Discover everything you need to know about travel, shopping, upcoming events, and more in Malaysia.
Discover everything you need to know about travel, shopping, upcoming events, and more in Malaysia.
It comes as no surprise that Malaysia is home to one of the best foods in the world. Almost all of you have heard or tried the popular dishes such as nasi lemak and satay that are so famous, that they have become a staple in typical Malaysian cuisine. But there are loads of undervalued Malay dishes that deserve our appreciation. So, we bring you a list of all those under-the-radar Malay restaurants all over KL that serve some of the most delicious and authentic Malay food, that have gained approval from locals themselves-
Authentic Malay food: 10 places known mostly to locals for delicious and affordable foods
Nasi Dulang Daun Pisang has made it on our list of the spiciest food with their barbecued squid (approximately RM20) made enough of cili padi to make you sweat buckets. But if spicy food isn't your favorite, it's worth it to try their daily nasi dulang sets instead! Every set comes with a bowl of gulai masak Lemak, creamy curry of coconut to complement the flavors of an additional three kinds of sambal. You may combine them with a variety of seafood, chicken, and beef. Their Set Dulang Ayam is priced at RM7.50 – a small price to pay for a food that comes with a wide variety of sambals and a large piece of fried chicken. We personally recommend the Set Dulang Talapia Merah (RM9): the fish is fried until the bones are crisp, but the flesh stays juicy and soft.
Address: Pt 75024, Jalan Besar Sungai Ramal Dalam, 43000 Kajang, Selangor
Opening hours: 10.30 AM-4 PM, Daily
Contact: 012-323 0220
If you tell the people you 're from Kajang, and the very first thing they 'd say is, "Wow, you've got to eat a lot of satay!" But this city has many pleasant gems to offer! When you're in the hood, head over to Ikan Bakar Terangkat for the grilled fish that's coated in the addictive homemade sambal paste. It's a secret recipe, however, it's obvious that a handful of onions and ika bilis have been thrown into the mix. That, and then being grilled on a banana leaf, allows the flavors soak in the flesh of the fish. If you have a big appetite, go for their Set Jimat Terangkat (RM12). Each package comes with a variety of either fish or squid, omelet, rice, clear soup, sambal belacan, and teh o ais. To those coming in a group, the restaurant has a full range of seafood that combines clams, crabs, prawns, and fish (RM79 for a group of 6).
Address: No. 1, Lot 3083 Jalan Ayer Itam, Kampung Sungai Merab Luar, 43000 Kajang, Selangor
Opening hours: 5.30 PM-12 AM, Daily
Contact: 012-466 2869
Website: https://ikanbakarterangkat.com/
A large portion of the Malaysian diet asks for extra kaw stuff. A point in case: kopi kaw, requiring to thick our curries and making our noodles in a super-rich broth. Mee Bandung is already a very rich dish, but by including decadent bone marrow in each bowl of noodles, Semangkuk has taken it on a level. When you're in Nilai then you must try Mee Bandung Gearbox Kambing (RM14.50). Therefore, the chunks of meat around the bone enrich the gravy with the slight gaminess that you generally get from lamb. Cilantro sprinkling helps balance some of the richness.
Address: 3265, Kawasan Perindustrian Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 8.35AM-6PM | Fri 8.35AM-1PM & 2PM-6PM | Sat-Sun 8.30AM-6.25PM
Contact: 011-1002 5981
Website: https://www.facebook.com/semangkukbb/?_rdc=1&_rdr
We were left with a big question mark over our heads when we discovered the Kacang Pool. If it sounds exotic to you too, here's the breakdown of this supper food element that local people raved about: it's a stew made of fava beans and herbs and spices such as cumin, garlic, and chilli pepper. Sedap Malam Station has its own brand of minced beef for extra flavour. It's served with a thick slab of toasted bread that's soft enough to absorb the delicious sauce. The addition of an egg makes the dish feel a little more traditional, like a classic toast egg. They do have a pretty cheap hands-on menu. Their Nasi Lemak Bungkus (RM3) has constantly been a crowd favourite, but if you really want something more satisfying to get you during the day, they have a diversity of Claypot Asam Pedas dishes like kembung and white rice set (RM8.50).
Address: Blok P-1-21 & 26, Plaza Damas, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 11.30AM-3.30PM & 6.30PM-10.30PM, Daily
Contact: 019-3886510
Website: https://sedapmalam.oddle.me/en_MY
Fried rice is a dish that can be effortlessly put together in the kitchen even by noob cooks. But in KL, there are some locations that do it incredibly well. Apart from Uncle Soon Fried Rice, Restoran Barra is another name that comes to mind for their delicious, crispy lamb fried rice. Their Nasi Goreng Kambing (RM9.90) is worth the price tag as they've put in generous chunks of tender mutton. The rice is stir-fried in a wok with thick mutton curry, offering it a smoky aroma.
