Welcome to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!
In this travel guide we’re going to take you on a whirlwind tour of a city that we
have visited many times before.
Our travels are often dictated by food, and KL offers a delicious smattering of Malay,
Chinese, and Indian flavours that create some mouthwatering dishes that keep us coming back
for more.
But because you’re probably coming here for more than just food, in this video we’ll
be taking you around some of the city’s main attractions, while also showing you some
popular street markets as well as few of our favourite restaurants.
Now let us show you 25 things to do in Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡):
Caw caw!
So we are at KL Bird Park (Taman Burung Kuala Lumpur) and it is the world's largest free
flight walk in aviary.
And yeah, it is massive.
We've been here before.
We made the mistake of walking here from Chinatown last time.
Oh ho.
We arrived really sweaty and fatigued.
This time we took a taxi up here.
A little more refreshed.
Let's go check it out.
Caw caw!
Do na na let me see your peacock.
Da duh na nun na.
Okay Sam, can you demonstrate how you get a peacock to show you its feathers.
No, show us what did you just do.
No, I'm not doing that.
Do it on camera.
Come on.
Flap out your arms.
There is another peacock there.
There is your chance Sam.
Ask the peacock.
So Sam is a little shy to admit this but the trick to getting the peacock to show you its
feathers is you sing some Katy Perry and you flap your arms around.
Right, Sam?
Hahaha.
Katy Perry and arm flapping but he refuses to admit it.
He's just walking away.
But it is the truth.
Breakfast time.
Feasting on papaya for breakfast today.
And from KL Bird Park, all we had to do was cross the road and we found ourselves in the
Botanical Gardens (Taman Botani Perdana).
We're currently visiting the Botanic Gardens here in Kuala Lumpur (کوالا لومڤور).
And I'm just hiding in the shade because it is so hot.
So so hot.
Yeah, this is a really good place to come if you're trying to escape the midday heat.
It is very lush, very green.
A little bit cooler when you're in the shade but there is still patches of sun.
That burn your skin as if you were a vampire.
Anyways, Sam is looking at me like woah you are getting carried away.
The gardens are massive and it would be impossible to see it all in one visit.
Since the place is divided into sections like the Hibiscus Garden, the Orchid Garden, and
the Herb & Spice Garden, it’s better just to stick to a few.
So we are now visiting Sri Mahamariamman Temple.
It is a Hindu Temple here in Kuala Lumpur (کوالا لومڤور) and we're going
to give you a little tour while keeping things quiet and discrete.
So this is the oldest Hindu Temple in Kuala Lumpur (கோலாலம்பூர்).
Um, it is located in Chinatown and it is built in the South Indian style.
It is really quite impressive.
It is really colorful.
Um, we had to take our shoes off to come in.
But yeah, it is free to visit.
From there it was just a short walk to GuanDi (共青团路关帝庙) temple, which is dedicated
to a historical Chinese general known as the Taoist God of War.
Alright, so next up we're heading in to the Central Market here in Kuala Lumpur (吉隆坡).
It is a pretty cool building because it is done in the Art Deco style from the 30's which
I love.
And the market is actually kind of divided in to a few sections.
You have shops inside the building itself and then you have this outdoor section that
is also covered and there is lots of little stands where you can buy souvenirs and little
things.
And they also have a lot of great restaurants in the area.
So we'll be showing you that.
Over the course of our stay in KL, we found ourselves coming back to the Central Market
again and again.
To be honest, the main draw for us was the food as some of our favourite restaurants
were located either in or around the market, so let’s have a look at some of those!
First up, there’s Precious Old China, on the second floor of the market.
This restaurant outdoes itself with every plate, but our absolute favourite was the
giant bowl of Nyonya Laksa (叻沙).
It was rich, it was coconutty, and well, we couldn’t stop raving about it.
Look at the size of this bowl.
Like look at my little hands.
Put your hand over top of it.
There is my little hand.
It is like bigger than my hand.
Squeeze some lime.
Lime is always good.
Mmmm.
How is that?
Mmmm.
Hahaha.
I just love coconut so much.
Me too.
Coconut and spice.
It is really really good.
I'm so happy today.
Then just outside the Central Market, in a bright yellow building, you have Yusoof Dan
Zakhir which serves up delicious Indian food.
We’ve been eating here for years anytime we’re in KL.
Here’s a sneak peek of what you can find on their menu.
Alright guys, so the food has arrived all at once.
Our table is like packed with plates and bowls and dishes.
So I'm going to start with the cheese naan.
We ordered two different types of naan today.
Cheese and garlic.
Oh man, and these are like fresh out of the oven.
This is like burning my fingers.
