Kuala Lumpur.
The ultimate travel guide to Malaysia’s under-the-radar capital.
Cities are often described as melting pots but in the case of Kuala Lumpur, it’s more than a cliché. Carved from the jungle as a tin mine in the 1850s, at the junction of the Klang and Gombak rivers—Kuala Lumpur translates as ‘muddy confluence’—the ethnic makeup of the Malaysian capital reads like a recipe of regional flavours: four parts Malay, almost four parts Chinese, one part Indian and a smattering of other cultures to taste.
Culinary references are certainly not lost on this town. Long famous for street food, Kuala Lumpur’s burgeoning fine-dining scene makes it a dynamic spot for gourmands and the latest darling of Michelin.
Architecture buffs will also find the city’s jumble of colonial buildings, midcentury mosques and Blade Runner-worthy skyscrapers deserving of a star. Beauties such as Petronas Towers and Merdeka 118—the second tallest building on the planet—are interspersed with turn-of-the-century shophouses, palm-fringed parks and even the odd slice of surviving jungle.
Spiritually too, it’s a heady mix, with Muslim, Tao Buddhist, and Hindu communities practising side by side. Think otherworldly calls to prayer, incense wafting from the altars of Chinese temples and their Hindu counterparts adorned with colourful and often voluptuous figures looking as if they might at any moment break out into a Bollywood routine. Just as eclectic is the city’s melange of cafes, design-forward hotels, rooftop bars and sexy cocktail joints, scattered across the city from the ‘Golden Triangle’ to Chinatown and suburbs like Bangsar and Damansara Heights.
It may not have the more dazzling cachet of its mega-city cousins but Kuala Lumpur—KL to its friends—is happier than Hong Kong, less chaotic than Bangkok and infinitely more succulent (and affordable) than Singapore. It’s also super laid-back and just that wee bit provincial—and therein lies the charm.
STAY
Else.
The Lee Rubber Building—the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur when it was completed in 1931—has been reincarnated as the city’s most seductive urban retreat. Else—the launch outpost of the hotel brand by the same name—would be at home amongst the chic boltholes of Paris or Milan as much as Chinatown KL, albeit with the odd tropical nod. A pandanus-leaf basket here, some rattan there, indigenous weavings over there—against a pale palette of industrial-chic textures and what is in the end just bloody good design.
Founders Justin Chen and Javier Perez enlisted Faizah Architect and the all-female team at Studio Bikin, who added a terrace and saltwater infinity pool to the original rooftop, with three new floors of suites above. District and skyline views stretch from Islamic fantasy, the Dayabumi Complex across to Petronas Towers and Merdeka 118, a medley of temples, 19th-century shophouses and midcentury numbers in the foreground.
An air well punches light through a multilevel atrium inside, home to a chunk of the hotel’s art collection and corridors leading to guest rooms. Temples of understatement, Else’s 49 rooms are tactile and easy on the eye with slouchy Togo sofas and headboards woven by the Orang Asli people (the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia) or prominent local rugmaker, Omar Khan. It’s this sophisticated treatment of the interiors that sets Else apart. From Raw Food Hall with its brick-paved floor, super cool seating and phalanx of stripped-timber Corinthian columns, to the sunken living room and library upstairs, urban oases—there’s also a gym, gratitude space and a couple of floating meditation pods—don’t come lovelier than this. elseretreats.com
Banyan Tree.
Spanning the top seven floors of a skyscraper so tall it has your ears popping to reception on the 53rd floor, Banyan Tree hits the sweet spot between boutique scale and big-hotel glamour. Once there, the scene is calm and elegant, a universe away from the frenzy of KL’s streets. 55 sprawling guest rooms come with sumptuous sitting areas, CEO-worthy desks and freestanding soaking tubs as standard.
Ultimately, though, these digs are all about the views. My corner Sky Sanctuary Suite (116m2) took in Kuala Lumpur Tower and Petronas Towers from the sitting room, and Merdeka 118 from the bedroom. There’s an open-air swimming pool, 24-hour fitness centre, the Banyan Tree Spa and chic, in-house Japanese restaurant, Ebisu, although the jewels in the crown are Horizon Grill on the 58th floor (Chef Farul’s Nasi Lemak was the best I had in all of Malaysia) and the aptly named cocktail bar, Vertigo, on the 59th. Closer to earth, an air bridge on the first floor links Banyan Tree to the swank shopping mall Pavilion. banyantree.com/malaysia
KLoé.