Address: No. 2, Jalan 6/7A, Seksyen 6, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor
Opening hours: 24 hours, Daily
Contact: 03-8912 0040
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Restoranbarra6/?_rdc=1&_rdr
Nasi kukus is the more elaborate but less well-known version of nasi lemak, except that red sambal is poured out for a curry-like Kuah and its rice has no pandan flavouring. Nasi Kukus Dapur Mama is for those who enjoy authenticity exactly as it was originally done in Kuantan. The Ayam berempah comes from a wok of golden brown with crispy skin, and the kuah is loaded with a meaty taste. Those hailing from Kuantan will cover at the sight of the Pajeri Nenas in Dapur Mama's Nasi Kukus, a relish made of a large slab of pineapple. It's got a juicy, sweet, and savoury bite that goes very well with the kuah-dried rice.
Address: Blok B-G-01, Jalan SS6/20A, Dataran Glomac Kelana Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM, Daily
Contact: 03-78030112
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvMAQnyh2ge/
Many of us have eaten our good proportion of Chinese-style roasted duck, the kind that comes with a soft, sour plum sauce. However if you haven't seen any other ones yet, you 're going to want to go to Restoran Itik Salai Masthar. After being roasted and smoked for 90 minutes, the duck meat is cooked in lemak cili api. The creamy lemak curry massage complements the strong taste of the duck while the chili padi packs in some heat to help set off this heavy dish. You 're not going to have to set aside too much cash for a meal here, like a bowl of Itik Salai Masak Lemak will only cost you RM7. Their Ayam Salai Masak Lemak is cheaper at RM5.
Address: Medan Selera Adikku, Itik Salai Masthar, Kampung Sungai Ramal Dalam, 43000 Kajang, Selangor
Opening hours: 11AM-10PM, Daily
Contact: 019-255 3645
Many Malaysians can't even enjoy their meal properly unless they have good sambal on their side. Whether it's Chinese, Malay, or Indian cuisine, we 're always up for some spice in our food. Here at Tempat Makan Lesehan, they've come up with 22 various types of sambals to go with your mains. This place has rapidly caught the attention of the authentic spice kakis out there, who are headstrong in testing all the sambal. All who are willing to try must not miss out on their sambal kedondong, prepared from ambarella fruits that are tart with a slightly sweet aftertaste. The regular nasi berlauk rice package will already come with 2 types of sambals, however, you can add-on any of the 22 for as cheap as RM3 / per sambal. All their dishes are also affordable, such as Nasi Berlauk Pecel Lele (RM5) which comes with deep-fried catfish, sambal, tempeh as well as a bowl of clear soup. If you favor chicken, go to their Nasi Berlauk Ayam Penyet (RM6).
Address: Jalan LP 7/2, Lestari Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor
Opening hours: 12 PM-11 PM, Daily
Contact: 014-963 2457
Website: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrKQw_zBkvb/
"Crispy beef" is two words that we may not always hear together, but it's a popular menu item in Smoke Texas. It looks like a beef version of ayam goreng kunyit, thanks to its sweet-tasting glaze and the tiny pieces of onion and carrot. The beef in the Nasi Crispy Beef (RM10) is, as the name implies, lightly battered and then deep-fried to make it crispy from the outside but soft from the inside. Your order of crispy beef is baked in the sauce of your choice. You can choose between Sambal Cili Thai, BBQ Sweet Sour, Black Pepper Herbs, and Cheezy Spicy. From taking a look at the crowd, the most popular option seems to be BBQ Sweet Sour!
Address: No 10, Jalan 2A/27A, Seksyen 1 Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 12 PM-12 AM, Daily
Contact: 013-380 5567
Nothing beats a good nasi kandar plate, especially when the chicken is perfectly fried and there's plenty of stir-fried chicken to go around. But even Mamak food doesn't come cheap these days, with certain pricing as much as RM10 for a standard nasi candar plate. Not here, though, at Nasi Kandar Salman, where you can still get a nasi RM5 candar. And no, it's not for a plate full of vegetables. It's the Nasi Kandar Ayam Biasa (RM5) that comes with a large lump of fried chicken. Not around here, though, at Nasi Kandar Salman, where you can still get a nasi RM5 candar. And no, it's not for a plate full of vegetables. It's the Nasi Kandar Ayam Biasa (RM5) that comes with a big piece of fried chicken. Not around here, though, at Nasi Kandar Salman, where you can still get a nasi RM5 candar. And no, it's not for a plate full of vegetables. It's the Nasi Kandar Ayam Biasa (RM5) that comes with a big piece of fried chicken. Aside from that, they ladle your nasi kuning in 5 separate curries. Once you've got your plate, you'll see that your rice has been soaked in a blend of fish and beef curry as well as kuah hitam for some tasty sweet stuff.
Address: Lot 6741E, Jalan Bistari, Kampung Sungai Tangkas, 43000 Kajang, Selangor
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 11 PM-8 PM | Sat-Sun 11 PM-8 PM (Closed on Fridays)
Contact: 013-380 5567
Website: https://www.facebook.com/nasikandarmurahbanyaksedap/?_rdc=1&_rdr
From curry-laden rice to bone marrow noodles in the city, these are just a few of the secret gems we've discovered while hunting for authentic Malaya food. If it's because you're always on the lookout for affordable and decent food, or you just love Malay food, these choices promise you a delicious meal without burning a hole in your pocket. :)
https://www.kualalumpurhospitality.com/blog/7-child-friendly-pubs-in-KL-for-a-nice-family-time