Kuala Lumpur – More Suprising Than You Think
As most of you know, I got sent down to Malaysia for some focus groups that were arranged by our client. Luckily, they fell on the Thurday and Friday, so I got a chance to extend my stay there for the weekend. It gave me an opportunity to see Eve and to explore Kuala Lumpur (KL) a little. My last trip down to KL was also around this time of year. I actually wasted a lot of time down there sleeping and we snuck in a trip to Singapore too, so I couldn’t really say I learned much about KL then.
This trip was a pleasant surprise. After enduring a two hour focus group session that lasted until 2100, Eve picked me up from the research house. She wasn’t sure where she should take me to eat when I suggested that I really did want to try the local Malaysian food and eat where the locals ate. It helped her a lot in terms of choosing where to go, but I think it also worried her in terms of whether I would like the food or not!
Anyway, we made the trip to a mamak stall on Steven’s Corner in Mount Kiara. Mamak stalls are probably one of the most popular eatery/hang out places for Malaysians. They are casual street side stalls and are recognisable by their shoddy appearance and bluish white flourescent lighting. Don’t let this put you off! The food you get here is top grade and great value for money. This particular place did a combination of Indian and Malay food although I believe there are others that have a Chinese influence too.
On this particular occassion, Eve went on a spending spree. Partly because she knew I hadn’t eaten since the plane journey and partly because she wanted me to sample a whole range of dishes. She started me off with the buffet and steered me clear of the spicy food as she knew I can’t take spicy food too well. I would recommend that any visitor to Malaysia tries to handle the spicy food as you are probably missing out from a lot of the cuisine here by doing so. Coming back from the buffet, we came loaded with a plate of Nasi Biryani and three types of curry – chicken, mutton and Sotony (squid). Being famished as I was, this went down rather quickly and luckily it wasn’t too spicy. This was all washed down with fresh watermelon juice and Teh Tarik (ice milk tea). Malaysians seem keen on fresh fruit juices and it is usually prepared fresh from the fruit. The country has an abundance of fruits, so there generally is a good variety to choose from.
After the rice and the curry had been wolved down, Eve exposed me to two Indian dishes – Roti Canai and Gee Tohsai. Both dishes seem to be flat pancakes that one dips into the sauces provided and Eve added some of the curries that we had to them. Roti Canai is thinner and more crispier than the Gee Tohsai which as more moist and soft. Both were nice but I had a preference for the Roti Canai although the Gee Tohsai looked more appealing. I guess its a matter of personal preference and Eve tells me that Gee Tohsai is more popular.
In the meantime, someone brought us a dish of satay chicken and beef. For those of you who haven’t been to South East Asia, satay (essentially, meat on a stick) is a local delicacy. If you’ve tried the satay from the packets that I know you can probably get from most supermarkets, then you are still in for a treat. The satay done here is much sweeter and flavoursome than the ready made tripe. The marinade that is commonly used is honey based and uses a variety of spices (I believe that my mother knows the recipe). The meat is softer and it is easy to eat through a plate of these without a second thought. If you pass a satay stall in Asia you’ll probably be allured to them initially by the smell of their cooking over hot charcoal, but be brave and try them. When we initially approached the Mamak stall, the first assualt on my senses was their aroma and I instantly wanted them.
Two additional dishes that we had were Tandoori chicken and Malay Asam Laksa. The Tandoori chicken here is much nicer than anything I’ve experienced back in the UK and the blend of spices used in its preparation are a lot more aromatic. The Malay Asam Laksa was a disappointment which Eve confirmed for me. I must admit, it was too watery for me but she does tell me that I am probably more familiar with the Chinese Asam Laksa which is more creamy and thicker. In any case, this is the only dish I recommend you avoid.
Mamak stalls are popular because they attract all three ethnic groups of Malaysia – Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Both Eve and my colleague in McCann KL say that its a great meeting point for the ethnic groups, and it is common to see all three on the same table intermingling. They are very casual and it seems to be a place where people can just eat and hangout. They don’t follow the Cantonese approach to eating which is eat and go, but are much more laid back and an evening or afternoon can easily be spent just chilling with your friends or family. Also, don’t be put off by the staring as its quite normal and a part of the culture. One tip for those new to Malaysia – Malaysians, even the Chinese, commonly use fork and spoon to eat food. Don’t try and impress your hosts or people by ordering chopsticks. This is reserved for noodles and laksa and using them overly makes you look a little backward!
The next day, my focus groups finished off at about 2000. I had managed to build quite a rapport Stephanie who was our local account person in charge of the client that I was down in Malaysia for. She suggested we join her for drinks after Eve and I went for dinner which was mighty friendly of her. In general, Malaysians are a friendly people and although they can stare a lot, they tend to be very hospitable and welcoming.
