does anyone know a great satay place in KL?
I am planning ahead for the upcoming trip.
Which I suspect others are as well hence my question..
Or if anyone knows of "must visit" place to eat?
Satay Recommendation? (Kuala Lumpur)
Natt on 20/01/2012 - 01:15
Last edited 20/01/2012 - 01:29
Last edited 20/01/2012 - 01:29
Comments
I went years and years ago so can't remember all the places/shops I went to, but do recall these foodie highlights:
- Experience the king of fruits - Durian lol There are truck stop style places which specialise in the stuff
- Go on a fruit farm tour! Fun to see all sorts of tropical fruits and usually there's a sampling session at the end.
- In addition to satay, get to a local roti stand for breakfast or lunch. I recall having breakfast at one of these places every day I was there. The local places are very cheap, ~AU30cents a serve back then, probably less with our dollar so strong.
Ewwww Durian :P
+1 local roti - yummmooooooo and so cheap.
If you haven't been to Asia the makan stores will probably look dodgy, but usually serve the best food and generous portions.
Be sure to wipe your utensils with the napkins, and don't eat the ice ;) - well you can if you want but the water they use is not like tap water here :)
If you want to visit a nice Waterpark / Mall check out the Sunway Lagoon
Durian is hard to get into. For me, as an infant i was sometimes given durian to try. Over time, i have become fond of the fragrance.
To actually like durian, you have to have a wider palate through being developed with many different flavours, as a young child.
but this is all IMO, im no (insert relevant occupation).
roti canai zomg amazing
roti banana is also mind blowing.
MAke sure to savor some of the local fruits, many of which you can't get in Aust.
Asides from durian, there's mangosteens, lychees, starfruits, rambutans and longans (my favorite).
Malaysia is also famous for nasi lemak, laksa noodles, kuih (bite size sweets or desserts) and ice kachang (crushed ice dessert, although this probably exists in Australia and you can get them from MeetFresh)
only difference with MeetFresh is that they are taiwanese.
Durain is something I have not tried, but jackfruit is tasty imho
I am a satay-holic, really looking forward to KL :O
I hope I can say this, but if you search the google images with the keywords "satay porn".
You get pictures of satay!
So I know that I am not the only one.
Roti is aslo fascinating.
h4lcyon thanks for the comment about the water, I definetly second the need for bottle water
This is what actual satay looks like in Malaysia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LauPaSat_Satay.JPGSo don't be alarmed if it looks (and tastes) very different from Australian-influenced satay.
ooooh Looks alot like ones from Mamak.
If you want to slowly dip yourself into malaysian cuisine, head to Mamak (Chinatown Syd, Chatswood) or Ginger&Spice (Neutral Bay). They are (IMO) better than your food court ones.
Natt - I'm also visiting KL next month, 1st time visit so very excited… :D
One of my mate visited KL last July - he also loves satay and strongly recommended the stalls near the KL Bird Park
I have also done bit of Search in a Malaysian food forums, a place name Terminal Sate Zul @ Jalan Alor (near Bukit Bintang area) is also very famous
Check out http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/sate-zul-alor-akar…
The whole website is very helpul IMO
You can of course check TripAdvisor, they have useful reviews on KL Restaurents
Cheers
Looks good Bappy
you must be one of the first heading there of the ozbargainers, if you find something particularly tasty be sure to report back :)
I found references to a food court in the basement of "Lot 10"
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g298570-i7008-k40870…
that might be interesting as its going to be very hot there in April!
Yeah, lot 10 is also in my list (if my 7 months old son allows me :D)
Check this out - Lot 10 is very famous amongst the local
Kopi-O (Malaysian black coffee)
Teh Tarik (Tea + condensed milk that has been 'pulled' to froth)
Roti - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti_canai
-Kosong (Standard)
-Telur (with egg)
-Bomm
-Paper
-Tisu/paperMutarbak (roti with meat in it)
Air bandung (rose water + milk, pink in colour) 'Air' is pronounced 'eye-air'
Oh chien (Fried oyster omelette)
Char kuay teow (Ask if they have pork lard coutons in it - most stores these days are halal and probably wont have it)
Loh si fun (Ask for pork lard too)
Otak-otak (Fish cake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otak-otak Ones From 'Muar' = the best)
Long Yok (Malaysian Pork Jerky - http://www.citrusandcandy.com/2011/05/bak-kwa.html)
Any kueh you can find - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuih
==================
Go to a night market (pasar malam) and have:
Muah chi/mochi (Glutinour Rice Flour balls filled with peanut)
Chestnut roasted in coffee beans (you wont miss the smell)
Char Chai Tau Kueh (Fried Radish Cake - eat it there, don't let it go cold!)
More importantly, eat anything that catches your eye
EDIT: This is my food checklist :P
Two of my famous
Popiah (spring roll),
Cendol (Kind of Dessert)Yeah I'm gonna need new jeans when I come back………….
petaling street pasar malaam still nice?
food wise - yes
shopping wise - probably not anymore
After looking at JENIUS food blog, i am desperately waiting for my AirAsia flight in June.
