Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #3: FOOD

My long weekend escape to Kuala Lumpur was filled with glorious, glorious food. I had heard that food in KL was much better than in Singapore, but I did not anticipate for it to be as wonderful as what it was.

While we were in Kl, we stayed with some friends of which had been living there for the last few years. By staying with people who knew all of the best places to eat and the best dishes to order off the menu was a HUGE help in expanding my palette and getting the most out of our culinary experience whilst in Malaysia.

On the first night we arrived, Friday, we headed to a Japanese restaurant, located at the Publika shopping centre. It was called Edo Ichi. We ordered a delicious array of foods from soft shell crab salad, sashimi, teriyaki chicken, tempura prawns, prawn and crab sushi as well as mushrooms wrapped in beef. Everything was absolutely delicious to say the least. I loved trying out new dishes such as the sashimi and soft shell crab. The food was incredibly flavoursome and tasted incredibly authentic in comparison to anything I had ever eaten when I was living in Australia, which I loved.  Even though some of the dishes we ordered we had only simple ingredients, they were executed so well that dining at this restaurant had to be one of the best Japanese food experiences I have ever had.

On our second day in KL, the Saturday, the people we were staying with took us to a Chinese restaurant located about 15 minutes’ drive from the city centre. I am sadly not sure about the name of the restaurant, but perhaps the photos can add some familiarity for my readers from KL. The restaurants layout reminded me of something similar to a Singapore Hawker Centre experience; the plastic chairs and the somewhat squashy eating area. Although, I have fast learnt that these kinds of environments tend to offer some of the best dishes. One of our friends was luckily able to speak fluent Chinese as many of the waiters were unable to understand or speak English.  

We ordered soft shell crab, steamed fish (mmmmm), friend rice; always a staple, steamed vegetables, venison; which I had never had before but LOVED and marinated chicken pieces.  Something I love about outdoor dining in Asia is that is it so incredibly casual; there are no rules. I do not have to be embarrassed to use my hands to gnaw at juicy pieces of crab. Additionally, all of the food is incredibly affordable for the portions you are given. Through dining experiences such as this, I am able to eat the kinds of foods that the locals treasure and love eating which is something I value highly when travelling to a new destination.

The food at the restaurant was really, really tasty. The portions were massive, meaning that I was able to try a large serving of each dish without the fear of missing out. Totally recommend checking out restaurants similar to this one if you are looking for more of a casual, authentic and cultural dining experience.

Following our extremely casual, outdoor dining experience, we contrasted and went for dessert at the highly acclaimed; Grand Hyatt Hotel. We primarily visited here as I wanted to see the Patronas Towers close up, and get a good view of them in all their glory.

I knew I was incredibly underdressed when everyone around me was wearing high heels and elegant cocktail dresses. But never the less, I was desperate to gaze upon the view and eat some dessert!

For dessert, we were told the servings were generous enough to be shared between two or three people, so my brothers and I ordered two desserts; coconut, pineapple and banana crumble which came with vanilla soft serve ice cream and the signature cake.  My mouth waters every time I remember the crumble; it was a heavenly reminder of summer and my love for tropical fruits. The signature cake was exactly as it sounds; grand, amazing and something this restaurant should be incredibly proud of as it was one of the most exquisite, rich and scrumptious desserts I have ever had the pleasure of eating.  As it was brought to our table, everyone’s eyes steered towards it; full of wander and similarly to my brothers and I; desire. It came in a glass cake stand, fogged with dry ice. The waiter then poured warm caramel sauce in the centre of the chocolate mousse cake.  This was most certainly a cake I thought I only had the capabilities of dreaming of.

My dining experience at the Grand Hyatt was phenomenal; it was also definitely not as expensive as what I had assumed. All the dessert dishes ranged between RM8 – RM40.  The dishes were incredibly decadent; it was an experience I will savour and never shy of telling people about. Both the dishes I had the chance of eating where winners in my eyes and I can only hope I will be able to go back to the Thirty8 Restaurant and Lounge at the Hyatt to try many, many more!

The final stop on my culinary journey in KL was brunch on Sunday morning. My family was taken to a café called Antipodean at the Mid Valley megamall. We had to wait about 20 minutes before we got to our table as the line was so long. The restaurant was actually the only busy one at the mall, which definitely signalled as to how good the food was going to be.

The only downside to this restaurant was that it was so incredibly busy. All 7 of us were stuffed into the back corner of the restaurant where it was almost impossible to get out of our seats. Additionally, there was no menu given to you; you had to read it off a large blackboard which was obstructed by other people dining.