Eve took me for dinner to Petaling Jaya (PJ – by the way, Malaysians being the laid back people that they are, like to abbreviate a lot of place names). She took me to a Chinese food place in Old Town but she doesn’t remember the exact name. I have a feeling that Old Town is a Chinatown, so you’ll find plenty of places that offer the Chinese fare there. The main dish that we had was Bakkut Teh, which is essentially boiled pork but as most people familiar with Chinese food are aware, the variation of the preparation creates a unique dish. I’m told that this particular Chinese dish is native to Malaysian Chinese so don’t expect to find it everywhere where Chinese are. The place, again, was quite shoddy but as both Eve and my colleague, Pat, tell me, the best food is often in places where the surrounding environs aren’t luxurious.
After dinner, we headed off to [i]Bangsar[i] which is one of the hotspots in KL at night. KL is quite a large city and its easy to drive a good twenty minutes to get to the different parts of it. This means that they tend to have several different hotspots, catering for different tastes, but tend to be all intensified in a particular area. I guess really, it’s like most major capital cities. Bangsar is quite interesting in that it occupies probably a square block in which the restaurants, bars and nightclubs are all located. Strangely, its nestled in between a residential area and I’m sure the residents appreciate their neighbourhood turning into a parking lot over the weekend nights.
We arranged to meet Stephanie at Bar Flan which apparently is one of those places for those who want to be seen and see in Bangsar. Walking into the place, I was assualted by designer fragrances hanging of the oh-so-yuppie crowd in there. It seemed quite popular as the place was quite small but packed with people. I actually couldn’t tell you much about the place because as soon as we arrived, Stefanie whisked us away to another place. She was with some people who had just left McCann and had to oversee a Heineken promotion at Chamber, which was just down the road from Bar Flan.
Chamber was a more subdued place and because of the promotion, was decked out in Heineken livery. It wasn’t as packed and there was plenty of seating available. My impression is that the places in KL tend to have more seating available than night spots in London or in HK, although, if it is busy place, then don’t expect too much in the way of seating. We sat down with Stefanie and her friend treated us to a bucket of Heineken beers. They seemed to be playing Acid Jazz there, which was quite interesting.
Heineken promotion girls were in full force but they didn’t really seem to be promoting the beer too much. Normally, the beer promotion girls in HK tend to whip out an itinery of 2 for 1 offers (and variants) to get you to buy the actual beer (they actually tally it so they can get paid). Here, the beer promotion girls seemed to be pushing to get us to register to win something and get a free premium – in this case a Heineken bottle cap with flashing light. But no beer.
When we did order the bucket of beer, they seemed to be all over us to get a free instant picture taken. Ordering a bucket entitled us to two pictures, so we took one for Eve and myself and one for Stephanie to put on her wall at work. She seems to be in high spirits at work, as her wall is covered with litanies of stress and work related traumas. Anyway, once the beer promotion girls were done with us (Eve did comment that she was sure I wanted them to be done with me in other ways!), another Heineken promoter was on to us. This time they were looking for faces for “Coolest People” contest for the Heineken website. I managed to sign up and Eve and Stefanie (although both promised that I would regret it) and yes, I did sign up as well. Although I haven’t managed to find the site yet, and I do still have sneaking suspicion that they were just looking for faces for a porn site, you can find my picture there. I’ll let you know when I find the website.
After a while, Stefanie’s old boss and friend, Pristinne, and her husband came to join us. She seemed quite funky, with a dyed quiff of coloured hair and a low cut top. An ex-McCanner, we spent a few minutes exchanging notes on the Regional account team here in Hong Kong. Her husband works as a diamond jeweller and is one of those Chinese that can’t speak Chinese. Given my background, we had quite an interesting discussion on that. Once they joined us, we didn’t stay long in Chamber and moved swiftly on to Bar Finnegans.
Bar Finnegans is probably the Joe Banana’s of Bangsar. Eve was loathe to go there and the guys we were with weren’t too complimentary about the place. We were advised to go to the toilet at Chambers before we went, as apparently the facilities weren’t that great there. Pristinne’s husband even recommended I go too, which I took as poignant sign – if men advise men to go to a bathroom before going to a particular place, you know the facilities are going to be hell. Eve tells me, and I quote, “Finnegans is the place that old white married men go to pick up local girls”. Joy.
It certainly was an expat hangout which unsurprisingly was the case as it was an Irish bar. We walked in there and managed to find a place. With two guys and three girls, the girls were immediately eyed up by two fat English men. Also, the place also had a small contingent of cross-dressers which was interesting. I saw more of them and I think its quite “accepted” although not to the extent that it is in Thailand and their ladyboys. Eve promises to take me to a place where they perform and stuff, which I interested to see next time I’m down in Malaysia.