‘Be Kind To Strangers’ in dulled-down brass marks the threshold of a great hall that has you feeling at home in a second. Formed in concrete and soaring like a cathedral, the space is warmed by the lines of Scandinavian vintage and the odd pastel tone. Rooms hug a central courtyard—home to a shady pool and yoga studio—connected by green walls and open walkways recalling the romance of old Kuala Lumpur.
Welcome to KLoé, a play on the city’s initials and Chloe, the Greek name for tender young shoot. Splurge on an Artist Loft—themed penthouse suites designed by an array of KL creatives. ‘Room to Read’ has a library assembled by the independent bookseller, Nazir Harith Fadzilah. ‘Room to Grow’ was composed by botanical designer, Ronnie Khoo, while ‘Room to Listen’ comes with a turntable and vinyl from DJ Rudy La Faber. All feature king-size beds, smart TVs and Aesop products; Lofts have separate bedrooms and freestanding tubs. The in-house restaurant Monroe is a hybrid New York diner and California cafe, drawing from the melting pot of American immigrant culture: Italian, Jewish, Mexican and of course, Asian. kloehotel.com
The Chow Kit.
Perched on a corner in Chow Kit, deep in the heart of old Kuala Lumpur, The Chow Kit might be the city’s most cinematic hotel. Don’t expect all the trimmings—rooms come with a couple of bottles of water and not much else—but what it lacks in luxuries it makes up for in atmosphere, oozing the style of Wong Kar Wai or an old gangster flick. Brooklyn-based Studio Tack’s interiors shift between the Vienna Secession and 1930s Shanghai and tap into the spirit of the hood, once the city’s red-light district.
Curvaceous bed frames in gloss sang de boeuf anchor 113 compact guest rooms—perfect to hunker down with a lover, leaving only for the odd foray down to the restaurant for DIY room service. The larger ‘Towkay’ and ‘Towkay Soh’ suites (Boss and Lady Boss in the local Hokkien dialect) reference the infamous gambling dens of days past. For the less amorous, The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar does a mean crispy chicken with house-made sambal and other comfort dishes alongside cocktails brimming with local flavours. Don’t miss the hotel’s walking tour of Chow Kit Road Market and Kampung Baru, an enclave of traditional houses in the middle of the city. thechowkit.com
Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur.
Lying by the pool of the Four Seasons, you can almost reach out and touch the steel and glass facade of the hotel’s iconic neighbour, the Petronas Twin Towers. The work of Argentine-American architect César Pelli, the soaring complex was designed to resemble Islamic art motifs and ‘multifaceted diamonds sparkling in the sun’. Fittingly, the Four Seasons’ 209 guest rooms have also been done over in diamond-like tones, a mix of glistening surfaces and sumptuous everything, down to cakes of Diptyque soap in glistening marble bathrooms.
Downstairs, the opulent Yun House drips in pattern and Chinese flowers, where Hong Kong chef Jimmy Wong delivers an extravaganza of Cantonese fare, including his signature sweet and sour chicken that makes its way to the table in the hollow of an ice globe. Head to Bar Trigona for a cocktail and bang-on views of the twin towers, sipping your way through the nation’s famous flavours all the way to Sabah, Sarawak and the islands. At the bar’s heart, though, is honey. Trigona takes its name from a genera of honeybees, raising awareness to the cause with lip-licking honey flights and new takes on classics such as the Trigona Old Fashioned. fourseasons.com/kualalumpur
EAT & DRINK
Beta.
For a young nation that only declared independence from the Brits in 1957, its culinary scene is as rich and layered as it gets. Beta’s prix fixe is a deep dive into the textures and flavours of Malaysia, an exquisite dish for each of the 13 states. Chef Raymond Tham opens with a trio of nostalgic favourites. Ulam with budu (traditional fish condiment) and calamansi is inspired by the state of Kelantan; anchovy and fermented chilli fish cracker done as a crunchy ball, from Terrenganu; and (accompanied by a Cachaça-based Jambu Royale) baby corn with buah kulim, a garlicky jungle nut used for centuries by the semi-nomadic Semai people of Pahang.