Continuing to set my hopes high for my meal, I ordered the banana pancakes and orange juice.  I was pleasantly surprised by the servings. It came with three crunchy, golden brown, thick, fluffy, beautiful banana pancakes with a side of butterscotch sauce and fruit salad; definitely more than I bargained for. I even gave one of the pancakes to my brother as I was unable to finish the entire plate! It’s definitely a good sign that you have enjoyed your meal when you leave the restaurant incredibly full. Everyone seemed to love their meals as well, so I recommend this place for anyone with a big appetite and loves homely, comforting, good food.

Leaving KL that afternoon made me wish I was able to spend a longer amount of time there! I had such a blast and loved all the unique experiences I had. It was so awesome to travel to another part of Asia and see things that I cannot living in Singapore. Hopefully I will get to visit again sometime soon!

Previous 'Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur': 

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #1: Thean Huo temple

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #2: Chinatown

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #2: Chinatown

Following the morning visit to the Thean Huo temple, we ventured into Chinatown. We piled into one small cab and travelled about ten minutes before we made it to the heart of Chinatown; Petaling street. 

As we walked towards the entrance, you could immediately notice that the stalls stretched literally as far as the eye could see. The ceiling was lined with red lanterns, adding colour and a sense of peacefulness to this somewhat chaotic strip.

If you are looking for a relaxing tourist site to visit, this is definitely not where you should plan on going. In saying this, it is honestly one of the most enjoyable and entertaining experiences I’ve ever had on a holiday.

I didn’t even have to walk past the first stall to be drawn in by the items on display. Yes, I did exchange in some price negotiation, which saw me walking away from the store owner numerous times.  But soon enough, after walk up and down the strip of stalls, he soon gave in and I left happily with my mini Celine bag (which looks exactly the same as the authentic one and is great quality mind you!).

Every stall I walked past the owners would promise me a great deal, or an item which is virtually exact quality to the original one. There are even store owners walking up and down the strip, who will approach you selling DVD’s, makeup and even tattoos!!

I was mostly surprised by the items on display at the stalls. I have always loved Chinatown in Singapore, but Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown has so much more on offer! Everything you could think of was on sale from designer bags, Nike shoes, Calvin Klein underwear, Tiffany and Co jewellery, sunglasses, DVD’s, perfume, mobile phones, EVERYTHING! I was surprised by how exact these copies looked to the original, authentic items; especially when it came to the jewellery.

The streets got more and more crowded as we made our way deeper into Chinatown. Soon it become nearly impossible to identify the next few stalls you were approaching as people created a maze around you. 

The store owners desperately want you to buy their stock. At first I felt quite uncomfortable being approached, but it happened so often that I no longer took notice of it.  My family was greatly entertained by bargaining the prices of certain bags, wallets and t-shirts. It is an extremely fun experience as it is not something I often get to see.

It was extremely hot that day, especially as we visited Chinatown in the heat in the afternoon, but there is so much to be in awe of and amused by, that the heat becomes an absence.

The strip is extremely vibrant, whether it is the sea of colourful handbags or the floating umbrella decorations above the stalls.

We spent a few hours here as my entire family thoroughly enjoyed their time at Chinatown. We definitely left with more than we thought we would. I recommend this site for those who do not mind being surrounded by lots of people and being outside in the heat. It is also for those want to get the most out of visiting an Asian country and for those love unique experiences which cannot be found in their home country.  

Stay tuned for my third and final post in the next week or so!

Previous 'Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur':

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #1: Thean Huo temple

Kaylah in Kuala Lumpur #1: Thean Huo temple

Last Friday, my family and I headed to Kuala Lumpur for a few days! I had never visited this city before, although it had been on my list of things to see while I’m living in Asia.

As the rest of my family had visited Kuala Lumpur before, it was up to me to organize the itinerary. I absolutely love organising itineraries so it wasn’t a problem. They make me so incredibly excited knowing that I will soon be able to lay my eyes upon such exciting sites in person.

On Saturday morning, I had planned for my family to visit the Thean Hou temple. This Chinese temple is an absolute landmark. It is six tiered and is dedicated to Goddess Tian Hou (The Heavenly Mother).

I was totally blown away as we made our way towards the entrance. None of my photos are able to do the temple justice. The traditional exterior was mesmerising. Each of the corners on the rooftops flicked up in a way that made them appear somewhat like crashing waves from afar.

As we made our way closer, the intricate details which lined the edges of the temple soon began to make themselves seen. The array of colours outlining the temple contributed to the beauty of this tranquil site.

I started to make my way up the staircase to where the worshipping area could be found. This was on the second last tier. Groups of people crowded around the entrance, removing their shoes and performing rituals. The scent of incense was extremely prevalent. There was also a wonderful view of Kuala Lumpur from this tier.

