This Kuala Lumpur trip has been long overdue as I was supposed to go up earlier to visit my friends and the Malaysian Food Bloggers. Can you actually believe that my previous trip was in July last year? If you like food, you will love KL. The city is like a foodie heaven, there are so many restaurants, cafes, eateries and street food everywhere.
It’s difficult to limit this post with just 10 choices since there are so many good food in KL But after stuffing myself with food for three days, here’s my 10 Things To Eat in Kuala Lumpur.
For the three days in Kuala Lumpur, all I had was food, food, food and more food. I’m not kidding. We started early in the morning everyday, and we ate all the way until night, and the cycle repeated itself the next day. It’s probably a good thing that KL is a big place and we could try to digest the food in between the traveling time.
Find your way to Petaling Jaya – just for Marufuku Udon
I’m not a fan of the Japanese Udon, but I actually fell in love with Marufuku, a new Japanese Udon restaurant located at the trendy Jaya One in Petaling Jaya. It is kind of difficult to describe Jaya One, the place is like a dining destination with lots of nice restaurants and hip bars. I immediately thought of Dempsey Hill & Holland Village, but my friends told me that it isn’t a good comparison since Jaya One isn’t as high-end, and also because there are plenty of similar dining clusters in Petaling Jaya and the other parts of Kuala Lumpur.
Anyway, I digressed. Marufuku converted me into a new Udon fan with its sublime interpretation of the noodle. My first reaction was: everything’s so cheap & affordable (even for local standards)! A bowl of Udon is around RM7-8, and each stick of the fantastic Yakitori is only RM2-3.
We were oblivious to everyone else in the restaurant, concentrating only on the bowl of udon in front of us. It looked simple and healthy. We picked up a pair of chopsticks, slurped the first mouthful of noodles, and everything disappeared in a flash. The bowl of udon was gone, and we continued the party with the arrival of sake, karaage, kakiage tempura, and countless sticks of Yakitori (momo). We ate, and ate, and sigh, and wished that dinner would never end.
Marufuku Japanese Udon
L-18-G-1, Grd Floor,
Palm Square, Jaya One,
72A, Jalan University,
PJ, Selangor.
Tel: +603 7957 6368
Have the best Nasi Lemak in Kuala Lumpur
It’s really difficult/impossible to pinpoint the best Nasi Lemak in Kuala Lumpur since there are so many good Nasi Lemak shops around. Kenny brought me to Damansara Uptown, and there, I had one of the best Nasi Lemak (RM7) at Village Park. The rice was very fragrant, and you could taste the texture of every grain. The chill was spicy and addictive, and it came with a huge chicken drumstick. Everything was just so tasty! If not for the fact that I was trying to save my stomach for lunch, I’d have ordered a second serving.
Village Park Restaurant
45, Jalan ss21/37
Damansara Jaya
Petaling Jaya
Tel: +603 7710 7860
Satisfy your Sweet tooth with the best cupcakes from Delectable By Su, desserts by Just Heavenly and High Tea at The Haute Food Co Cafe
In the Kuala Lumpur foodie community, everyone knows Su. She started from sharing her lovely bakes on her food blog, and went on to open her designer cake boutique, Delectable by Su at The Gardens, Mid Valley.
Delectable by Su
S-213, Level 2, The Gardens Mall,
Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, KL
Tel: +603 2283 5157
I heard so much about the cakes by A Slice of Heaven by Just Heavenly Bakery from the KL Food Bloggers. After the dinner at Marafuku, we went to get desserts. The funny thing is, I don’t remember much of it.
Dessert was a blur of sugar: we wrecked havoc on the seemingly innocent Red Velvet Cupcake – it was delicious. We proceeded to destroy the Cherry Cheesecake next, a heavy and cheesy cake topped with sourish red cherries. Under the influence of gin tonic and sake, I took a small nibble of the famous Just Heavenly’s Chocolate durian cake. The last dessert Death by Chocolate, was essentially a chocolate mousse cake, it was all mousse and no cake.
A Slice of Heaven by Just Heavenly
At Jaya One (next to Cold Storage)
Blk E, B2
No. 72A Jalan Universiti
46200, Petaling Jaya
Tel: +603 2287 9866
If I have a Cafe next time, it will be very similar to The Haute Food Co Cafe at Plaza Damas. Located at a lazy corner in Plaza Damas, The Haute Food Co Cafe serves very simple and unpretentious comfort food: sandwiches, pasta, coffee, breakfast food, and all the lovely desserts. We had the afternoon tea special (after 3.30pm), for RM16, you get a slice of cake with hot coffee/tea. There’s nothing better than having a slice of Chocolate hazelnut cake, tiramisu, sticky date pudding with ice cream, and a cup of coffee, on a Sunday afternoon.
The Haute Food Co Cafe
H-0-2, Block H
Plaza Damas
60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, KL
Tel: +603 6201 3168
Eat as many Ramly Burger as you can
This, is the burger. Do you really need me to elaborate on the Ramly burger? Eat, as many, as you can. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.
