Saturday 25 May 2024

Kaleidoscopic Kuala Leisurely Lumpur @ Malaysia 2024


We are coming to Kuala Lumpur again; he is here for business, and I am here for the delicious food and meeting my chummy - Cecilia again.

Our last visit was in 2023 and until now, the weather and the traffic doesn't fail us however we always get the best consolation when our taste buds are well fulfilled.
Since I already came last year, this blog shall not further introduce about Kuala Lumpur, you may find the information here:  Kuala Lumpur Malaysia @ 2023.


The place I tend to avoid is the almighty Golden Triangle, which is made up of Jalan Imbi, Jalan Sultan Ismail & Jalan Raja Chulan and yes Bukit Bintang & KLCC are located here. Every moment of the day, it is always full of activities from the traffic, people and businesses.
During the day, it is busy with corporates staff and shoppers (tourists and locals) and every nightly, this place come alive with many exciting nightlives of restaurants and pubs and the traffic is not a joke here too whether it is day or night.
When I first visited Kuala Lumpur during y younger days, I will sure stay in a hotel in the Golden Triangle but not now anymore. I prefer to go where the locals' shops and my chummy is a true blue local. 
Nevertheless, I spent a day in the Golden Triangle because Chummy is bringing me to a new mall - The Exchange TRX which opened last December which I will share more insights below. 


This round, we are putting up in Four Points Sheraton which is located in Chinatown where new vibes mixed well with the old memory lanes. 
There are many historic buildings and nostalgic food vendors on pushcarts or restaurants.
Take note that there are more than one Four Point Sheraton in Kuala Lumpur.




The lobby is located on level 7, the main colour of the walls is emerald, green which was very popular in the late 1800s. 
The place feels very elegant with an air of yesteryears.  




The very pretty emerald green I got from goggle.



Here is the nice view at level 7, bright and sunny. 



Our king room is 28sqm, which is the average size for a business hotel. 


The bed is very comfortable, the bedsheets are smooth, the pillow are solid to my liking, and we got into deep slumber. 



There is a mini art in every room of different story, which is done by local artist. 


Good and full amenities for the room and the toilet.   
The basic necessities are included in the room, it is clean and also quite spacious.  




Though there is no rain shower attached in the bathroom, the water pressure from the shower head is pretty strong. 


Every day, hotel will give us 2 bottles of water. 


The views from my window... 




Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur
Referred as Petaling Street (茨厂街) (Jalan Petaling in Malay) (Chee Cheong Gai in Cantonese) in local, this nostalgic area s dotted with many pre-war houses that were built during my grandfather's days. where each row of these houses came with a back alley which is also full of activities be it legal or illegal.



These houses are also a familiar sight in Singapore too, I think in regardless the location of these pre-war houses, they deserve to be preserved and conserved for our future generations. 
I always imagine if the junk boat which my grandfather was sailing stopped in Kuala Lumpur instead of Singapore, I will become a Malaysian instead. 
The Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur is a must visit place for everyone and I will make sure to spare some time here if I were to be in town.




Today, modern energy is spiced into this laid-back area, well balanced to meet the demand of current market. There are also several movies or TV dramas chosen this venue as the setting. 
Though it is Chinatown, it is mainly made up of Chinese, but various races are contributing to the community here like Malay, Indian and Bangladeshi trader.
The area has dozens of restaurants and food stalls, serving local favorites'




Most business here do not have proper shopfront; most vendors are mobile which start early in the morning and end after lunch.
It is also an interesting scene to witness if you come from a place where you do not have such chance to experience.
Explore around, if you can bear with the weather, I can guarantee that you will be well rewarded. 


CHAGEE 
Bubble tea store that comes with very pretty packaging. known as BaWangChaJi (霸王茶姬), the tea house chain originates from Kunming China the land known as the birthplace of tea.




This is a perfect place to hide from the humid weather as this outlet is in the setting of cafe where patrons can relax on their couches.






The queue was pretty long, and we have to wait for 80 orders before we got our fruit tea drinks.






Hong Kee Claypot Chicken Rice 鸿记驰名瓦煲鸡饭 
Located in Petaling Street (Chinatown) which is just a short walk away from Four Points Sheraton. 
We decided to drop by for dinner because we long heard about the notoriety in Chinatown. 


I am always a big fan of claypot rice especially authentic Cantonese style, so we are here with a marking score. 



Beside indoor seating, there is also outdoors one available, sitting outdoor tend to be hot so we chose to be seated indoor for the aircon. 

We ordered a small set meal that consist of claypot chicken rice with soup, vegetables and stingray.


Claypot chicken rice tasted comforting and contained chicken, salted fish, and Chinese sausage. 1 small claypot chicken rice can be shared for 2 of us and we each got 2 servings. 





The soup is old cucumber soup, taste light and flavorful for such weather. 


Stir-fried vegetables of beansprouts and lettuces, there is no smell of bleach, it is not so oily, perfect to us. 