After removing our shoes, we entered the hollows of the temple. To say that I was blown away would be an incredible understatement. The paintwork and architecture inside made this one of the most beautiful interiors I had ever seen. I could have gazed upon the ceiling for hours. The copious amounts of colourful patterns caught your eye from every angle. It was easy to become lost in the never ending list of things to admire. Every single wall was covered in the most grand of designs. The ornate carvings and delicate embellishments made this temple a complete and utter spectacle.

I couldn’t imagine anyone spending less than 45 minutes here. There are gardens and statues to see. Areas are also dedicated to statues for each of the Chinese zodiac signs.

If you are in Kuala Lumpur or are planning on visiting you should DEFINITLEY put this site on your list of things to see! You will not be disappointed. I absolutely adored spending time here due to the beautiful setting and the wide range of areas to explore and learn about. It was the sheer size and delicacy of the temple that also made it worth the visit.

I plan on splitting my time in Kuala Lumpur into multiple posts as I saw so much and would love to give a detailed description of the major sites.

Stay tuned for more posts from Kuala Lumpur!

Best Ever Melting Moments

I used this melting moment recipe a few weeks ago and was blown away by how amazing the biscuits turned out! I made a few adjustments to it to make it my own. This recipe is super easy and the biscuits turn out absolutely perfectly! (If I do say so myself…)

Ingredients:

200g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ cup icing sugar mixture

1 ½ cups plain flour

½ cup cornflour

 Passion fruit butter cream filling

1-2 passionfruit/s 

80g butter

2/3 cup icing sugar

For lemon butter cream filling:

1 lemon

1 tablespoon of zest

80g butter

2/3 cup of icing sugar

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Grease and line two biscuit trays.

Beat butter, essence and sifted icing sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Stir in sifted flours in two batches to the mixture.

Using a teaspoon, spoon out the mixture and roll into small balls with lightly floured hands.

 Place the dough about 3cm apart on the baking paper lined oven trays.  Flatten slightly with a floured fork. Put the trays in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool.

To make the butter cream beat butter and sifted icing sugar in a small bowl. You can use an electric mixer if you wish. Add the passionfruit juice. Add however much juice you need depending on the taste you want, usually one passion fruit will be enough. You don’t have to use passionfruit juice; you could always use 1tbsp of lemon juice and 1tbsp of zest . You may need more icing sugar depending on the consistency you want.

Sandwich two biscuits together with a teaspoon of  butter cream.  Dust the biscuits with extra icing sugar.  Enjoy!

The Moon Festival!

On Monday was the Chinese Moon Festival in Singapore. Legend has it that a young girl named Chang Er flew to the moon and has lived ever since. It is believed that you may even get to see her dancing on the moon during the festival.

Additionally, this festival is a time for family occasions and reunions. When the full moon rises, families gather together, gazing upon the moon, eat moon cakes and some even sing moon poems.

As you all know, my favourite thing about Singapore is experiencing the culture. Chinese New Year was probably, for me, the best experience of this year, so I was incredibly excited to experience another tradition; the Moon Festival.

At university, about a week before the moon festival, I asked some of my Singaporean friends what the best way to experience the festival was. I wanted to get the full, authentic experience! So we sat down and they told me that I should go and buy lanterns and head to the closest park to my home. Here, children and families will gather, with sparklers and run around carrying lanterns. With this in mind, my next stop was to buy some lanterns and get prepared!

With my unlit lanterns in hand, my family and I headed to Bishan Park on Monday evening. We walked around the massive park, hoping to find plenty of people there celebrating.

Soon the sky darkened, and the moon, so full and bright, helped light the path, guiding us to where everyone was celebrating.

From a distance I spotted bright orange lanterns, delicately hanging off the branches of trees accompanied by the loud sounds of laughing children. I then excitedly lit my lantern.

It was such a lovely night. Wandering around outside in the evening in Singapore is so pleasant and refreshing; you would hardly think that this countries climate is almost unbearable during the day. I loved just simply carrying my lantern around the park and people watching. There was such a wide, colourful assortment of lanterns held by people of all ages, from ones that played music, Disney characters and some that even had flashing lights on them.

I was totally surprised by how many people showed up, being a Monday night. It was so busy! There were people everywhere in big groups celebrating.

I had such an enjoyable time, and will treasure this experience. I am once again going to say (for the millionth time) how much I just LOVE experiencing this culture. I am always blown away but what I get to see with my own eyes and be a part of now that I am living here. Some of these traditions I obliviously and ignorantly had never even heard of until I moved to Singapore.  I am so interested in this culture and am so glad I have been able to understand some of South East Asia’s traditions while I have been living here. I hope I get to experience many more!