A Guide To Kuala Lumpur’s Favourite Local And Street Food Finds
PUBLISHED January 6th, 2020 06:00 am | UPDATED March 26th, 2020 03:44 pm
If you love to eat, there are few cities in the world with as diverse a food culture as Kuala Lumpur. Hosted by the good people at GO Noodle House, we made our way to Malaysia’s dynamic capital for a food trip to discover a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, and Indian fare across small family- or independently-run businesses and on the streets. Walking in this city can be difficult, so get your transport sorted and join us as we explore some of the best eats around Kuala Lumpur.
Claypot Chicken Rice @ Brickfields
Think of Brickfields and any number of Indian-run eateries come to mind. After all, the neighbourhood is known as Kuala Lumpur’s Little India, and it is this roadside cart, owned by a seemingly fireproof Chinese man, that stands out. Specialising in claypot chicken rice, you’ll find plenty of spectacle as sparks fly off charcoal stoves and smoking pots release aromatic fumes. Cooked to order, the claypots here are loaded with salted fish, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), and chicken that’s been marinated in soy sauce and rice wine. Do yourself a favour a scrape up the rice crust at the bottom of the pot!
Claypot Chicken Rice is located outside Double M Hotel, along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open Thu-Mon 5pm – 10pm.
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Assam Laksa Petaling Street
There’s no shortage of curry noodles along the popular Madras Lane in Chinatown, but it’s this stall in the adjacent lane you want to pay attention to. Run by a motherly auntie for over 50 years, she whips up an extraordinary bowl of aromatic Curry Laksa (from RM6.50) brimming with char siew, pig skin, and fish cake. Her Assam Laksa is just as beautiful with a tangy tamarind lemongrass broth and chewy rice noodles, topped with morsels of mackerel.
Assam Laksa Petaling Street is located at 63 Jalan Petaling, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open Mon-Sat 4pm – 9.30pm. Closed Sun.
Fung Wong Biscuit
Fung Wong is a multi-generational Cantonese pastry shop that’s been established since more than a century ago, and is best known for their Wedding Cakes stuffed with red bean, lotus paste, and nuts. But no worries if you’re single ready to jingle — they also sell a range of old school snacks, like walnut cookies, salted egg tarts, and mung bean biscuits (tau sar piah). A hot favourite is the Mo Mo Soh biscuit, cute piggy buns generously filled with sweet char siew.
Fung Wong Biscuit is located at 21 Jalan Hang Lekir, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open daily 9am – 10pm.
Ramly Burger, OM Burger
In Malaysia, street burgers rule over those from McDonald’s and KFC. Yes, we’re talking about the legendary Ramly burger. They might be some of the greasiest and sloppiest burgers in the world, but these bad boys in all their cheese and mayonnaise glory might as well be a gift to the fast food world. The ones from OM Burger at Ukay Heights are a crowd-favourite among locals, and go for as low as RM2.
OM Burger is located opposite 7-11, Jalan Ayer Kerja Lama, Ukay Heights, 68000 Ampang, Malaysia. Open daily 7pm – 5am.
Satay Warisan Bonda, Medan Selera 223
We came to this popular late night supper spot, 223, to decide which of the famous Suri and Yati nasi lemak stalls were better, but stayed for the sate from Satay Warisan Bonda. Smothered with turmeric powder and a hint of sweet sauce before being grilled on charcoal, these smokey sticks of chicken, beef, and lamb skewers (from 80 sens each) are what you need to make your night. Around 1000 of these are sold every day, so you know it’s good.
Satay Warisan Bonda is located at Medan Selera Jaya 223, Seksyen 51A, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Open daily 11am – 11pm.
Dim Sum at Restoran Ful Lai
Whether it’s an early breakfast or supper in the wee hours of the morning, dim sum is a go-to for hungry locals. And not many places in Kuala Lumpur does it better than Restoran Ful Lai, which offers everything from porridge and deep-fried pastries to standard dim sum fare: siew mai, chee cheong fun, and BBQ pork buns. The spread is simply impressive, and servers will head around with huge wooden baskets for you to pick out dishes on the spot.
Restoran Ful Lai is located at 47 Jalan 3/62a Bandar Sri Menjalara, 55200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open daily 6.30am – 2am.
Village Park Nasi Lemak
Nasi lemak is undoubtedly one of the greatest Malaysian dishes, and a personal favourite. Touted as serving up the best nasi lemak in town, Village Park Restaurant in Damansara Uptown has no shortage of fans both locally and abroad. For around RM10, you get crispy and juicy fried chicken (ayam goreng) with coconut milk rice that’s fluffy and fragrant — even better with their spicy-sweet sambal chilli. We might have ordered an extra piece of chicken.
Village Park Restaurant is located at 5 Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Hokkien Mee @ Restoran Ahwa
One of the more popular spots for authentic (read: sinfully lardy) KL Hokkien Mee, known by the city’s Chinese as tai lok meen, is Restoran Ahwa along Petaling Street. Black and caramelised with dark soy sauce, the springy egg noodles come with deep fried chunks of pork lard that makes the dish a lot more fragrant and well, delicious. Don’t miss out on the incredible meat soup with chunks of pork and cabbage — another bestseller in the coffeeshop.
Restoran Ahwa is located at 424 Jalan Ipoh, 51200, City Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open Tue-Sun 6pm – 12am. Closed Mon.
Chilli Pan Mee, Kin Kin Pan Mee
The iconic chilli pan mee can easily be found all around Kuala Lumpur, and the ones laying claim to establishing the first pan mee stall in 1985 is Kin Kin Pan Mee. Think firm wheat noodles drenched in an addictive mix of poached egg (break and stir this in for a pleasant gooey bite), minced pork, dried anchovies, and an assortment of chilli peppers. We’re already salivating!
Kin Kin Pan Mee is located at 40 Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Open daily 6.30am – 6.30pm.
GO Noodle House
Of course, we haven’t forgotten about GO Noodle House, the local noodle shop brand that’s seen immense growth in the last two years. Despite their success, their owners remain humble and dedicated to offering homely noodle dishes at very affordable pricing. We’re talking silky mi xian rice noodles served in a broth that’s made from the bones of 40 different fishes with toppings such as grouper fish slices, clams, and signature Bursting Meatballs.
GO Noodle House is located at various locations around Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. See here for more details.