This is the best sambal stingray I ever had, it come with ladies' fingers and long beans! The chili taste very special and unforgettable., heard this stingray is cook in Portuguese styled.



FatBoy LokLok
We came here immediately after our claypot rice dinner so we ended up only 4 sticks.
The service of the crew is good, patient and polite








Ho kow Hainam Kopitiam
Located directly right opposite of the main entrance of Four Points Sheraton, it is hard to missed out this place as every moment of the opening hours, there are huge crowds gathering outside. My chummy Cecilia also strongly recommends me to visit this wonderful old school coffee shop which is 70-year-old. 


This shop opens at 730am and we came at 715am and there is already customers lounging around. We got our number and seated within 5 minutes after it is open.






The atmosphere here is airy, clean and nostalgic decorations. Soft music of old 80s was playing in the background while people are happily tucking.





Coffee is more to sour side, but it is thick and burst our taste buds.
He ordered kopi-o, I ordered kopi-c.


The siew mai is actually made-up glutinous rice with a taste of siew mai, it is very special.


The Lo Mai Gai is well braised with the chicken, it tastes soft and good.
Bone bits are found in the dish, it shows it is really hand-made.


Chicken ham roll is freshly made and deserve another thumbs up.


Fried bee hoon is up to our expectation as it's the standard taste.


Toasts are in perfect texture, it is not overly crispy, with good fillings of kaya and butter.
The homemade kaya is yummy, and I decide to buy some back to Singapore.



Love the way they went extra mile to pack the kaya for my takeaway.


Total damage RM65.

裔记猪肠粉 Yooi Kee Chee Cheong Fun

Just a mere 6 minute walk from hotel, this eatery has a history of more than 80 years that is located in the walking street of Chinatown.



We ordered minced congee, century egg congee and sided with chee cheong fun. 
The Chee cheong fun is smooth and silky which perfected with their homemade sauce and my MR like it very much. 


The porridge was smooth, and the ingredients blended in well. The standard is up to our expectations, usually we will add some soya sauce and pepper, it enhances further with fried fritters, but it was already sold out by the time I arrived.




Handmade beverages are available here, there are various to choose from, good for this weather. 


Last year, Cecilia brought me here for my first try. This year, I brought my MR here for my second visit.



Wong Mee Coffee
Helmed by an uncle in his sixties, this humble small shop is located just 7 minutes walk from Four Points Sheraton Chinatown., located behind the famous Indian temple.


Tables are on open setting, not many tables around, this 30yrs humble stall is full of nostalgic air and kampung spirit.

The menu here is very simple and limited as uncle is the only person taking care of the sales, preparations & cleaning the tables.



Coffees are nice, siew mai is good (full feel), Loh Mai Gai is also nice. as the menu is limited, boss allow you to bring food to eat from elsewhere as long you ordered something from him.
Total Damage RM16



 If u want to experience some local mood with nice coffee in Kuala Lumper, stop by and start your morning here




Happy Meal Bakery ツ开心小食店ツ 
Very popular bakery in the Chinatown that sell many types of bakes : cakes, tarts bread & etc.
Durian puff is super famous here but I cannot bring back to Singapore as I think hotel bar the entry of durian.








In the end, I bought 3 boxes of banana cake, indeed moist and soft. 

Fong Wong Biscuit 
Here again to visit this Centurian, who is 116 year old to date.
It is a cafe style setting where patrons can chill around with mouthful of rich buttered yummies. 








I bought 5 boxes of Tau Siah Piah , 2 boses of Sakima, ,2 boxes of Wives biscuits & 2 pack of Kong Su Bing    

Floccus Floccus 福粿 
This pastry shop is totally hidden, it is located at the level 2 of the building entrance that is just next to Fong Wong. 
The menu is not big as the staff told us that they are actually having a "soft opening". 
The fillings of these cute yummies are actually very "traditional Chinese".
Life span is short, must consume on the very same day.
These posters can be found on the wall of Fong Wong's compound. 

This is the entrance that is right next to Fong Wong.


You will see this on the left as you reach level 2. 


The interior is industrial Zen feel, airy and clean. You can literally hear voices came from Fong Wong as it is not enclosed. 
Feels like the mezzanine floor of Fong Wong.



These cute teddy bears are actually chicken in char siew flavor. 


These adorable seals are filled with yam.


These pretty goldfishes are actually filled with turnips


This set of sushi are actually ang ku kueh, either filled with coconut or green beans.


And these are what I bought for myself and folks. 
Our four parents are full of praises. 
These kuehs not only come with "look", but they also come with "weight" too. 