Yeah.
It is really cool to see the tandoori oven that they are cooking it in.
Yeah.
So anyways I can feel already it is like very fluffy and light.
Um, and you can see the melted cheese in there as well.
It is just like your plain sliced cheese.
They just put a bit in the middle and it gets all ooey and gooey.
And I'm going to dip it in my dal here.
Oh la lah.
That is so good.
So here we've got the tandoori.
Just look at that.
It is all red on the exterior.
Coated in spices.
Oh, and they serve it with cucumbers, red onions and we've got a little bit of lemon
or lime.
It is a yellow lime.
Why don't you spray that all over.
Oh yeah.
Oh, look at that.
It is dripping all over.
And I just love putting lemon and lime on our food.
It is such a nice addition, huh?
Yeah, it makes it nice and tart.
Love it!
The more the better.
So I'll take a piece here.
Mmmm.
Hahaha.
What do you think of the chicken?
The tandoori.
It is awesome.
Like you said I love that the crispiness on the outside and just the amount of flavors
and spices that is on there.
Um, and the colors.
Yeah.
Look at the colors.
It is just a really nice cut of meat.
A really nice cut of meat.
It is juicy and just really tender and really tasty.
Yeah, it is just fantastic.
Fantastic.
Another place to hit up in Chinatown is Petaling Street (茨厂街).
When the sun sets, this place comes to life, especially in regards to street food.
You can find everything from clay pot rice to stir fried noodles, all on a budget!
Now let’s move on the city’s biggest attraction: the Petronas Towers!
These are twin skyscrapers that once held the title of tallest building in the world.
We skipped going up the towers, but we did enjoy KLCC Park, which is the garden directly
in front of the towers, and we also stuck around to watch the Lake Symphony.
If you’re in the mood to shop Suria KLCC shopping mall is a great place to do so.
Somebody went shopping.
We may have gone shopping today.
We're not the biggest shoppers but we are in KLCC and we found some really good sales.
And we needed footwear.
So four pairs later here we are.
We were feeling peckish after a busy day, so from there we hopped in a taxi and went
over to Jalan Alor Street Night Market where we sampled even more delicious street food.
If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll want to try the coconut ice cream and ice cream mochi
balls, and for something savoury, you can’t go wrong with the satay.
Okay, so you've had durian, you've had dim sum.
What else are you craving tonight?
Well, I'm seeing lots of really good cooked meat out here on the street.
So I'm thinking maybe that might be next for me.
The meat has arrived.
So check it out.
We got four different skewers.
We have chicken, we have beef, pork and lamb.
I think it is in that order.
But we'll see.
And this is the satay.
Yeah.
It is really good stuff.
Let's dip it in this.
Oh, this looks like it could be peanut.
I hope it is peanut.
That would be awesome if it was.
It is peanut.
It is?
Oh, that is so cool.
Is that tasty?
It is so juicy.
That is good.
Chicken and then next I'm going to do beef.
I'm just going to take a bite of everything.
And then you can have some.
How is that?
Yeah, that is fair.
As long as you've giving me some bites.
Ow!
I nearly pierced my own gums.
My gosh.
Mmmm.
That is the beef.
It has like a sweet glaze.
Oh nice.
Really good.
This one has to be pork.
I think.
Wow.
That sauce actually looks pretty thick.
Yeah.
Good stuff?
Uh huh.
It is so hot.
Pork.
And last but not least.
Last but not least I'm still chewing.
Wait.
Okay.
Lamb.
And I have to say these are incredibly cheap.
These are only 1.50 Ringgit per piece.
So you're talking like maybe 30 cents a piece.
Something like that.
That is pretty cheap.
30 to 35 cents.
Even the lamb is tender.
And like usually sometimes you get that tough mutton but this is good.
Another place you can’t miss in KL are the Batu Caves (பத்து மலை).
These are located just a short train ride outside of the city and you can easily visit
on a half-day trip.
Time for introductions.
Who are we looking at over here?
So we are looking at Lord Murugan over here.
Yeah.
And it is like one of the most imposing statues you can ever see.
It is massive.
I think you can only really get a sense of its scale if you're here in person or if you're
get a zoomed out shot and you're seeing people like scurrying up and down the steps like
little ants.
It is huge.
So yeah, this is a Hindu Shrine and this is the largest statue of Lord Murugan in the
whole world.
And I was reading online apparently it took three hundred litres of gold paint.
Woah.
To cover him.
That is a lot of paint.
Because he's massive.
When you see how big he is.
Yeah, it is very massive.
We made it.
So we finally made it to the top.
It is a bit of a sweat fest.
Oh my gosh.