SHE FOUND A FRICKEN 1m ROTI TISU.
http://www.jenius.com.au/2011/06/last_day_in_malaysia.php
Scroll down a bit, it also shows pictures of other foods mentioned in other comments.
Mmmm Satay…
well THE famous place for satay around KL is actually situated in a township called Kajang.
Its between KL and the airport, and if you're really adventurous you can even catch the malaysian train to Kajang (via KTMB from KL Sentral station).
It is also quite possible to catch a taxi at a reasonable cost on the meter if you can convince the taxi driver to do so but unlikely for a one way trip. (the fixed price they will quote is quite ridiculous!)
The best way if you want to use a taxi is to tell him that its a return journey, and you'll shout him satay too. (of course the meter is off while you're eating!)
(ps. avoid planning to go there for Friday lunch)Now as to other foods when in KL…
Well one should have at least one meal of nasi lemak while there!
Nasi lemak is a fragrant coconut rice (not so strong like some of the versions you may have eaten in some thai restaurants in Australia) and generally always comes with cucumber, peanuts, ikan bills (crispy dried little fish), and sambal sauce.
You then choose and pay extra for other items such as egg, chicken, beef, goat/mutton, squid, tempeh, perkedel (sort of like a potato based bubble and squeak).
(even if you were to try them all its very cheap eating by AU standards!)
Traditionally it was a breakfast dish but now commonly also eaten for dinner too.So there are two highly recommended places for nasi lemak….
(no doubt many more exist but I have been going to these places for years and can vouch personally)The first (and my favourite) is Nasi Lemak Tanglin.
Make sure you do go to the original stall in lake gardens, opposite the Tanglin clinic (Poliklinik Komuniti Tanglin). Apparently there are now other branches but they pale in comparison to the original.This link has a good picture of the stall and I assume the pictured opening times are more up to date than when I last went there… (used to be open only in mornings and closed Sundays but the pictured sign in this link suggests differently)
http://www.placesandfoods.com/2011/09/nasi-lemak-tanglin-lak…The second place is Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa.
Again the original stall is the only place to go and it is situated in Kampung Baru amongst a whole street of malay food places, easily walkable in 5 mins from Kampung Baru LRT station.
I'm not sure as to its opening hours as I have only ever eaten nasi lemak there for dinner in the evenings.Other things to try:
Chicken Rice - should be available at almost every food court.
Surprisingly The Chicken Rice Shop is very very tasty for a chain restaurant albeit much more expensive than eating in the food court.
http://www.thechickenriceshop.com/Banana Leaf Restaurant - Indian food served on a banana leaf.
Eat with your hands or "fork & spoon".
This banana leaf restaurant in brickfields (walking distance from KL Sentral) is fantastic if a bit daunting if you go there when its super busy!
This review explains it all…
http://www.rebeccasaw.com/hosting-catherine-bell-from-dish-m…For all of my recommendations, I originally chanced upon them by just walking around.
So go out and just try, ask locals what they recommend etc etc
Final tip, if the locals a queueing for a particular food stall its usually a good sign!Arrrgh, stop it you guys, you're making me hungry well before my dinner time! :) :)
Thanks mpalmer - much appreciated for the tips
We will be staying in Golden Triangle (opposite to Imbi Monorail station)
Any good place you recommend? I know there is Jalan Alor and lot 10 food court
Wondering if there is anything I'm missing nearby… (visiting with my 7 months old son so will try to avoid taxi or rail journeys as much as possible)On a hot day if you want an aircon venue for lunch, go to Sakura on Jalan Imbi. Great Nasi Bojari.
Nothing much to add to what you have already worked out in Golden Triangle area.
I concur that Jalan Alor is good (very similar to Jalan Petaling area).Some interesting looking places at the back of Sungei Wang shopping centre, in and around the Low Fat mall (oops i mean Low Yat!)
Low Yat seems to be the place to go to look at computers/phones/cameras/electronic accessories etc
Its not always cheaper than AU on everything but usually things like memory sticks etc are always cheaper there.The Pavillion mall is a good place to explore in aircon comfort and definitely the go for the cinema. The food court there is quite ok and has great variety but nothing special to write home about.
The restaurants and food courts in KLCC are probably slightly better in my opinion.Things are always changing there so try to do some extra exploring in the early evening to avoid the worst of the heat and enjoy!
My 3 biggest travel tips to SE Asia…
WASH YOUR HANDS ALWAYS BEFORE EATING!
Particularly if you have been handling money…
It is so easy to forget.
We are used to our own germs here at home so often we can get away with not washing our hands so religiously.
Thankfully in SE Asia, fast food restaurants and shopping centre food courts are often more civilised than home by providing hand washing basins that are not situated inside the toilet areas.
Hand sanitiser is also very cheap to buy there in the supermarkets/pharmacies so no real excuse not to buy some and use it!EAT AT THE BUSIEST PLACES WHERE THE LOCALS ARE EATING.
Higher turnover of food so its going to be fresher plus news travels fast there and the locals won't frequent an eatery with known reputation for food poisoning people.