Have Breakfast at Yut Kee, the oldest (& most popular) Hainanese coffee shop in KL
If you ever find yourself having breakfast at Yut Kee, please do everyone a favor and order the Roti Babi. It is a sandwich made from white bread and stuffed with shredded pork, onions, and crabmeat; dipped in egg and deep fried. Becky and Marcky ordered the Lam Mee which I felt was too heavy for breakfast, but the belachan sauce that came along with it was really hot and spicy. I had high hopes for the Hainanese Pork Chops since Yut Kee is a Hainanese coffee shop. Served with lots of onions, and bits of mixed vegetables, their pork chops were drizzled with a brown gravy instead of the sweet sauce that I was familiar with.
And then of course, we had the kaya toast & half boiled eggs. Unlike the ones that we get in Singapore, they do not toast the bread with any spread inside. So you get the full experience of spreading the kaya and the butter, and watching it melt slowly within the toast. And then, you eat it.
Yut Kee Restaurant
35, Jalan Dang Wangi, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2298 8108
Try an exotic cuisine when you are overseas, try Nepalese food.
I think I have a very adventurous life when it comes to food. Who will have thought that I will get my first experience of Nepalese food in Kuala Lumpur? Okay maybe I shouldn’t be surprised since I also had my first taste of Lebanese food in Sydney. We didn’t order a lot of food as this was our second stop of the food trail for the day.
The Khukri
26 Jalan Silang
Pudu, Kuala Lumpur
The Chettinad Banana Leaf Rice Experience
It was quite an experience to step inside Vishal for the Chettinad banana leaf rice. They have a system where diners sit along the table on one side, while the staff serve from the other side. I unknowingly committed the mistake of sitting on the wrong side until Ciki and Jon told me. Order as much as you want, and finish off the rice with a glass of mango lassi.
Vishal Food & Catering
No. 15, Jalan Scott
Off Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2274 0502
Go to Toast & Roast for the Best Char Siew in KL
“OMG, the char siew is so good!” I can’t remember how many times I repeated that, as I was trying to stop myself from sighing aloud. If you are the type who do not take fatty meat, I’m sorry, but the Toast & Roast’s Char Siew is definitely not something that you will enjoy.
The Char Siew was fat, and meaty, and sinful, and tasty. OMG, it’s so good!
Toast & Roast
No. 20, Jalan SS2/72
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 016 682 2249
Stand by the roadside and queue for Mr Chiam’s Pisang Goreng & Fritters
Pisang Goreng (fried banana fritter) is a snack food mostly found throughout Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Mr Chiam operates from a small kiosk by the roadside, and besides pisang goreng, they also have kuih bakul (fried Nian Gao), curry puff, and fried sesame ball. If you are going there, remember to cross the street for the famous ice kacang/chendol place.
Mr. Chiam’s Goreng Pisang Stall
Facing the YMCA
Brickfields, KL
Tel: 012 617 2511
Seafood Feast at Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant
I was actually feeling very full after a whole day of eating. But when the food arrived on the table, I was hungry again! The worthy mentions are the salted egg yoke sotong, and the incredible pork ribs. Go with a bigger group, and order more food!
Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant
10B, Jalan Permai,
Off Jalan Syed Putra,
50460 Kuala Lumpur,
Tel: +603 2274 6216.
… And wash everything off with Chendol
It’s killing me just by looking at the photos, I need to go back to KL soon and come up with another 10 Things to Eat in Kuala Lumpur. What are some of the other must-try items you will include for the list of best food in KL?
I’m very fortunate to travel around quite a bit this year. If you missed my previous traveling posts, here’s the link to all of them:
Wanderlust in Shanghai
Laguna Phuket Resorts & Hotel
Weekend Getaway To Hong Kong
10 Things To Do in Manila, Philippines
no bah kut teh ?
maybe u can try Sage in The Gardens
I’m sorry I missed you, Brad! Will try not to be away the next time you visit. Kenny told me how much you ate in just a couple of days. Hats of to you!
great post! you really did the trip justice eh.. crazy boy.. eating spree galore!
This makes me wanna go on a trip to KL right now!
You went to KL and you didn’t eat the Fried Hokkien Noodle?? What a waste.
Perhaps you could go to Penang instead and set up a list of 10 things to eat in Penang. It’s satisfaction guaranteed, I can assure you that. It’s a food haven there. There’s assam laksa, char kuey teow and a good variety of other local delicacies as well. Also, you could try visiting Ipoh for their Ipoh Hor Fun and famous chicken rice.
Anyways, keep up with the good work Brad!
Yup, lets hit Ipoh Melaka Penang next round k?
Make sure you give us notice in advance!
Yup, come to Ipoh on the next trip. Then eating all the way north til Penang. A week will do, and sure can gain another few pounds.
Guaranteed.
Did you try Yut Kee’s Roast Pork? Its good too. So are their butter cakes and kaya swiss rolls. I bought a box back home and everyone loved it =)
Great writeup and hope to see you in KL again soon. We hope to serve you in Singapore soon so when you have a craving for udon, that can be fixed fast
Chili pan mee? Porridge based hotpot? Kampung food?