I learned that I was out of practice with my beer drinking. Being in Hong Kong, I’m used to drinking my beer from the bottle and from small glasses. Here I was treated to a full pint of Heineken which I had trouble finishing. I think I definitely need to get some practice in before I go to London otherwise I’ll be a laughing stock. The music at Finnegans was typically Western and we were treated to tunes such as Sweet Child of Mine and Hey Mickey. Make your own mind up about that.
I finished off the evening with six B-52′s with Stephanie. The others weren’t drinking as they needed to drive. Stephanie too needed to drive and she had a medical in the morning the next day, but she challenged the honour of McCann Hong Kong which I needed to defend. I was pleasantly surprised with the cost of the six shots as it only came to RM120, which is roughly US$32. This is surprisingly cheap in comparrison with London and Hong Kong, and well, just about anywhere. Stephanie did complain that she already had two B-52′s earlier in the night although she managed them like a trooper. She was a little worse for wear when we left Finnegan’s at about 0300 which seemed to be the general time that most places shut in KL. Eve did tell me that some underground nightclubs are around that are open later, but we didn’t get a chance to visit them this time.
The next day, Eve and I spent most of the day sleeping and just lazing about. After finishing off an old HK flick called with Andy Lau and Rosmund, we managed to set off at 1700 for Putrajaya. I was keen to see Putrajaya as it is the new government administrative centre for Malaysia. Mahatir, in his infinite wisdom and part of his 2020 Vision, relocated the majority of Malaysia’s government departments to a new purpose built city 20 minutes drive at Putrajaya from the ageing building in KL. Given that there was probably nothing here ten years ago, the place is an impressive achievement.
Eve admitted that she hadn’t been to Putrajaya yet and was also keen to check it out. She was a little dismissive of the idea and even Stephanie and Pristinne’s reactions were “Why do you want to go there?!”. When we approached the place, were were not sure what to expect. In fact, I did feel a little anxious that I had sent us on a wild goose chase for a couple of government buildings in a field. I would never hear the end of it from Eve!
Thankfully, both she and I were bloody impressed with the place! As you will no doubt see from the photos, its definitely a blueprint for a new city. The government really has got a clean slate to build and develop the city as it sees fit, so hopefully with modern times it will not suffer from the haphazard reactive planning that most major cities experience. The scale and architechture of the buildings is not to be underestimated and the planning means that the place is more akin to a utopian “world” set off Star Trek TNG.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the names of the buildings there, as we left without a guidebook but we did manage to see the mosque and the President’s centre. Although we didn’t manage to go in because of our lousy timings, we did get to see the outside. We had afternoon tea there which comprised of a fast-food mall variety of chcken rice, Tom Yum Koong and an interesting sweet dessert called Ais Kaccang. Ais Kaccang is a dessert made up of ice, flavourings of something (which I will track the name down), and tapioca. Very sweet and refreshing, don’t expect to lose weight eating it. By the time we left the eatery, it was sunset and the time of evening prayers hit. The musical nature of the Islamic prayers added a spiritual note to the sunset and it really left one feeling at peace.
I would really recommend someone who is planning a visit to KL to take an afternoon and see Putrajaya. It’s an amazing achievement and certainly a testament that man can still create great monuments to civilisation in these modern times. The concept of being at the birth of a new city just blew both of us away and maybe when we visit again in twenty or thirty years time, the place will have changed dramatically. I guess it Eve summed it up best when a friend called her on her mobile (and I am taking creative license here)”
Friend: Where are you?
Eve: Putrajaya.
Friend: Why do you want to go there?!
Eve: Oh, I’m taking a visitor here..I know, its not the place that I would’ve thought about going! But really, its so amazing! You really need to come here and look.
I guess the birth of a new city is something that goes amiss in a world that is racked with more important news and even Malaysians take it for granted. But do go. Catch it now, and be part of history. One word of advice – Putrajaya is the government heart of Malaysia and given that Malays are the only people allowed to work in the government, the place is predominantly Malay and hence Muslim. I recommend you show a little respect and dress accordingly to Muslim decency values if you want to visit the place. Eve was dressed quite conservatively but she was feeling a little self-conscious.
We drove back to KL after that. We decided that we wanted to visit the sky tower, Menara Kuala Lumpur. It looks an impressive building from the outside and weighes in at 421m, making it one of the tallest towers in the world. However, we were a little a disappointed with the view at night. Partly, I think, this is because we were still buzzing from the trip to Putrajaya, but also because KL is somewhat of an uninteresting landscape at night because it is flat and hence not much to see at night. Maybe worth a visit during the day time, we covered this off in about 20 minutes. Here you get a feel of Malaysian national pride – foreigners are charged RM15 (US$4) and locals are charged RM4 (US$1). A small point, but can an irking experience.
