36 Hours in Kuala Lumpur
Roslan Rahman for The New York Times
Published: December 20, 2009
SITUATED at the juncture of two rivers, Kuala Lumpur means “muddy confluence” in Malay, but this fast-rising city has redefined itself. With its looming skyscrapers, stellar cuisine and thumping night life, the Malaysian capital has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s most alluring metropolises, offering all the amenities of a major city but on a friendlier scale. It’s not just the rivers that converge: founded in 1857, Kuala Lumpur is full of odd juxtapositions. Old cafes are tucked under gleaming expressways. Calls to prayer beckon white-collar professionals from towers of steel and glass. And disparate ethnic groups — Malays, Straits Chinese and Indians — rub shoulders in glitzy malls and leafy parks, all of which gives this city a cosmopolitan flair unrivaled in the region.
4 p.m.
1) COLONIAL BEGINNINGS
Just 150 years ago, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as locals call it, was little more than a dingy outpost chopped out of the jungle by Chinese tin prospectors. But commerce served it well, and eventually Merdeka Square (at the intersection of Jalan Raja and Lebuh Pasar Besar) would become a center of British colonial life. The expansive, palm-tree-edged plaza is lined with 100-year-old landmarks like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (Jalan Raja), which features a blend of Moorish and Mogul architecture that typifies the style favored by colonialists. Fittingly, the square is also the spot where the Malays declared their independence from Britain in 1957.
6:30 p.m.
2) HIGH LIFE
Ponder the city’s astronomic rise over a Champagne cocktail at the SkyBar, a futuristic lounge at the Traders Hotel (Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park; 60-3-2332-9888; www.skybar.com.my). The bar, on the 33rd floor (the space is dominated by the hotel’s pool), has picture-perfect views of the Petronas Twin Towers. Reserve one of the sunken, violet-hued couches for a front-row seat as the silver, scalloped buildings light up at night. Drinks from 29 ringgit (about $8.75 at 3.30 ringgit to the dollar).
8 p.m.
3) CATERED CONSUMPTION
Like many places of note in the city, Enak KL (Starhill Gallery, 181 Jalan Bukit Bintang; 60-3-2141-8973; www.enakkl.com) is in a mall. It serves some of the finest Malay cuisine in the city in an elegant space filled with heavy wooden furniture and batik wall hangings. Dishes, slow-cooked, rich and spicy, are based on recipes passed down in the Razaly family, the owners. Try the smoky-sweet beef rendang (27 ringgit), grilled prawns with a tangy tamarind-based sauce (28 ringgit) and the kambing masak merah: lamb shank topped with a cinnamon-cardamom tomato reduction (45 ringgit).
10 p.m.
4) DRESS CASUAL
As the name suggests, the loungey club No Black Tie (17 Jalan Mesui; 60-3-2142-3737; www.noblacktie.com.my) was conceived as an antidote to the stuffiness of classical-music halls. But it has since grown into one of the city’s coolest and most eclectic night spots. Covered in polished, honey-hued teak and twinkling with candlelight, the club hosts jazz, world music, cabaret, poetry and, yes, classical performances, attracting a well-heeled crowd who sip wine and nibble Japanese-themed hors d’oeuvres. Cover from 30 ringgit.
Saturday
10 a.m.
5) DIVINE DECORATION
The architecture alone is reason enough to visit the turquoise-domed Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (Jalan Lembah Perdana; 60-3-2274-2020; www.iamm.org.my). Built in 1998, the white interiors of the four-story structure are silent, airy and saturated with natural light — perfect for contemplating the collection of Islamic decorative art. After admiring old calligraphic scrolls, jewel-encrusted swords and embroidered horse blankets, take your enlightened understanding of Islamic iconography and design to the rose and ivory marble Masjid Jamek (Jalan Tun Perak), one of the city’s oldest mosques.
Noon
6) TWEET, TWEET, TWEET
The city’s unrelenting traffic jams take on a humorous form at the KL Bird Park (920 Jalan Cenderawasih, Lake Gardens; 60-3-2272-1010; www.klbirdpark.com), where you’ll share the path with psychedelic-hued scarlet ibises, posturing peacocks and Victoria crowned pigeons, whose electric-blue feather tiaras put their drab New York cousins to shame. The 21-acre aviary is home to more than 3,000 birds representing 200 species, some of which, like the snappy cassowary and loquacious, rainbow-colored lory, you’re allowed to hand feed. You can also feed yourself at Ikan Bakar Asli Pak Din (Stall No. 5, Tanglin Food Court, Jalan Cenderasari; 60-12-320-1731), a stall in a food court that’s a 10-minute walk away, which serves a terrific grilled fish from 5 ringgit.