My summary of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown:
When I first visited this place long ago, I felt that this place was rather confused as there are too many people here, the feeling was not as neat and organized as now.
It is much easier to move around here even if you are a lone traveler nevertheless, as long as you are outside, no matter where you are, you ought to be on alert mode even you are in your home country. 
Though the world oldest profession is still active here, but it is in a discreet manner, most are found on the upper levels of the shophouses, all has a supervisor at the start of the stairways along the stretch of five-foot way (roofed long walkway along the stretch of old shophouses). As I walked past, I looked up into the stairs, some of with lit with red lights. In general, all is good for the atmosphere here, I enjoyed exploring this area. 
As for food wise, there is never a moment you have the chance to go hungry, most of the mobile food vendors are much hygienic than before and the most important part is that these vendors come with long years of history, it is common to see a 40-year stall, kiosk or restaurant here. There are also many names with hundreds of years of history too.
The shopping street did not change a bit, it is still full of copied designer labels, some of the workmanships are quite good that I need to take a second look. 
No matter, what is your reason to come here, it is worth to visit, 

Below, this gem is a "insist to visit" by my MR which is located at the other part of KL. 

Restoran May Shaw 
My MR insisted to visit here after watching a vlog, so I done homework and here we are... all the way to Puchong which is 30 minutes car ride away from hotel.
I read reviews from google map that mentioned that this place is full of houseflies but we did not meet any while seating indoor though we saw a handful of houseflies roaming outdoor. 
A super well hidden gem located in the industrial area of Puchong, this 25 years old restaurant is small as it was originally a small factory. So, this is actually a simple set up restaurant with not much tables  but the place is clean and quite comfortable for those people who are into "laid-back" atmosphere.  
Just to note, there is no air con here and the place can rather humidly given to the hot weather. On our arrival, it was quite airy as the place is well ventilated by fans. 



The lady behind the stall was very friendly and helpful as this is our first time here, she spent a great effort to explain to us.
There are many choices of side dishes to choose from too. 





The soul of the restaurant: Scallion oil. 


I ordered the signature dried Hakka mee which is based with scallion oil ,chilli flakes, Fried dumpling, onsen egg, dried radish (chye poh) & braised minced meat. The sweetness of the chye poh is well balanced with the braised taste of mincemeat.  This combination is almighty, it opens up all my five senses. 


As for my MR, he asked for the curry mee which is more to the Indian style, very intense thick taste. 
After he tasted my Hakka mee, he went to order another bowl for himself. 
He had a bowl of curry mee & a bowl of Hakka mee. 


Further enhanced a side dish of their signature of fried pork with fermented beancurd paste. 
If you have a huge appetite, pleas ego ahead to order move aside dishes, I can see that all are delicious. 


This is our trophies after travelling all the way to Puchong on a super-hot day. 


The surrounding of this eatery are mostly scrapyards, saw many vintage Volks within our sights.



The best part of my short getaway here is on the day 2 where I spent the whole day with my bestie Cecilia, who came to pick me at 11am.
It has been a year since we met, and I miss her alot.

It seems we have some chemistry that we each bought advance birthday gifts for each other. 





The Exchange TRX
This mall is located in Golden Triangle - the busiest area of Kuala Lumpur that fear me alot!
According to my chummy, this is her first visit too as this is a new mall. 
Lavishly decorated and dotted with many international mega brands.
There are near 350 shops nestled within this mall. 
My favourite Japanese Seibu departmental store is here too. 
As I was too engrossed my time with her, I forgotten about taking photo about this mall. Below photos are extracted from google







To commemorate our "silver age" friendship, we bought matching shoes too. Adidas Superstar series - she got the white and I got the black. 



VCR Stacks
It caused a big sensation here in Kuala Lumpur ever since it opened its door. 
Healthy snack and meals that really fit into the demand of current society. 
We ordered a waffle with fried chicken & Katsu Sando to share. 








Restoran Siu SIu
The finale of the day end with a delectable dinner.
Local old school restaurant that Cecilia always patron whenever she has guest.
Love the zinc roof which made the place cooling. 
Packed during meals time, it is indeed a favorite hunt for the local.
We ordered a steam fish, curry prawn, vegetables and BBQ pork. 








Clay pot vegetables is at the right texture and well flavored.


Steam fish in Cantonese style, the fish is fresh and muscled meat. 


BBQ pork is the signature dish. It melted in my mouth. 


Curry prawn is very special, and it is infused with strong dried shrimp as the base., we even ordered bun to go with it.  Prawns are fresh too. 



Oriental Kopi 
Google map : Various locations across Malaysia, google your preferred choice of location. It is coming to Singapore soon. 
Last but not least, a visit for a meal and coffee before we made our way back to Singapore. 







Our 3D2N fun in Kuala Lumpur has come to an end here, if you wish to know more about our past trips to Malaysia, please see below links:
9) Malacca 2024 - Coming in July


Alternately, you might in interested on our Europe trip and we just successfully chased after the aurora borealis in the Arctic few months back: 
3) Colmar

We even moved to stay in Denmark during the peak of Covid: Relocation from Singapore to Aalborg, Denmark.
Coming up next will be on Shanghai where we will spend more 2 weeks of fun there, while Malacca, and Chiangmai are in the queue and also Italy 2025 is in the plan.
You are most welcome to browse the content of the blogs on my trips to various countries like Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Netherlands etc. 
I will be deeply blessed if you can like my Facebook page :followblueginger

Thank you and Cheers
Wish you good luck. 



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