With Spring Festival on the horizon in China, which I’ve heard turns my city into a ghost town, I decided to get out of town and to some warmer weather. First stop: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to visit an old college friend and see a place that has been called a foodie paradise.
Monday
I arrived late morning after a red eye flight with a four hour layover from 2-6am in Bangkok and feeling in need of a big pick-me-up. Before even leaving the airport, I found my way to an Oldtown Coffee, a Malaysian-based chain of white coffee outlets and restaurants. White coffee is a coffee that is roasted in margarine, ground, brewed, and served with sweetened condensed milk and tastes delicious hot or cold. To go with my white coffee, I ordered a bowl of curry mee, one of the many dishes Malaysia is famous for and consists of yellow noodles, tofu, prawns, fried bean curd, pork sausage, and green beans all drenched in a spicy curry soup.
Old Town White Coffee & Curry Mee
After dining, I made my way to the center of town to check into the Air BnB apartment I’d be using during my stay. I booked a modern, 21st-floor studio apartment that was a 15 minute walk from both the famous Petronas Towers and Bukit Bintang, the main entertainment and shopping district of KL.
I spent most of the afternoon walking around and taking in the environs of the new city. Kuala Lumpur literally means “muddy confluence” and after having lived the last 14 years in Pittsburgh, another muddy confluence, I felt oddly at home as I walked the streets in a drizzling rain.
Malaysia is a Muslim country, but one that promotes freedom of religion. Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Diwali are all mandated as National Holidays in addition to Muslim holy days. The country is also multi-ethnic with the main populations split between Malay, Chinese, and Indian. As the capital, KL is the perfect example of this diversity. Walking around, I felt as if I was in a true international city, interacting people of all faiths and backgrounds.
For dinner, on the recommendation of my friend, Darren, I made my way to Bukit Bintang, looking for Lot 10 Hutong Food Court. As I said before, Bukit Bintang is the shopping and entertainment district of KL. In reality, picture the Las Vegas Strip but replace every casino with a variety of enormous shopping malls and you have an idea.
It’s underneath one of those malls, though, that lies the real treasure. Lot 10 Hutong Food Court is a foodie’s dream come true. Conceived by Malaysian billionaire businessman, Dr. Francis Yeoh, this is the greatest food court in existence. Forget Bourbon chicken free samples and Orange Julius, Dr. Yeoh, inspired by the iconic street food stalls all over Malaysia, has brought together only the very best of them to open up a second stall in the basement of a mega-mall. This personally curated cafeteria probably hosts upwards of 50 different stalls, the aroma of local dishes from all over Malaysia wafting up as I made my way down the escalator.
One of the many stalls inside Lot 10
Again, on the advice from Darren, I went looking for the Kim Lian Kee stall for something he assured me I could only find in KL. The dish is called Hokkien Mee and is made with yellow noodles, pork, shrimp, and cabbage all tossed over high heat with a dark soy sauce creating a smokey delight. I realized I was definitely in the right spot when I saw the long line and the chef told me it would be at least a 45 minute wait, crazy considering nearly every other stall had no wait at that time. I decided it was worth the wait and got in line, and needless to say I was not disappointed.
Hokkien Mee from Kim Lian Kee
After dinner, I made my way to another mall to meet up with Darren for a drink and to catch up. I met Darren my freshman year at the University of Kentucky and the last time I had seen him was his graduation day, nearly 20 years ago. It was great to be able to sit and catch up on each other’s lives since we both left Kentucky.
Tuesday
On Tuesday morning, I set out for the central train station in order to catch a train north of the city to the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves are a series of caves inside of a large limestone hill that has become one of the largest Hindu shrines outside of India, as the largest cave has been turned into a giant temple that has become a pilgrimage for Hindi all over the world.
After getting off my train stop around noon, I made may way to the entrance of the cave and was met by a 140 foot gold statue of the Hindu god, Murugan. The statue marks the entrance to the base of the steps (272 to be exact!) up to the caves.
Murugan statue and the 272 steps
On the way up to the caves, I was greeted by about a dozen Macaque monkeys. The monkeys live in the forest above the caves and will often come down to check out the humans and look for food.
Two macaques looking for a handout
Inside the Temple Cave are several shrines and dedications built to honor Murugan. Most of the temple construction was done in 1890 and has been kept up beautifully. The caves had a high ceiling and it took about an hour to walk around it and take in all of the dedications.
After checking out the Temple Cave, I made my way next door to the Dark Cave which is known not for its Hindu shrines, but for its rock formations and collection of animals that live nowhere else on the planet. Enormous stalactites and stalagmites that have taken centuries to form give the cave an otherworldly feel to walk through.
Before entering the cave, my tour guide gave me one of the most terrifying warnings I’ve ever heard: “You can use your camera flash, but be careful not to aim it too high because there are over 200,000 bats resting on the ceiling of the cave right now.” And a bonus: “Oh and be sure to watch out for the Cave Racer Snake. It’s the top of the food chain in here, can grow up to four feet, and can climb the walls to attack the bats on the ceiling when it’s hungry.” Needless to say, I decided to forgo the camera and just keep my eyes peeled for any bats or snakes that might cause me to run shrieking from the cave.
Despite the bone-chilling warning, though, I was able to make my way through the cave and soon saw how it got its name. After walking for about 15 minutes into the cave, the guide turned off her flashlight and the darkness was so overwhelming, I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. Unfortunately, other than a few spiders and a millipede, though, I didn’t get to see of the rare species that call the cave home.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning, my plan was to head towards downtown to try some traditional Malay breakfast and then check out the Petronas Towers. For breakfast, I went to Madam Kwan’s, a local chain that, again, Darren recommended for some Nasi lemak: coconut rice with chicken curry, hard-boiled egg, dried shrimp, and fresh cucumber that tasted incredible.
Nasi lemak at Madam Kwan
After breakfast, I made my way next door to the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, and tied (obviously) for the seventh tallest building in the world. I had reserved a tour that took you to the skybridge and supposedly provided an unmatched view of the city. Unfortunately, though, I was never able to see it as the bank rejected my purchase, considering it a dubious charge and they had otherwise sold out the tours for the afternoon.
Petronas Towers
After being shut out of the towers, I decided to make my way across town to check out the Islamic Arts Museum and the National Monument. The museum is the largest museum of Islamic Art in southeast Asia and its best feature may be the large-scale models of the most famous mosques in Mecca, Medina, and elsewhere. The National Monument is the world’s tallest bronze free-standing sculpture and honors those that died in Malaysia’s fight for freedom against Japan in World War II and the Malaysian Emergency, which lasted post-war until 1960.
The last thing I had to check off before heading to the airport was one last dinner with Darren, as he wanted to introduce me to yet another local haunt. As I mentioned earlier, KL really is a melting pot of many different cultures and features a large Indian population. The last stop was at a popular Indian spot among locals where I feasted on roti canai and tandoori chicken that featured Malaysian twists on the traditional dal and sauces. Much like everywhere else Darren took me, the meal was outstanding.
After three days of eating my way through Kuala Lumpur, though, I had to pack up and head out for the second leg of my trip: Siem Reap, Cambodia…