Further along, a tapioca dish with fermented black beans and green-chilli emulsion draws spirit from the days of hardship and war, when Tham’s grandparents’ generation survived on tapioca. Not that there’s anything mean about this menu. Just awarded a Michelin star, Beta celebrates what Malaysia does best: mind-blowing food made with love. betakl.com
Shhhbuuuleee.
Tucked up at the back of what was once the dress circle of the city’s largest cinema— recently reincarnated as the cultural hub, REXKL—is the restobar, Shhhbuuuleee. Forget the glitz of the typical KL restaurant, everything about this joint is quirky and low key. The name is a combination of ‘Shhh’ (its neighbour is a bookshop) together with the sound of the Cantonese word for ‘don’t care’. It’s a challenge to find although getting lost in BookXcess on the way up is half the fun. But once there—wow.
Chef Mui Kai Quan cut his teeth at some of the world’s most celebrated restaurants, such as London’s two-Michelin-starred The Ledbury and three-starred Maemo in Oslo. (He also founded the wonderful Chocha Food Store around the corner in Chinatown.) Dishes such as Wagyu tartare with pickled radish and seaweed crackers, smoked beef tongue and grouper head terrine celebrate the nose-to-tail ethos. My standout was a vegetarian starter—tofu with soy cured yolk, tomato water and herbs—washed down with a glass of the crispest sake from Shhhbuuuleee’s excellent list. instagram.com/shhhbuuuleee
Studio.
All low lighting, Scandinavian chairs and minimalist lines, this temple of understatement is located above a shop in the suburb of Bangsar. It seats a maximum of 14 people and opens just twice a week. Scottish chef, Christian Recomio, delivers plates to the table with the briefest of explanations and a humble ‘enjoy’. This is where the restraint ends: Studio’s set menu of six, eight or ten courses is flavour-forward comfort food elevated to new spheres of deliciousness, with, according to Recomio, ‘an affection for the sea’.
Concoctions such as the yuba tart pay homage to Asia while the tattie scone with miyazaki beef and comte, or the mud crab with smoked haddock and caviar, play to Recomio’s northerness. Later, the humble potato appears again, this time served with jus gras and rosemary mascarpone. A next-level list of all natural wines is the domain of Studio’s other half, Jenifer Kuah, whose seemingly off-the-cuff pairing is spot on, with many Australian drops and all imported directly from the producers. studiorestaurant.co
Akar Dining.
Akar Dining sits on a quiet street in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, an affluent neighbourhood known as TTDI. There are a handful of tables, although I recommend taking a seat at the counter, which is like settling into the front row at the theatre, the open kitchen as stage and what must be one of the youngest teams—led by head chef Aiden Low—as its players. Don’t mistake youth, though, for inexperience. Low started cooking at age 10 and trained at the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, and later Lyon—his sophisticated fare holding its own against the best.
From ‘Sea Wave’ (broccoli coulis, scallop mousse and umai) to the signature ‘Terroir’ (a Malaysian harvest of herbs and vegetables with tempoyak, fermented durian) and ‘Fish’, served with daun soup and crunchy mix—courses shift in texture and flavour, making for an unforgettable dining experience. akardining.com
Entier.
When Kuala Lumpur was destroyed by a series of natural disasters in 1881, a swathe of land was given over to the making of bricks to rebuild the city. Today, Brickfields is home to Little India as well as the city’s most scenic French restaurant, Entier.
With sensational views from the 41st floor of Alila Bangsar and a nose-to-tail approach—Entier is the old French word for ‘whole’—Chef Masashi Horiuchi’s menu highlights specific parts of the animal or vegetable. (Masashi spent 20 years working in Europe under a cacophony of Michelin-starred chefs, including five years as sous chef at two-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in London.) Take a table by the window and dive into Masashi’s excellent take on a niçoise or signature dishes such as char-grilled grouper and duck cassoulet. entierfrenchdining.com
Pickle.
