FN CITY GUIDE: KUALA LUMPUR

Crossing the Causeway to the the Other Side on a long weekend is always popular with Singaporeans. As Singapore is a city state, we have no countryside or nearby cities to escape to for short trips. For this purpose, we have Malaysia

Making last minute logistical arrangements was super stressful as everyone else seems to be popping over to Kuala Lumpur for the Good Friday weekend too. The very resourceful Boyfriend managed to get it all sorted out in the end – was so glad to know that we’re really going!

Accomodations

For the two nights that we were there, we stayed at The Coronade Hotel, in their King Deluxe Room.

I really have no complaints about this hotel. The room was clean (very important), neat, spacious and comfortably furbished. There is also a mini fridge which is a big plus point for me. The view from the window is also far better than some others I’d experience (think: back of another building) – we can see the Petronas Towers and they looks pretty fine at night To top it off, the service is also as good as they get.

Location wise, it is right across from Sungei Wang and a short walk to Pavilion, so its reasonably centralized.

Eating

It wasn’t much of a food trip, but I did eat some tasty things, sometimes by accident.

1) KFC
This doesn’t look like much of a recommendation. I mean, fast food really isn’t what one will think of as a gastronomic experience. But I swear that the KFC in Malaysia is somehow different from the ones we have here. It is more tender with less fats. If you’re a skeptic, you’ll have to try it.

2) Ramly Burger
I’ll keep this short. You’ll get one of the best Ramly burgers you can find in front of the Watsons at the entrance of Petaling Street.

3) Petaling Street Snacks
I always drink the Long Gan drink sold at Petaling Street when I’m in KL. It costs about RM1 and is delicious; a great thirst quencher if you’re already sticky with the humid heat. You can’t miss the stall; there’s a lot of bustle going on around it and there’s a constant stream of customers.

We also ate at one of the Chinese stalls smack along the middle of the crowded street. It was pretty scary and I was terrified that we’re going to come down with food poisoning. But I’m still alive and the fried noodles were really quite good Almost everyone ordered the same black-with-dark-soya-sauce noodles, and that’s how you know something is tasty.

4) Others
I didn’t have the time to hunt them down, but I did hear about some famous Bak Ku Teh and Yong Tao Fu from my Malaysian friends. If you’re there, maybe you should do a little investigative work and track them down.

Transport

We just hopped onto taxis everywhere we go. However, it may be difficult to find a taxi driver who is willing to use the meter, which calls for some haggling. A short trip can cost between RM10 to RM15. On the other hand, we did managed to flag down a couple of cabs which goes by the meter, no questions asked. Alternatively, you can use the skytrain; I’d heard good reviews about it.

Shopping

I had very limited time so I wrote down a list of shopping areas to check out before I leave. I managed to go to all of them – some were kind of disappointing but others were surprising rewarding.

• Second Hand Magazines News Agents

I first came across these magazines havens in Sungei Wang. These Indian news agencies specializes in back issue magazines and sell them off at a fraction of their original price! This one is from Sungei Wang.

The titles stocked are unexpectedly wide-ranging, but the best part will have to be how the back issues are really not that old, averaging at around 3 months old. For magazines too expensive to buy on a regular basis, in particular non-trends-based (i.e design/home), this is a godsend.

I was like a kid in a candy store in there, and the Boyfriend was so bemused at how I’d ‘came all the way to KL just to lug back all these magazines’. But I’ll urge you to stock up!

• Shopping Malls

Like Singapore, KL is a mostly a shopping mall city. They’re not the most intersting places to shop at, but if you’re planning on hitting the stores during their annual mega sale (counterpart to our Great Singapore Sale), you may want to check out the following

Pavilion

This is the equivalent of our Vivocity in Singapore and stock pretty much the same things. Tangs and the Charles & Keith flag store made it feel even more like home. It may not be fresh but we like how spacious it is.

Berjaya Times Square

It was a lot smaller and worn out than I remembered the last visited when it first opened. There is an atrium with bigger brands and another area with multiple floors of small shops.

Sungei Wang

This was right across our hotel so the most accessible to us. Its crammed full with shops selling cheap shoes, clothes and everything you can find at Far East Plaza. The best find here will have to be the discounted Ray Bans – there was a 30% sale at all shops. The Boyfriend came home a very happy guy with a pair from the S/S09 collection.

• Bangsar

Feeling uninspired in the shopping malls, we spent the next day in the Bangsar area, an expatriate enclave akin to our Holland Village. And we were pleasantly surprised, in particular by the decor of many shops we found there.

Almost every store we’d ventured into boast an ultra-welcoming sitting area, as though they don’t just want you to shop there, but also to feel perfectly at home. The store spaces are also much larger than we’re used to in Singapore.

Gallo by Thian
[Website: Click here]

Gallo is a fashion label founded by designer Teresa Thian in 2007. Everything is designed in-store! The clothes are feminine but contemporary, perfect for the confident urbanite. The label has also achieved much in the short time since its debut, participating in international shows such as Who’s Next Paris. It is currently stocked in Spain, the USA, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.

Sui
[Website: Click here]

Sui stocks a mixture of clothes which are sourced externally and a line designed in-store. The designer line consist of draped jersey pieces, including a very delectable cardigan (look at the details!) which I’m very taken with. The Freak & Elegance T-shirts are adorable too (Boyfriend bought the one picture above).

Mooie
[Website: Click here]

With a cafe serving snacks and drinks, you can enjoy a quick bite while browsing the wares. The racks of trendy, youthful casual threads, together with relatively friendly price points, are set to appeal to the students and financially challenged. There is also a range of incredibly adorable stuff characters on sale which we had a lot of fun taking photos with

Tea & Sympathy
[Website: Click here]

Tea & Sympathy looks like a tie between a girlie girls’ bedroom and a vintage curiosity shop. I love the check-out counter – there’s an antique cash register (bought off eBay!) and a old school candy jar. The shop also stocks a small range of children’s wear, in addition to its staple of cocktail dresses and pretty tops. The accessories are worth checking out. I found a quirky detachable collar!

Its a short trip, so this is all I’d managed to bring back Will add on to this the next time I hop over to the Causeway!

Ode to the City Up North,
Dottie