We decided to go and eat at Suria KLCC for dinner, although I don’t think either of us was really hungry. Eve took the scenic route and showed me Jalan Alor in Bukit Pintang. Jalan Alor is apparently the red light district in KL and although not noticeable from the outside, she says that the budget hotels in the area accommodate Malay, Mainland Chinese and Indian prostitutes. On the surface, however, the primary feature of the place is a street dedicated to food, predominantly Chinese by my reckoning. Seafood and steamboat can be had here at an good price. Jalan Alor is located in Bukit Pintang which seems to be a vibrant shopping and restaurant community, but to be honest, we didn’t get out and have a look. I guess I’ll do this next time I visit KL – it’s alway good to have a few places to see when you come back!
Suria KLCC is located under the Petronas Twin Towers that dominate the KL skyline. It’s actually one big shopping mall that easily dwarves Bluewater, following the American trend towards Supermalls and experiential retailing. What is surprising is that this is not unique in KL as supermalls are a common feature in KL. We visited at night time and it was interesting to see young Malaysians just sitting in large groups and hanging out, especially outside by the man-made lake. On our way to dinner, we bumped into a group of Indonesians who seemed to have appropriated a part of a mall to do some synchronised dancing to music that was a mixture of modern influence and local ethnic music. It was interesting to see, as I have noticed the same thing among some Filipinas on their Sunday day off in HK.
Although we initially decided to find a place to eat in Suria KLCC, I felt that this last night with Eve in KL would be better served by going to the Mandarin Oriental for dinner. We had a great meal in their Japanese restaurant Wasabi even though I was a little greedy and ordered too much. The place was near empty but the food was what you can expect from a Mandarin Oriental. It was a small place, and if you do smoke, I wouldn’t recommend you to sit near the kitchen as it can get quite loud. Recommded here is the sushi set which had a piece of pricey Toro nigiri in it and the Zaru soba.
After dinner we walked around for a while and then decided to drop off the car back at the hotel. We had planned on going to Jalang Sultan Ismail, which is a popular hangout place for the young yuppie set and conveniently located near our local office, but I think after the strenous (yes, I know, it was half a day!) days sightseeing, we decided just to sit and write a few postcards to friends and family. Recommendation for Jalan Sultan Ismail – the Beach Club. I went there last time I was in KL and it was quite a popular hang out place. Pretty boys and girls too, which most of you know, sums up the place in my terms.
The next day, we were, of course, running late. We had time to visit Eve’s sister’s new house and on the way managed to stop off at a Goreng stall to get some Pisang Goreng. A tribute to the Malaysian friendliness was when Eve asked if it was okay for me to take pictures of them cooking the Pisang Goreng and they suggested that she take a picture of me cooking it. Although it was funny, it really did top off my trip down to Malaysia with a heart warming experience.
Eve’s sister’s place was in a state of upheaval but considering the fact that she literally was moving in that day, unsuprising. Houses in Malaysia tend to have a high ceilings and it seems to me that they have no hallways. Given this, and the fact that they seem to not use the actually front door in many houses, a guest will typically arrive through the “french doors” and into the heart of the home – either the sitting room or the dinner area. I guess this is a reflection of Malaysian hospitality. Another oddity, which I question the practicality, is that some rooms are connected to each other via a shared bathroom.
I did feel we were imposing (the female side of the Chan clan was there in full attendance – the men seemed to be absent!) and Eve’s mother was concerned about us not making it to the airport on time. So we left and made our way to the airport. After the usual goodbyes my Malaysian experience was marred somewhat by the incompetence of the ground staff that were serving the Cathay Pacific counter and ticketing with their incompetence…but it was regained as I boarded the plane. I had apparently caught the eye of one of the ground crew and she flashed me an embarrassed and blushing flight smile as I boarded (sorry Eve!).
All in all, Malaysia has come a long way. This is in part due to Mahatir’s 2020 vision in which he boldly declared that Malaysia would be a first world country by 2020. They have done this partly through an extensive building project which has seen Putrajaya and Cyberjaya (Malaysia’s Silicon Valley) being built, but also numerous modern housing developments springing up around KL and Malaysia. Although critics of the 2020 vision seem to say that its merely a show stunt for keeping Mahatir’s party in power, it still remains an impressive achievement. Malaysia is definitely developed as a first world nation to compete with the West and they have retained the Asian heritage to a better degree than other Asian countries like Singapore and minimised the economic disasters of many fast growing metropolis’ in say South America. It does show signs of cracking though – recently most tobacco advertising was banned which has affected the media and advertising industry and more importantly, the recent crackdown on illegal immigrant workers from the Philippines and Indonesia has meant that the building industry will slow down. But I would recommend the place for a visit. You will be surprised by the achievements, the culture and more importantly, the friendliness.
Pictures to follow.
