Bordered by Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, and with a heritage of diverse influences including a long period of British colonial rule and an economically powerful Chinese community, Malaysia is one of the most multicultural nations in southeast Asia.
With Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei at its borders plus a rich historical connection being a long time colony of British rule, the arrival of Indians during the same colonial period, and influences from the economically powerful Chinese community, Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures, and that has trickled down to its food.
During our quick
two-night
three-night stay in Kuala Lumpur, we were able to explore the variety of food options in the bustling metropolis, from five-star hotel food, to casual dining, up to budget-friendly dining, so join me as I take you to a gastronomic adventure that is Truly Asia, through photos.
Restoran Muar
Address: No 6G, Tengkat Tong Shin, Kuala Lumpur, 50200, Kuala Lumpur, WP Kuala Lumpur, 50200, Malaysia
Phone: +60 12-219 2199
At first, I thought we were at a glorified Philippine eatery, but as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover! Restoran Muar served great home-cooked cuisine, probably the best food we had during our entire stay in KL.
Garlic Kangkong: really fresh water spinach sauteed in garlic; Chicken in BBQ Sauce
French Bean Squid and Prawn: an instant-hit to my taste buds, sweet-chili and titillating (in a non-sexual way); Black Pepper Beef: kid-friendly; this is what I’ll be ordering when I’m not feeling too adventurous.
Butter Kai Lan: Kai Lan or Chinese broccoli is a popular vegetable in Cantonese cuisine. It is slightly bitter and the butter and garlic really add a nice contrast. This was really crunchy and flavorful and became my favorite. At first taste, I quipped that it was a combination of “Boy Bawang” and “Green Peas”, lol.; Crispy Fried Egg: Think of regular fried eggs but with some cooking skills, some heat permitted egg whites to blend with hot oil. The product? A mash of crispy, cottony egg-white, and the yolk wasn’t overcooked at all! Lovely.
Steamed Bean-curd: I am not really a big fan of tofu but this one gave me hearty enjoyment. Really delicious, non-chalky and herbaceous!
For dessert, we had Ceylon which was pretty interesting since it was their own version of our own halo-halo, but with “healthier” (compared to halo-halo which has mostly synthetic ingredients) ingredients such as coconut milk, red bean, and brown sugar, among others.
Azur, Putrajaya Shangri-La
Address: Presint 1, 62000 Putrajaya, Federal Territory of Putrajaya, Malaysia
Phone: +60 3-8887 8888
On our first night, we really had a sumptuous European welcome dinner at Azur.
Smoked salmon rose accompanied with mixed mesclun salad and mustard dressing: Fresh aquatic flavors contrasted by equally fresh greens topped off with mustard.
Wild mushroom soup accompanied with bread, roll and butter: really creamy soup which let out a captivating aroma; once it entered my mouth, it left a tingling yet burning sensation.
Herb Parmesan crusted chicken accompanied with cream mushroom sauce (sauce not in photo): This tender chicken made for a hearty main dish. It’s mild classic flavor is sure to please everyone.
Chocolate panna cotta with seasonal fresh fruit and caramel sauce: Rich, creamy, sweet. I love it! Period.
Precious Old China
Address: Pasar Seni M02 Jalan Hang Kasturi, 56100 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Phone: +60 3-2273 7372
On our second night, we had dinner at Precious Old China at Central Market (Pasar Beni). This charming restaurant serves excellent Peranakan dishes!
Coconut Rice (rice cooked with coconut cream and tinged blue with essence of pea-flower): loved it! Aside from its unique blue color, it tastes like our favorite Christmas kakanin, puto.
Ayam Pong Teh (traditional Nyonya braised chicken in a gravy made of brown bean paste, shallot, and garlic with mushroom): this dish is flavored by the fermented bean sauce. Interesting dish from Melaka.
Ayam Buah Keluak (made with chicken pieces combined with “keluak” nuts (an atypical type of nut which comes with a tough shell exterior, but oozes a piquant liquid inside): this one produced an appealing yet unique flavor. You must taste it for yourself!
(…to be continued)
Black Pepper Beef
Lady’s Finger (Okra) Kerabu (okra tossed and blanched in an aromatic and spicy mix of chilli, onion, lime leaf, ginger flower, dried shrimp and lime juice)
Assam Fish Fillet (steamed dory fillet served with a tamarind sauce): fish was really fresh and the tamarind, which is a popular ingredient in Oriental and Indian dishes, added some tangy-ness.
Fried Spring Roll: terrific, tasty, and best paired with the accompanying sweet-chili sauce.
Hot Bubur Cha-Cha (dessert consisting of sweet potato and yam cubes cooked in coconut cream, and sago and flavored with pandan leaf and topped with stewed banana): I’d say this is their version of the popular vegetable soup from the Visayas, the “binignit”; Bubur Cha-Cha is a sweet porridge dessert, a playful one with different colors of sago/tapioca.
Restoran Dragon View
Address: 81 Jalan Alor, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Phone: +60 3-2142 4111
Located at the corner of Jalan Alor, arguably the most popular food street in Kuala Lumpur, and Changkat Bukit Bintang. Its location is definitely a winner as it is set in a lively and simple atmosphere, directly beside the busy streets, so you can just sit there and see what’s going on. It is one of the more preferred eateries here as they serve a wide-variety Malay-Chinese dishes and beef, 24 hours a day! And, they serve PORK even if it’s Haram. So if you think that you won’t survive without pork in your system, you have to pay a visit here. One more thing, the restaurant features an open kitchen concept, so you’ll be able to see how your dishes are being prepared. Cool stuff.
Fish Fillet and Mixed Vegetables
Buttered Chicken and Nasi Goreng
Calamari
Tiger Beer to cap off the evening!
BUT, the experience doesn’t start and end there. When you fly in and out of Malaysia, you have to taste AirAsia’s take on popular Malay dishes through AirAsia Cafe!
AirAsia Zest In-Flight Food
Having flown with AirAsia (Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia) just this year, I really had high expectations for AirAsia Zest’s In-Flight food.
On my previous flights with AirAsia, I’ve almost always selected Uncle Chin’s Chicken Rice (TOP) and I’m glad that it was available on AirAsia Zest’s AirAsia Cafe. The packaging for the Chicken Rice looks ordinary but the information on the cover amused me as it had a detailed summary of the ingredients, nutritional facts and even allergen information! At P250, this is quite a steal. I don’t really expect much when it comes to in-flight food but I could say that they delivered with this Chinese-Malaysian favorite. The fluffy Jasmine Rice, seasoned with chicken stock, salt, mashed garlic, ginger, pandan tear and oil plus a few slices of roast chicken appealed to my taste buds. But when I added the secret chili, ginger and garlic sauce, the flavors went to a different level! Meanwhile, it was my first time to try Junior Cho’s Korean Beef Stew (BOTTOM): Succulent beef cooked tenderly in sweet soy and Asian sauce, a perfect mix of sweet and salty. This definitely gave me a K-Pop mood while we were 30,000 feet up there.
To top off our in-flight lunch was a box of Chocolate Chip Cookies, five pieces of soft and rich cookie goodness.
I’m sure that your mouth is watering by now! Great food eh? So, what are you waiting for? Book an Air Asia Zest flight to Kuala Lumpur now! Fares for as low as EIGHT PESOS!
DISCLOSURE: This trip was made possible by AirAsia Zest – The Right Way to Fly and Tourism Malaysia – Visit Malaysia 2014. AirAsia Zest now flies DAILY to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Visit www.airasia.com for flight schedules, promos and flight bookings. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!