And so there is a few good reasons why you should come early in the morning like we did.
First off, it is going to get way too hot by midday.
And secondly, you're going to want to be all the tourist buses.
Yes and those aren't here yet so we're in luck.
Once you’re done visiting, there are lots of vegetarian restaurants right across from
the Batu Caves, so if you’re feeling a bit hungry, this is a great place to enjoy some
food.
We also visited Merdeka Square, which is a large green lawn where the Malaysian flag
was hoisted for the first time.
Directly across from the square you have the iconic Sultan Abdul Building, which you’ll
likely have spotted on more than one postcard.
This building originally housed the offices of the British administration and it reflect’s
the country’s colonial history.
We just finished visiting Merdeka Square and we came across a music museum and it is free
admission.
So we're just checking it out now.
It seems pretty cool.
They have a lot of traditional instruments.
So yeah, it is also a nice way to cool down because it is air conditioned and it is so
hot and humid outside.
There are 3 museums right across from Merdeka Square, so we hit them all up on the same
morning.
After visiting the music museum, we hopped over to the textile museum to see some batik,
and then the KL City Gallery to learn a little bit more about the city, and grab a snack.
Okay, so we are wrapping up a morning of museum and art gallery hopping and somebody was getting
hungry.
Oh yeah.
Again.
So we've got durian cake.
Oh yeah.
And it is an absolute piece of artwork.
Look at that.
Oh yeah.
This looks incredible.
I almost feel guilty eating it.
Almost.
It is called durian imperial.
What do you think?
That is so good.
Yeah.
You really taste the durian.
So natural.
And this is one of those fruits that you either love or you hate.
I love it.
You love it.
I personally love it.
Okay.
And since we’re on the topic of food, let’s quickly show you what a Malaysian breakfast
looks like, namely: roti!
We're going for the cheese roti or cheese prata.
These use the name interchangeably.
Yeah, and they've given us a really big portion here.
Yeah I know.
Like it is not just one layer.
There seems to be a bottom layer as well.
And you know what?
I'm seeing a lot of cheese.
Yeah.
Sometimes when you order this they just put like one measly slice and they're like that
is it.
Here is your cheese roti.
I know.
I think they went all out here.
Maybe we have two or three.
Let's try this.
Yeah.
Mmmm.
I think that is the best cheese roti I've had.
Yeah.
And we've been eating this in Singapore and also here in KL.
Yeah, like you said they're just a lot of cheese in here.
Yeah.
They did not skimp.
Oozing.
They did not skimp out on that.
Okay, so we ordered one more roti because we were still hungry.
And this one down here has Milo sprinkled on it.
So it is not super popular but you can still get it.
You can ask for it.
And Milo is basically like a chocolate powder that you would mix in to your milk.
Kind of like Nesquick.
Um, so yeah this is going to be sweet.
It is going to be sugary.
It is going to be good.
Is is a really popular drink in Malaysia.
Yeah.
You know what?
We should have ordered the drink as well.
To kind of compare and contrast.
You know what?
We will do that.
We will order the drink.
Oh man.
Yes.
Okay.
We're still eating here.
So this is what it looks like.
Like the chocolate is a little bit melted.
Yeah, I would try it without the curry so you can see it.
Yeah, I'm not dipping this in the sauce.
And we have a cat friend.
We may have to feed the cat friend.
Meow meows.
Sam, feed our cat friend.
Here cat friend.
Meow meows.
Cat friend.
You're not interested in roti.
How is this possible?
Alternatively, another popular dish that you can have for breakfast or anytime of day is
Nasi Lemak: a rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf.
It’s pretty tasty!
Going back to sightseeing, you also have KL Tower, which offers a bird’s eye view of
the city.
And if museums are more your thing, you can visit the National Museum of Malaysia, which
focuses on culture and history; or the ethnography museum right next to it.
The National Mosque of Malaysia is also open to visitors, but unfortunately, we arrived
during prayer times so we couldn’t go in.
Lastly, a quick note on transportation to help you get around.
Another city another metro system.
So to get around Kuala Lumpur (கோலாலம்பூர்) you're going to want to take the LRT.
The metro system here.
And you're going to want to get one of these touch and go cards.
This allows you to load it up as much as you want on the card.
You scan in and out.
You load up as you need to and as always getting these cards allows you to not have to go and
buy the individual tickets every time you're riding it.
So that’s a wrap for our time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!
We hope you enjoyed following along and that you go a few ideas of things to do, places
to visit, and of course, foods to eat while you’re there.
As always, if you have any suggestions of things we may have missed, feel free to share
those with fellow travellers in the comments below.
Until next time!