Eating in Kuala Lumpur

My time in Malaysia may have been short but I wasted no time in trying as many Malay dishes as I could. I did a lot of research into restaurants and vegetarian foods which left me with a huge list. I chose to avoid the street stalls, though in hindsight I think I should have gone to one as they did smell delicious.

Chatz Brasserie

Located on the lower ground floor of the PARKROYAL hotel, I ate here because my first choice of restaurant happened to be closed (though I’m not sure if permanently or not). Jetlag and close proximity to my hotel were a winning combination. I went for a Malaysian curry and my photographer ate the lentil daal. It was a great introduction to Malaysian food, but I will admit and say I had to request a mild curry because dinosaurs and spicy don’t go well together.

Sadly I cannot give a good or bad review of this restaurant because I had a small bout of food illness the next day (I now think it was due to the extreme heat and humidity that I am not used to rather than the food). But, luckily the bagels from the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf helped me to recover quickly.

Dome Cafe

I dove in here to escape a monsoon rainstorm that appeared from absolutely nowhere. What drew me in was the view of the view of the fountains in the centre of KLCC park.

Though I had a raspberry lemonade and a front row view of the incoming storm, which was really relaxing. I could have sat there all day, but there was more exploring to do.

Chinoz on the Park

After a couple of hours shopping and deciding against eating anything spicy I chose to try out another of the Suria KLCC’s restaurants looking out onto the park. The Mediterranean menu was exactly what I was looking for, before going back to eating delicious Malaysian food. I opted for a vegan burger, a lot of you will know I am no longer vegan though I can’t resist trying vegan burgers. It was delicious and really filling but the iced coffee was rather disappointing and I was unable to drink much of it from the pint glass.

The restaurant is a must visit on a evening because you can get a beautiful view of the fountain show. I sat inside and had a great view, I imagine the one from the outdoor seating is even better.

Opium KL

My final evening back in KL after exploring Malacca, I decided to treat myself to a visit to one of TripAdvisor’s most top restaurants in the city. The restaurant is hidden in plain site, slightly further up than Jalan Alor Street. Like so many of my favourite restaurants, it looks like nothing special from the outside. Inside, it is vintage with numerous mismatched tables dotted around. An early flight meant no alcohol for me but they look like little works of art. Instead I went for a gingerade, which came in a pewter mug!

I really struggled choosing what to eat, everything on the menu looked so good! Contemporary Asian cuisine with a twist is the only was I can describe the food. I struggled making a decision of what to eat so much, I chose to go for 5 dishes; two starters and 3 mains. My only regret is not visiting this incredible restaurant more often. I started with the chicken satay steamed dumplings (for my photographer) and the vietnamese yam rolls. They came in small bamboo pots and I don’t think I am able to say which of the two tasted better.

The main courses were even better than I had imagined when reading the menu. Opium wanton noodles, crispy duck noodles and golden pumpkin pot with poppy seed rice (I wish I had also ordered the lotus leaf bun too). As a dinosaur I can say I don’t often cook (short arm problems) but I would never have thought to put pumpkin in a curry. It worked beautifully, there was a hint of spice which didn’t overpower the subtle pumpkin, sweet basil and coconut milk. Another really delicious part of the meal was the fried spinach which came with the wanton noodles. I will never again call spinach boring, this was an absolute game changer for me. This was without a doubt the best meal I ate in Malaysia. I cannot recommend Opium enough, it may be classed as upmarket and one of TripAdvisor’s top picks but all the food I ate cost around £28 (a bargain in my eyes).

Sadly, with the current COVID-19 situation in the world I was unable to continue my adventure through Malaysia and into Singapore. Instead I had to begin my journey back to Europe, not without a couple of stops along the way!

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