Who says Kuala Lumpur is only about street food and cheap massages? Here are some cool things to do in the bustling capital of Malaysia.
1. Check out an (unpretentious) hipster cafe.
While the street food in Kuala Lumpur is often something to write home about, there is a new breed of of cafes that have been taking over the food scene in recent years. These seemingly hipster cafes have interesting menus, simple but tasteful decor and are often run by young and passionate people. Here are a couple of cafes worth checking out for brunch, lunch or even just an afternoon snack.
Fēst
Address: E-83-G.3G, The Square, Jaya One, 72A, Jalan Universiti, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | Tel: +60 3-7932 1523 | Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm (Mon & Tue), 9am – 10pm (Wed & Thu), 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 6pm (Sun)
Located in a quiet spot outside Jaya One in Petaling Jaya, Fēst is a pleasant cafe with a simple but interesting menu. At first glance, the menu may seem like standard cafe fare, but the dishes are actually an interesting mix of local and Western flavours. Take the Lemak Sandwich, for instance – a flavourful chicken patty, thin slices of omelette, crushed peanuts and cucumber slices wedged between sourdough bread spread with sambal. Kind of like a lighter and more Westernised version of Nasi Lemak, if you will.
Don’t forget to save some space for dessert too, because the Milo Waffle with homemade coconut ice cream is definitely worth the calories.
(Source: Fēst Facebook)
Tomorrow People
Address: G-04, Plaza Damas, Jalan Hartamas 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Opening Hours: 11am – 7.30pm (Mon), 9.30am – 7pm (Tue to Thu), 10.30am – 9pm (Fri), 9.30am – 3pm (Sat & Sun)
Situated among the many Japanese restaurants at Plaza Damas is Tomorrow People, a small cafe that serves a variety of brunch food and drinks. Although the cafe doesn’t have much of an online presence, it still seems to have a steady stream of customers – perhaps a testament to its reputation in the neighbourhood. The cafe itself is small, but the food comes out quite quickly and the staff are generally pleasant. No snobby waitstaff who sneer at you for not knowing your coffee names here.
If you’re in the mood for something savoury, go for the E.G.S French Toast – an eggy sandwich stuffed with their signature ‘everything go’ sauce and toasted to crispy perfection. End your meal on a sweet note with the popular Toast Manis, which is thick toast with a side of creamy pandan butter and gula melaka pastry cream.
2. Get a legit Turkish bath.
Hammam Spa
Locations: Level 4G, Publika Shopping Gallery Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Publika) | 3F7 & 3F8, Bangsar Village (Bangsar) | Tel: +60362010881 (Publika), +60322822180 (Bangsar) | Opening Hours: 10am – 10.30pm daily (both locations)
If we’re being completely honest here, the concept of a Turkish bath has always been quite foreign to me. I mean, is someone really going to wash and scrub you all over, private bits be damned? Still, I had to try it because I’d never seen anything quite like it in Singapore.
The verdict? Getting scrubbed down by a no-nonsense Moroccan lady, while lying on heated tiles, is a strangely enjoyable experience. There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing rolls of dead skin (from your body, yes) getting scrubbed off then washed away, leaving you with baby smooth skin. Definitely an interesting experience, but not for the bashful.
(Source: Hammam Spa Facebook)
3. Treat yo’self.
Jaslyn Cakes
Address: 7A, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Tel: +60 3-2202 2868 | Opening Hours: 11am – 7pm (Tue to Fri), 11am – 8pm (Sat & Sun)
If you have a soft spot for cakes and pastries, then Jaslyn Cakes is the place to satisfy any sweet cravings. The quaint cake shop and cafe, which is situated at the popular Telawi area in Bangsar, makes their cakes fresh daily – which, if you ask me, is how cakes should be done. Ahem.
From classic Red Velvet to Earl Grey Chiffon Cake, you can trust Jaslyn Cakes to do their cakes right – moist, flavourful and not too sweet. Be sure to head down early though, because they tend to sell out before closing time.
(Source: Jaslyn Cakes Facebook)
4. Have good drinks at a speakeasy bar.
Skullduggery
Address: 2M Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Tel: +60 10-960 0498 | Opening Hours: 6pm – 3am (Tue to Sat)
Speakeasy bars aren’t exactly my scene because uh…I’m not a very cool person. I’m totally that super uncool person trying to decipher the cocktails with my phone pressed to the menu (why do these places always insist on having such dim lighting?) and/or mispronouncing the names of drinks.
Skullduggery though, is still worth a visit – whether you like speakeasy bars or not. The bar, which is located in a back alley behind Huckleberry cafe in Plaza Damansara, has a cool yet laid-back vibe about it. The crowd is stylish but not (too) pretentious and the staff are surprisingly friendly – which is not something you can say about certain speakeasy bars in Singapore *cough*.
There seems to be a dress code though – the burly bouncers at the front door will tell you this – but anyway, don’t you want to look good in those Snapchats you know you’re going to take?
(Source: eatdrinkkl.blogspot.com)
5. Get a bomb-diggity massage.
Thai Odyssey
Locations: L2-16, 2nd Floor, 1 Mont Kiara, No.1, Jalan Kiara, 50480 Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur (Mont Kiara) | Lot 3F-11A , 3rd Floor, Bangsar Village 2, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100, Kuala Lumpur (Bangsar) | Other locations here. | Tel: 03-6201 0282 (1 Mont Kiara), 603-2201 8299 (Bangsar Village 2) | Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (1 Mont Kiara & Bangsar Village 2)
And I’m not talking dodgy massage, either. Thai Odyssey, to put it straight, gives Natureland (or most massage spas in Singapore for that matter) a run for its money. For starters, there are multiple outlets at convenient locations all over the city, so getting an appointment is never quite a problem.
The therapists are generally quite skilled, but it’s their attention to detail that leaves an impression. I don’t know about you, but I find it kind of gross when the therapist doesn’t wash her hands before touching your head and face – but no worries about that at Thai Odyssey. They even wash your feet and give it a scrub before your treatment, whether you’re getting a body or foot massage.
Also, if you convert the prices from Ringgit to Singapore dollars, most of the treatments are half the price of those in Singapore…so yeah, go on and treat yo’self, I say. #auntielyfe
(Source: Thai Odyssey Facebook)