2 p.m.
7) CULTURAL CRASH COURSE
Start your tour of Malaysia’s ethnic hodgepodge in Little India, where the narrow streets throb with Bollywood music, silk shops churning out Punjabi suits, roti vendors and men stringing fragrant jasmine garlands. Fuel up with a glass of teh tarik, a brew of black tea and condensed milk, before tackling nearby Chinatown, a bustling area with stores selling knockoff purses, medicinal herbs and delicate tea sets. For a quiet moment, duck into the 145-year-old Sin Sze Si Ya Temple (14a Lebuh Pudu), an incense- and red-lantern-filled space where Buddhists have their fortunes told. Finally, hop a cab across town to sleepy Kampung Baru, where Malay village life plays out in sun-beaten, pastel-hued wooden stilt houses surrounded by hot-pink bougainvilleas.
7 p.m.
8) NIGHT HAWKS
Though KL boasts its share of Michelin-worthy chefs, the best cuisine is arguably found in the open-air street kitchens known as hawker centers. The mega-popular food court along Jalan Alor kicks off around 4 p.m., serving sizzling, wok-fried noodles, freshly steamed seafood and mouthwatering barbecued meat late into the night. Try Cu Cha (71-75 Jalan Alor) for dishes like char kway teow (5 ringgit), flat rice noodles fried with clams and shrimp. Head to W.A.W. Restaurant (7 Jalan Alor) for what must be the world’s best chicken wings (4.40 ringgit).
10 p.m.
9) SIN CITY
Despite the Malaysian government’s efforts to curb drinking by imposing a steep “sin tax,” bars are thriving in Kuala Lumpur — a trend no more evident than along the stretch of Changkat Bukit Bintang, or CBB. The street is lined with Irish gastropubs, velvet-roped dance clubs and trendy restaurant-lounges. Hot spots include the year-old Werner’s on Changkat (50 Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang; 60-3-2142-5670; www.wernerskl.com), a red-and-black-themed bar where passion fruit martinis (28 ringgit) are mixed to catchy beats. A few steps away is the concrete-and-brick Cloth & Clef (30 Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang; 60-3-2143-3034; www.clothandclef.com), which draws pretty young things with live indie bands and D.J.’s. For a full-on club experience, taxi to Zouk (113 Jalan Ampang; 60-3-2171-1997; www.zoukclub.com.my), a complex with six individually themed dance floors.
Sunday
10 a.m.
10) COFFEE TALK
Kopi tiam, or coffeehouses, were once an integral part of Malaysian society but are hard to come by these days. Luckily, the caffeinated chit-chat hasn’t slowed down at Yut Kee (35 Jalan Dang Wangi; 60-3-2698-8108), which has been serving kopi peng (iced coffee with sweet milk) since 1928. Now in its third generation, the breezy cafe is beloved for its roti baba (7.50 ringgit), a luscious bread pocket stuffed with shredded pork and onions that’s dipped in Worcestershire sauce.
Noon
11) MAD FOR MALLS
Like much of Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur is a mall town — after all, the mercury often hovers around 90 degrees. There are plenty to choose from, but among the more interesting is Sungei Wang Plaza (Jalan Sultan Ismail; 60-3-2148-6109; www.sungeiwang.com), a teenagers’ mecca packed with some 700 shops peddling colorful head scarves, sequined microminis, Hello Kitty Pez dispensers and T-shirts with phrases like “The Love is All Need” — another example of the city’s exuberant and unpredictable convergences.
THE BASICS
Several carriers, including Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and Qatar Airways, connect Kuala Lumpur and New York with stopovers in Hong Kong, Seoul or Doha. A recent online search found round-trip airfares starting at $1,189. The hourlong taxi to the city center costs about 90 ringgit, or $27 at 3.30 ringgit to the dollar; a 30-minute express train is 35 ringgit.
The Mandarin Oriental (Kuala Lumpur City Centre; 60-3-2380-8888; www.mandarinoriental.com/kualalumpur) offers skyline views and rooms that feature king-size beds, marble baths and nightstands furnished with fresh orchids. Rates start at 539 ringgit, not including tax.
The 270-room Hotel Equatorial (Jalan Sultan Ismail; 60-3-2161-7777; www.equatorial.com) is centrally located, with comfortable beds, outdoor pool and sharp service. Rooms from 260 ringgit, not including tax.
