Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Restaurants
Expensive
The Dining Room
The Caracosa Seri Negara's signature restaurant serves up some top end French cooking. Guests dine in the refined, air-conditioned dining room or outside on the veranda, which has views of the city skyline. After dinner, residents and diners alike retire to the colonial The Bar, with its cigar divans, ceiling fans and cane chairs.
Taman Tasik Perdana, Persiaran Mahameru
Tel: (03) 2295 0888.
Website: www.carcosa.com.my
Lafite
Lafite is the Shangri-La Hotel's exclusive multi-award-winning French restaurant. The standard of food and service is always high, making the restaurant a popular venue for business lunches and dinners. The chandeliers, the tall windows overlooking the garden, the fresh flowers and the impeccable silver service combine to give the restaurant a refined and classical atmosphere. The wine list may just be the finest in Malaysia.
Shangri-La Hotel, 11 Jalan Sultan Ismail
Tel: (03) 2074 3900.
Website: www.shangri-la.com
ChowKitMarket
During the day, the large and buzzing Chow Kit Market, located at the northern end of Jalan TAR, is Kuala Lumpur's biggest food market, selling fruit, vegetables, tofu, spices, meat and fish, as well as live worms, crabs and lobsters. The hawker stalls dish up tasty roticanai and nasi campur (rice served with an array of meat, fish and vegetable dishes).
Jalan Sultan
Moderate
Revolving Restaurant
The bland and functional décor of this 300-seater restaurant is compensated for by its spectacular views from its lofty locale atop one of the world's tallest towers. Sitting 282m (925ft) above ground level in the landmark Menara Tower, this revolving restaurant guarantees diners 360-degree panoramic vistas across the city. For both lunch and dinner visits, there is a choice of either a Malaysian buffet, including satay and nasigoreng (mixed fried rice), or a more western orientated à la carte menu, with such offerings as steak and chips.
Menara Tower, Jalan Punchak
Tel: (03) 2020 5444.
Website: www.menarakl.com.my
SeriMelayu
A big favorite with foreign visitors, Seri Melayu is unbeatable for traditional Malay cuisine and culture. Set in landscaped gardens, the restaurant can accommodate up to 500 people, with the nightly cultural show and buffet menu being the biggest attractions. Dining from the extensive buffet is a great way to sample traditional Chinese, Malay and Thai dishes. The same group also has another three eateries in KL.
1 Jalan Conlay
Tel: (03) 2145 1833.
Website: www.serimelayu.com
Kampachi
Reservations are a must at this award-winning Japanese restaurant. The Kampachi, one of Hotel Equatorial's signature restaurants, has been serving up staple Japanese dishes from Ginza for more than 25 years. This traditionally decorated restaurant also has a wide selection of set dinners and an impressive Sunday buffet brunch, as well as private tatami rooms.
Hotel Equatorial, Jalan Sultan Ismail
Tel: (03) 2161 7777.
Website: www.equatorial.com
PacificaGrillandBar
The signature restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel offers diners a cocktail of Asian flavors. The 116-seater restaurant is modern and stylish with an open kitchen. Guests can also book two smaller private dining rooms. There is also a trendy bar area with seating for 22 guests. Look out for ‘MO Sundays' with live music and the popular chef's table, which puts diners at the heart of the action.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Center
Tel: (03) 2380 8888.
Website: www.mandarin-oriental.com/kualalumpur
Alexis Bistro
Smooth and sexy, this eatery is trendy Bangsar at its best. Thankfully it does not fall into the frequent Bangsar trap of being a case of style over substance. Instead it also delivers on the cuisine, offering a choice between excellent thin wood fired oven cooked pizzas and eclectic pan-Asian treats.
Lot 15A, 1st Floor, Bangsar Shopping Center
Tel: (03) 2287 1388.
Eest
This funky eatery at the Westin is a firm favorite of the city's beautiful people. The food tastes as good as the sublime décor, which looks like something from a fashion shoot. The lounge restaurant has a pan-regional (five country) approach that mixes dim sum with sushi and Tiger beer with Chinese rice wine, with plenty of strong Malaysian influences thrown in for good measure.
199 Jalan Bukit Bintang
Tel: (03) 2731 8333.
Website: www.westin.com/kualalumpur
Neroteca
Fans of fantastic Italian culinary treats should join the local cognoscenti in flocking down to this deli/cafe. Browser the packed shelves and work up an appetite before settling down in their cafe area for some first rate salami, Italian cheese and fine Tuscan wine. The catch of the day is usually a good main menu option, simply cooked with olive oil and lemon. They also mix a mean cocktail.
Ground Floor, Somerset Serviced Apartments
Tel: (03) 2070 0530.
BonTon
One of the city's top eating institutions, Bon Ton is housed in an old Chinese bungalow and has been renovated with ethnic furnishings. The high ceilings and large windows make this light dining venue the perfect space to indulge in a cuisine that typically combines international and Malacca Straits Chinese or Nyonya flavors.
6 Jalan Stonor, off Jalan Kia Peng
Tel: (03) 2142 2287.