I’ll take note of your list when I re-visit Kuala Lumpur.
i’m sorry but your article does not do kl food justice. it’s like your just including nice looking eateries inside, there’s much more to kl food than that. the only plus point is yut kee and the ramly burger. fried hokkien mee, kayu nasi kandar, wan tan mee, bak kut teh, i’m sure this is what people think about when u mention kl food, having it in coffeshops or small stalls instead of places like jaya one. you could do so much better ladyironchef.
Hi,
I’m travelling to Malaysia/Singapore at the end of this month (my first time to south east asia), and I just want to let you know how helpful your blog is.
Can’t wait to try most of the places in this list
Just wondering… do you have a must eat at list for Singapore? I’ve gone through your blog… and there’s so many nice places, but its going to be a stretch trying to squash it all into 3 days
May I know where to stay so that it is easy assess to these makan places? Sorry. I am very new to malaysia
Skye, LIC’s list isn’t particularly concentrated on one single location. However, with his variation between Petaling Jaya (“PJ”), Brickfields and city centre, the best place to stay would be around Bangsar/Brickfields as it is in between both PJ and KL city centre. Some of the big players around that area would be KL Hilton, Le Meridian, Gardens Hotel, Citadel Hotel.
Both KL Hilton and Le Meridian are located right next to the KL Sentral Station, where the LRT, commuters and monorails line are all interconnected.
Hope the above helps.
Emily, I also planned my trip to Singapore with LIC’s list!
And returned home heavier.
Some of the magnificent places he’d kindly covered include:
1. Canele Patisserie
2. Au Petit Salut (go for their set lunch!)
3. Awfully Chocolate
4. Cedele
5. Jones the Grocer
6. Ootoya
7. Togi Korean Restaurant
8. Yet Con
9. Chocolate Research Facility
For other recommendations, you may wanna visit Camemberu’s site. She also has an extensive list that you may wanna explore
Other interesting places you might wanna try:
1. Eden Sanctuary (floral cuisine)
2. Au Jardin by Les Amis (Friday French affair)
3. New Asia Bar
Marufuku’s 2nd outlet @ Taylors University (http://on.fb.me/marufukutaylors) is now open. This location is very breezy as there is a nice lake next to it. Perfect for a relaxing week nights’ dinner and weekends’ getaway. We are open daily from 10 to 10. Come and enjoy a simple bowl of udon with the lake view. Your 1st bowl here is on me
And we hope to serve you in Singapore soon… maybe sometime this year 
I’ll be going KL in August and would love to try some of the food mentioned like nasi lemak and char siew and Klang version of bak kut teh but need direction to the places.
J.Lee: I am sorry but I can’t help much with the directions as my friends drove me around. Try to search for the addresses and look up maps online? good luck!
hey, i been to Marufuku Udon, i like their simply delicious home made udon! you shud try out the mexican food frontera at jaya one and Bee’s churros and home made ice cream there
next time remember try ‘hu pin’ fish head noodle soup, OUG pork noodle, Davi’s corner apam, pori, Kanna’s curry house banana leave rice.
The Village nasi lemak is super awesome! kid u not!
Aman Suria there r 2 shops selling delicious char siew, and 1 restaurant serve nice pork chop and ‘dog food’
Awesome list! I’m heading to KL on Thursday and now I can base my travels around these meals:)
@Meg Do you have a local friend who can drive you around? Some of the places that I’ve mentioned on the list are quite far away. Petaling Jaya is outside KL city, but there are a lot of good eating places there.
Roti babi haaahahahaha One roti babi please…nose side
Would each all, great photos made feel hunry just reasing. Great post & Blog.
Your list doesn’t do kl food justice. Most of your recommendation was bad or average. For example, the udon was average and judging from the crowd on a fri night, it wasn’t only me who thought that the food there was average. Most of your other recommendation on this list were bad, and it made me wonder if you were paid to introduce them. It’s really a disappointment.
Good god… remind me not to visit your blog when I’m hungry
The photos look as yum as the food!
By the way, your “10 things to eat in KUALA LUMPUR” list in not entirely correct. For example, SS2 is located in Petaling Jaya, not Kuala Lumpur.
If you’re seeking for delicious Korean cuisine,
Good news to all Malaysians, Korea Palsaik will be opening soon in November located at Mount Kiara.
Difference than other BBQ, Palsaik provides 8 difference tastes of BBQ pork at one time.
Palsaik hopes to present the color in food therapy to all their customers.
Marufuku Udon are still at Jaya One but move to unit 65-G, Block D, Palm Square. Same row with Maxwell and Postcode.
Some of them are really local delicacies! How did you find out about them??
Kampung Baru for ikan bakar, nasi lemak, nasi campur and other Malay food.
Brickfields for variety of south Indian food such as nasi kandar and vegetarian food.
Pudu Wak Sek Kai for local Chinese hawker stalls.
Damansara Uptown for Cantonese hokkien mee.
Lot 10 Hutong food court serves non-halal hawker food but expensive, only tourists go eat there.
Hi, may I know if all the places you have mentioned above are nearby each other or far apart within KL? I am planning to spend a (eating) day in KL next month, driving from Port Dickson. Thanks!