Unless you are travelling in remote rural areas, the ice is safe to consume in the big cities as its usually delivered commercially with strict hygiene standards. Of course, don't drink water straight from the tap but bottled or filtered water is fine.YAKULT IS YOUR FRIEND!
Yakult are those small probiotic drinks (other brands like Betagen are also available).
Ridiculously dirt cheap there!
At the very first sign of any queasiness of your tummy, go to the nearest supermarket or a 7-11 store and buy at least 3 bottles (they often sell 5 packs).
Drink all your bottles of yakult at once and soon you should be feeling much better. Many times you will have avoided a likely unpleasant experience!
However if you are unfortunate enough to really get a nasty dose of something, let all things pass through you, making sure that you keep yourself hydrated.
Dehydration can be deadly in those climates!
If you have no hydration solution, even commonly available 100Plus softdrink works well.
So after you have let everything pass through you, then drink your bottles of yakult, adding some probiotic tablets if you have them.
Again keep up your fluids and you should be well on the road to recovery (although avoid seafood for a little while)
The theory behind using yakult is that when you get sick it is because nasty bugs get a foothold to reproduce out of control and make you sick. Drinking yakult (or equivalent) allows the good bacteria to quickly crowd out the bad guys and you are on the road to recovery.
In any case, it doesn't hurt just to have the occasional bottle of yakult while you are travelling to maintain a good balance.
I've learnt all this by trial and error through some very unfortunate incidents over many trips to SE Asia. I used to swear by carrying an emergency antibiotic in case I contracted a dose of traveller's diarrhoea which lasted for more than a few days.
Now I no longer carry or need it. For me the yakult/probiotics work just as well and have less impact on my health than antibiotics. However if it is not clearing after trying the probiotic approach do see a doctor… and I just can't stress enough about maintaining hydration!
(PS. I have no vested interest in yakult apart from being a happy consumer of it!)Holy Crap!
Yakult works like that?
I thought it was just yoghurt in a liquid form o.0
Thanks for the great tip. They are better than Imodium drugs because… drugs are drugs.
Well you could say its just a yoghurt drink but yakult does have a specific strain of beneficial bacteria for humans which helps restore the internal balance.
Probiotic tablets are also very useful but they are usually adversely affected by heat so not convenient for travel in hot climates (they are often kept in refrigerated cabinets in the pharmacies here in Australia).
The reason that yakult (or other variants like betagen etc) is so good when travelling is that its widely available at 7-11s and other convenience stores in SE Asia and its cheap!Ah yes good point about the immodium…
Immodium is definitely not a treatment.
If you are unfortunate enough to catch TD, its definitely better out than in! :-)
The last thing you want to do is to trap all the bad bacteria inside!However having said that, it is good to have some immodium in your travel kit specifically for the reason that if you have no choice and you have to travel before everything is back under control then immodium is definitely your friend. (hint: get the immodium that dissolves on your tongue, its faster acting)
Whether you are travelling or not, if you have to take antibiotics for any reason they will wreak havoc on your gut flora, so yakult and other probiotics are worth taking whenever you take antibiotics.
Last time I went overseas I was told to take Travelan which can be bought at any pharmacy, usually found in the same area as Hydralite.
Took a pill before every meal and absolutely nothing happened to me. And I did eat at some dodgy looking places but who knows.
I'm never going to go overseas without Travelan. Rather be safe than sorry later.
But great tip about Yakult I will definitely keep that in mind - for here in Australia as well. :)desalf, just be aware that Travelan does not cover all the causes of TD (it covers ETEC E-Coli only).
I tried it… one trip it worked a charm… the next trip I still got sick.
Subsequently I remember reading on a US website that apparently E-Coli is not the most common cause of TD in SE Asia. GIven its cost and the fact I had to remember to take it before every meal, I stopped using it and just went with my antibiotic backup approach (this was before I discovered yakult/probiotics).So by all means use Travelan if its working for you but do remember the yakult/probiotic strategy as a backup…
(not that yakult/probiotic is 100% guaranteed either due to the many causes of TD such as viral, parasites etc)In any case, as i mentioned before, the single most important thing for everyone is hydration for all possible causes of TD as that will keep you alive until whatever is causing it can be cured!
PS. Another natural approach is undiluted raspberry juice (yum!) which I never got to try as I never managed to find it in my supermarket. (I read about it from a bali travel forum years ago from people who obviously had a readily available supply of it… and no raspberry cordial won't work!)
A bit off-topic from malaysian cuisine, but if your're lucky to find a Jusco, they have an AMAZING array of sushi. Jusco is VERY different to the name-rip-off in Carlingford.
Jusco is a supermarket.
EAT AT THE BUSIEST PLACES WHERE THE LOCALS ARE EATING.
this is probably the best advice.
Terminal Sate Zul is in Jalan Alor Akar in Kuantan, Pahang, not Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur!
I'll second that question - and add one of my own :
3 nights in KL - what should we do?
Day trips or tours - I am travelling with my 18yo daughter and 15yo son