Website: www.bontonkl.com
EdenVillageRestaurant
This award-winning seafood restaurant is located on the edge of the Golden Triangle. Built in the style of a Malay house, it is famous for the shark's fin dishes, served by waitresses wearing traditional dress. The sizeable wine list features mainly French, Italian and Australian wines. Tables on the terrace are particularly sought after.
Lot 260, Jalan Raja Chulan
Tel: (03) 2141 4027.
TaiZiHeen
Over the last half decade Tai Zi Heen has established itself as one of the city's best upmarket Chinese restaurants. The restaurant's name translates as 'prince's court', and this elegant and contemporary dining space does the name justice with gentle beige and cream hues, smooth wood, marble and glass surfaces. Their dim sum is legendary.
Prince Hotel & Residence, 4 Jalan Conlay
Tel: (03) 2170 8888.
Cheap
JalanAlor
Jalan Alor is a lively street, running parallel to Jalan Bukit Bintang in the heart of the Golden Triangle. It comes alive every night with the sights and smells of hawker cooking and pavement cafes. If the proprietor does not sell the dish or drink ordered, he will often go and purchase it from another hawker.
Jalan Alor
JalanPetaling
Delicious hawker food is served all day in the area around Chinatown's Jalan Petaling. Early risers can feast on steamed dumplings or porridge. In the evening, the streets close to cars and the night market begins. Tables and chairs pour out onto the streets as cafes and hawker stalls start up.
Jalan Petaling
Nightlife
With so many different cultures mixing together, the nightlife in Kuala Lumpur is anything but dull. Although Malaysia is a Muslim country, alcohol is freely available in the capital and the nightlife is some of the liveliest in Asia. Strict government controls close many bars by 0100, although some clubs stay open later. The legal drinking age in Kuala Lumpur is 21 years.
Traditional nightlife for many locals still involves a visit to a bustling pasar malam (night market), where the focus is as much on socializing and people watching as it is on shopping, savouring the excellent hawker food and quaffing ice-cold beer. The Saturday market on Jalan Raja Muda is the highlight, although Jalan Petaling in Chinatown closes nightly to traffic and is still a local favorite, despite the presence of many tourists. The main area for bars is in the Golden Triangle, where there are many European-style bars and nightclubs inside the luxury hotels.
Over the last few years, the buzzing Jalan Sultan Ismail-Jalan P Ramlee strip has taken over from Jalan Bukit Bintang as the place to be. The dress code veers towards the relaxed side of smart-casual, except in some of the classier establishments frequented by the city's yuppie brigade. Bangsar, on the city fringe, is a serious rival to the city center, with half a dozen streets of bars and eating places packed with a younger crowd.
The monthly Vision KL Magazine (www.visionkl.com) gives visitors the low-down on the city's latest hip nightlife spots. The magazine is available free of charge from 4 and 5-star hotels and is also occasionally available in bars.
Bars
El Nino
Fun bars in the Golden Triangle include El Nino which is themed around Latin-American music and culture.
21 Jalan Mayang
Citrus Rouge
This is where live jazz, a bustling dance floor, fabulous cocktails, cigar divan and stylish restaurant combine to make this one of the most popular places in town.
19 Jalan Sultan Ismail
Bravo
This bar/cafe offers a real buzz, a sprinkling of pool tables and a small dance floor.
Crown Regency, Jalan P Ramlee
Beach Club Café
A wild and nefarious party place, this club attracts expats, local students and bar girls, with its cheap drinks and buzzing atmosphere.
97 Jalan P Ramlee
Finnegan's
This is the Bangsar bar most locals point visitors towards, although the high density of single males seems to have attracted an informal bar-girl scene. 6 Jalan Telawi 5, Bengsar
Clubs
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Café often has dancing after their live music performances.
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Tel: (03) 2715 5555.
Website: www.hardrockcafe.com
The Embassy
This club in the city center is considered hip by an increasing number of locals and expats.
26 Jalan Ampang
Emporium
This is one of a new breed of clubs in the Golden Triangle, with an outside terrace and an indoor bar and dancefloor. The KL smart set ease through cocktails on the outdoor terrace, before delving inside to dance to the tunes spun by the ever-changing domestic and international DJ guests
97 Jalan Sultan Ismail
Zouk
The hottest club in town is currently Zouk with a roster of top local and international DJs, as well as two dance floors and two bars.
113 Jalan Ampang
Website: www.zoukclub.com.my
Live Music
Planet Hollywood
In Kuala Lumpur, live music often means one thing - karaoke. The city is overrun with karaoke bars, but a few bastions of live music do survive. Planet Hollywood may not be considered the epitome of cool in many parts of the world, but in Kuala Lumpur they are where the trendies troop to for some live music, although this is often provided by dubious cover bands.
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Tel: (03) 2144 6602.
Website: www.planethollywood.com
TM2
Often a better bet is TM2, Mutiara Hotel (formerly the Hilton Kuala Lumpur), which hosts a wide range of live music acts as well as DJs.
Jalan Sultan Ismail
