drink up boys!

Hello heaven in a bowl. people on a diet, you may want to look away now! The pork is gloriously fatty and falls apart in your mouth, each bite accompanied by a thick salty sweet sauce, with the vegetables almost an afterthought.

Chilli fried fat prawns? Don’t mind if I do! The prawns are cooked up in the shell and despite the hassle of peeling, are a chilli blast in the mouth. I try one with the shell on and for once think the crunch of the shell is better than just the prawn alone!

I’m mesmerised by the whiskers on the cat-fish and have to resist the urge to start playing with them. The meat of the fish is surprisingly resilient requiring a firm chop with a spoon before separating, the mild taste is refreshing after the fat and chilli we’ve been consuming.

It seems like everything we’re eating falls apart in the mouth, but the chicken is the winner in this category – the meat almost sliding off the bones it’s been stewed for so long. The sauce is thick and penetrating… it’s comfort food at its best (although my friends would probably refer to it more like old people food!).

Glistening fat noodles… I seem to have a different craving at every meal and this is my vice for the meal!  The sauce coats the noodles thickly, my only wish – fatter noodles!

A token attempt at being healthy with a few green dishes! Bitter gourd is one of my favourite vegetables, I know a lot of people can’t take the bitterness of it all, but when done properly in a stir fry with egg it’s the perfect balance of salt and bitter. The tofu is home-made and is firm to touch when picked up with the chopsticks but silken in your mouth, yum.

We ask Billy how authentic the whole experience is, he says maybe half of the dishes are what you’d call traditional Hakka fare, the rest being more generic Chinese dishes added for the tourists. The place has become a lot more touristy in the last year he notes, to me it’s a fun experience – granted I’m the target audience after all! I’m ready to roll into bed at this point but of course there’s no stopping a group of bloggers and we’re moving on in search of dessert.

Supper – Jalan Alor

Hakka sits in the shadow of Pavilion (a massive shopping center in the middle of the Golden Triangle district), savory sides sated we wander off into the lights and noise of Bukit Bintang searching for dessert. Somehow amidst all of the shops and street peddlers we manage to stumble over Jalan Alor, a street filled entirely of food stands selling everything from Frog Porridge to Durian cut on demand.

Walking down Jalan Alor is very much like walking down the middle of Chinatown, only 10 times worse with people shoving menus in your face as you walk past. The stalls all have chairs and tables sprawled out in front over the walkways and into the streets, as we walk down the street there’s a sudden ruckus and we realise the police have arrived.

They’re fast on their feet and much to the dismay of the locals they’re confiscating the chairs and tables on the streets! It’s a strange sight to see police rolling away tables as the curious diners safe on the pavements sit and watch as they eat their dinners. The mess seems confined to the end of the street so we move up and finally choose a stand.

Syarikat Makanan Salai Kiew Brothers

The heat is hitting us again, there’s only one solution really – Ice baby, ice. “ABC!” It’s a cry we’re gonna hear a lot on this trip – ABC is the slang name for Ice Kachang and stands for “Air Batu Campur” a nickname so ingrained into Malaysians that Billy doesn’t even realise it stands for something. I’ve got a complex about crunchy things in my food and opt for Cendol instead. The slippery green tendrils are perfect for the weather, buried under a mountain of ice I find I have to eat them quickly or they start to freeze!

The sight of the Rojak dish coming out has Billy tsking like an old fisherman’s wife. “No prawn crackers, no tofu, no sauce! Not enough fruit!” It’s my first taste of the dish and according to Billy, a truly terrible one. Pieces of Cucumber, Green Mango and Pineapple are coated in a belacan (shrimp paste) based sauce, it’s an interesting dish but as Billy notes, not even close to enough sauce to cover the fruit.

An interesting quirk about eating on the streets in Malaysia – if you’re after something that the stand you’re at doesn’t currently serve, they’ll pop over to their neighbours and order what you’re after! Payment is quite easy, you pay as the food arrives at your table so there’s no confusion at the end of the night, very practical indeed.

Despite this being a dessert stop it doesn’t stop us from ordering a few more savory dishes. The Chicken Wings are fried to a crisp with the skin deliciously crunchy with each bite. I get a disapproving tsk from Helen when she spots that I’ve left the wingtips virtually untouched! The satay sticks are tiny, barely a few mouthfuls each – perfect snack sizes especially when drowned in the accompanying peanut sauce.

It’s on this trip that I realise I have no idea about the limitations of my stomach, there are nights to come where I’m going to eat more food than I ever though possible to consume… Looking back, I don’t regret a single night!

Suria KLCC
50450 Jalan Ampang

Hakka Restaurant
No 6. Jalan Kia Peng
50450 Kuala Lumpur

Syarikat Makanan Salai Kiew Brothers
30, Jalan Hang Lekiu