Malaysia, you were fun while it lasted. But to be frank, there isn't much to do besides shop and eat. And to that we say good bye, but not before ending our eating adventures on a high note.
If you Google "Things to do in Kuala Lumpur," the Central Markets and Kasturi Walk are sure one of the top 10 things to come up. Unlike it's Chinatown side, market stalls end their day earlier. The Central Markets is this big giant blue warehouse looking building next to the walk. Inside there are heaps of great souvenir style gifts, including getting your name written on a grain of rice and then put inside a keyring (more on that in a later post!). Here you can really see the Indian and Chinese influences. There's an "alley" of shops to a side with a sign called Indian-something where they sell spices, saris, and other goods. Stuff in here is definitely more expensive for what you would pay for usually at a market though. The building has air con, and there's a small food court upstairs as well.
The Kasturi Walk just adjacent to the Central Markets lends itself to many great street food vendors, selling from western fried chicken and hotdogs, to pearl milk tea. Markets here are similar to what you would find at the end of the road at Jalan Petaling, selling a range of designer knockoffs to hand made goods.
Kasturi Walk
Typical food vendor on Kasturi Walk, outside of Central Markets
Sweet treats from Putu Bambu
I love anything that has pandan in it, so was very intrigued to try this Malaysian dessert. The green rolls are made of rice flour, tapioca flour and pandan flavour, covered in shredded coconut and with a drizzle of palm sugar syrup. It was actually quite bland and disappointing as the pandan flavour wasn't really evident, and would have made it if it wasn't for the palm sugar syrup.
Inside Central Markets
Preserved fruit
Chilli sugar and salt condiments
Our selection of preserved fruit - guava, sweet green mango and sour green mango (they look the same) w sugar+chilli
As we were waiting for our rice keyrings to be made, we felt peckish and grabbed some perserved fruit at the stall next to us. You can tell what most of the fruits are - jackfruit, mango, papaya, guava, apple etc. I had to smell it though so I would know which one was the sour and sweet mango as I prefer the sweet. Kiki got the sour one and we just shared in the one bowl. 100g was 5.00RM from memory.
We went to NZ Garden Cafe cause we really wanted some roti on our last night there. We went there once previously for a quick meal as it was close by to the hotel (5 minute walk). We were a bit disappointed in the food, thinking "is this what Malaysia has to offer?" The first thing I wanted to try was Mie Gorgeng, like the instant kind we have back home. Kiki told me that's the Maggi Goreng, and if you want chicken with it it's Maggi Goreng Ayam. The dish filled me up but it was quite bland with no saucy goodness like the instant kind. They only start serving roti after 3pm so we missed the chance to try it the first time.
The only roti on the menu I wanted to try was Roti Milo - you know, me and my sweet roti. We got a round of Tek Tariks, or milk teas if you must to start off and it was delish. They were served hot, not quite comptable for a humid night but I enjoyed it hot as it seemed more creamier with a lovely tea aroma. I don't understand how our teas aren't as delish.
Evening snacking at popular local joint - NZ Garden Cafe
Outside dining area of NZ Garden Cafe
Roti Milo - 3.50 RM (Approx $1.20 AUD) from NZ Garden Cafe
Not sure what this is called, but it was "Roti" drizzled with honey, served w curry
Roti Canai - 1.20 RM (Approx $0.40 AUD)
When my roti arrived, it came with a small plate of curry sauce to dip with. I thought that was strange, curry and milo? I was thinking, oh well when in Rome, luckily they bought out a plate of condensed milk just in time. The roti milo was not too sweet and was very crispy, making it a perfect match for my condensed milk. It was heavenly in my mouth and I wanted moooarrrrr but just couldn't stuff myself. Kiki ordered the Roti Canai and it was so delicious! The curry was spicy, but only mildly so that it doesn't burn the back of your throat and was very flavoursome. Dimi ordered the honey one, not too sure what to expect, but not expecting it to be likt that. It was like very thin crispy chips with honey, that just did not seem to compliment curry at all.
I have a thing I'd like to do where I like to try international fast food and their different varieties. Rice cake paddies in China, Taro ice-cream in Hong Kong, baguettes in Paree and my favourite, Portugese tarts in Macau. The list actually goes on. So I was super excited to see a cheesy zinger at KFC and curly fries at Maccas! Curly fries reminds me of Italy, cause that was the first time I've seen it at a McDonalds. Crispy, crunchy, golden goodness! Many fast food joints in Asia have a section with pumps for ketchup and sweet chilli sauce (very chilli btw!), but napkins are given to you by staff. I added the sweet chilli sauce into the zinger burger and that hit the note. Crunchy chicken with cheesy deliciousness and big hit of heat. To finish off, I tried the McFlurry they had. Yes, they have REAL LEGIT MCFLURRIES, with the spoon and machine and everything *insert love heart eyes emoticon*. Some people still think the ones in Aus are the same thing, THEY ARE NOT. The Raspberry Dazzle was a sweet concoction of raspberry and chocolate syrup with crunchy cornetto waffle pieces. Great way to finish off the meal and trip in Malaysia.
Eating KFC at McDonalds, look here we have a bad ass. Left: Cheesy Zinger Burger, Right: Curly Fries
Raspberry Dazzle McFlurry from McDonalds - 5.90 RM (Approx $2.00 AUD)
Well folks, that concludes the fourth and final part of my Malaysian food adventures. Which part did you like best? What would you have wanted to try? Does anyone else have a thing like me, trying fast food overseas? If so, where and what's something different you've had?
Stay tune for my Malaysian see and do guide!