3 Delicious Food Places in Kuala Lumpur

Hey, guys! We recently traveled to Kuala Lumpur and thought it would be great to write you a guide of what to eat in KL. Now, there’s a lot of food to eat and things to do in the Capital, so this is sort of a Part 1 of a series. For this trip, we tried some of the street food in Jalan Alor and Bukit Bintang.

Lunch: Duck Rice at Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang

I spent way too long trying to think of duck puns

We arrived, as we usually do, hungry. If you look up things to do in Kuala Lumpur, the street food on Jalan Alor usually comes up pretty high. It’s usually pretty busy in the evening with local and tourists, but we decided to drop by for lunch and see if there was anything worth trying. Pretty soon, we came by a popular looking stall called Uncle Lim.

If you’ve been following our blog posts, you’ll know we love good duck rice. And this one was pretty good! We also got a helping of delicious, fatty pork ear and some greens in oyster and garlic sauce. One thing that is very important about chicken rice or duck rice in Malaysia is the way the rice is cooked. It should be glistening, with just a hint of lard. Often times you’ll also taste a strong hint of ginger which adds to the flavour of the meat on the side.

Pork Ear in Sweet Soy Sauce

This one is definitely making our list of must try street food in KL. The duck rice stall is called Pin Chen and you’ll see signs out on the street advertising Uncle Lim’s various stir fry dishes and Pin Chen Duck Rice.

Dinner: Nyonya Dishes at Sarang Cookery and Chicken Wings

Mango kerabu is one of my favourite things in the world

Nyonya food is enjoying something of a resurgence in recent years, which we’re very happy about. It used to be very difficult to find Nyonya food, as most of the dishes were cooked at home and not usually sold at shops or by street vendors. Finding Nyonya food in Kuala Lumpur? That used to require a guide and several holy miracles. Not so these days with plenty of options all over the city.

We heard about Sarang Cookery from a friend. Their rustic approach to the ambience and reputation for good food made them a top priority on our visit. We ordered the mango kerabu (mango salad), telur cincalok (omelette with sweet fermented shrimp sauce), assam laksa (because of course) and ayam sioh (chicken cooked in tamarind and bean paste sauce).

Ayam Sioh - first time I’ve ever had it!

We’re already looking forward to visiting again to try the other things on their menu. They have very limited seating space, so if you’re planning to go on a busy weekend, call ahead to check for availability.

Best chicken wings I’ve ever had, not even kidding right now

Guys, we did it. We found the best chicken wings.

Sweet, sticky, spicy and mouth-scalding hot, the chicken wings from Ticklish has unexpectedly made its way to the top of our Chicken Wings List (yes, we have a Chicken Wings List.)

Walking down Jalan Alor at night, we smelled a delicious aroma- fat and skin crackling on a hot grill, sticky sauce bubbling luxuriously in the heat, the sweetness of butter softly being brushed onto moist, tender flesh.

They also have cendol to go with the chicken wings!

Following that gorgeous aroma brought us to this pop-up stand by Ticklish. The concept of this place really tickled us (pun!) - barbecue and nyonya desserts. Oh, and the chicken was everything we’ve ever dreamed of. Succulent, spicy, satisfying. If you’re craving some quintessential night time street food or bar food in KL, this is well worth braving the crowds. We relished every bite and we’re coming back for the pork ribs!

Drinks: A Rustic Hidden Gin Bar

The signature Gin Pahit. Loved that it wasn’t saccharine sweet like most cocktails here. Only got the pun much later.

We’d been looking forward to visiting Pahit for a while. If you’ve spent any time in Penang, visiting the local food places or the upsurge in local-themed bars, this place will feel familiar.

The Gin Pahit here was very enjoyable. It had an original approach, very interesting flavours and it was really a departure from a lot of cocktails. Slightly bitter but fragrant, it might feel challenging if you’re used to very sweet drinks.

And, yup you guessed it, we’re going back for more!