Walk down a ramshackled side street next to RexKL and up a flight of stairs and you’ll find Pickle, the latest addition to Chinatown’s ever-growing (and ever-more-sophisticated) dining scene. As the name suggests, it’s all about fermentation. As head chef and co-founder Daniel Thorby explains, these methods of natural preservation “have a strong human element”—good for us and also great for the planet. A killer set menu moves between the likes of Jerusalem artichoke espuma (with pear compote and soy sauce hidden at the bottom of the dish), grilled sirloin with black garlic aioli and heavenly cinnamon donuts with wild honey cream. Superb natural wines to boot. instagram.com/pickledining
Limapulo: Baba Can Cook.
Head to The Row—a line of 1940’s shophouses done over as a dining enclave in Chow Kit—if you want to sample Nyonya food in KL. Limapulo: Baba Can Cook showcases the hybrid cuisine of the Peranakans in a vintage-canteen setting. Start with pie tee—little pastry cups filled with thinly sliced veg, chilli and prawn—and the signature sate (the special sauce is made from star fruit and pineapple) before moving onto the Nyonya laksa. The term Nyonya comes from the Portuguese donha and in Malaysia refers to a foreign married woman, although as the name clearly states, Baba—the husband—cooks too. instagram.com/babacancook
Fung Wong.
Set behind a leafy courtyard on Jalan Sultan in Chinatown, Fung Wong oozes retro-tropical style—the kind of spot the already-mentioned Wong Kar-wai might use if ever he was to shoot a film in Malaysia. The green mosaic floor, original from the 1950’s, is battered and lovely; yellow umbrellas and Kedondong trees provide shade in the indoor-outdoor space. A display counter in sleek steel and glass runs the length of the cafe, home to just-baked delicacies such as char siew so (bbq pork puffs), husband pastries and piggy buns.
While the cafe opened in 2021, the history of Fung Wong stretches back to 1909, when Chan Seng began baking biscuits in Guangdong, China. He passed his recipes on to his youngest son, Chan Weng, who left China during the Second World War and settled in Kuala Lumpur, starting with a market stall near Petaling Street in 1947. It was Weng’s grandson, Melvin, who opened the cafe, a new and exciting chapter in the tale of Fung Wong. fungwong.my
Lim Kee Cafe, Tian Jing.
Up and across the street from Fung Wong is the equally cinematic Tian Jing, a hotel recalling old KL so superbly done, it should be a template for the restoration of crumbling heritage buildings across the city. In-house cafe, Lim Kee, serves as insulation to the guest rooms behind—and a deliciously cool pitstop when traipsing around Chinatown that (in this humble writer’s opinion) does the best iced long black in the city. ‘Tian Jing’ translates as air well, the hotel designed around the wisdom of ancient Chinese architecture to expand air circulation, super important in steamy Malaysia—alongside iced coffee. www.tianjinghotel.com
Penrose.
Sipping on a sour at bijou cocktail bar Penrose in Chinatown, you sort of expect Daniel Craig to walk in. Perhaps not as 007, although with its seventies French accents—a geometric cut of stainless steel à la Maria Pergay here, an op-art sculpture there—the joint is definitely channelling some vintage Bond.
With its streamlined interior and intimate capacity of up to 25 people, there is just something cool about Penrose. You don’t, for example, see any bottles. On the wall behind the bar, slimline shelves hold a few glasses while all the booze is stashed below, out of sight. Expect sophisticated takes on the classics with local touches, such as the Oba Rossa, a margarita-inspired mix of tequila, oba leaf, yuzu and honey, with a sliver of cedarwood meringue perched on the edge of the glass. The Xoco Negro—a kind-of Negroni—blends vodka, fortified wine, cacao and fennel seed, topped with a branch of chocolate and parsley. Reservations essential. instagram.com/penrose.kl
Coley.
This bar takes its name from Ada Coleman, the legendary mixologist who ruled the roost behind the American Bar at The Savoy in the 1920’s. Coley, as she was affectionately known, was the first and only woman to be head bartender at the London hotel. A century later, tucked away in a quiet street in Bangsar, her KL namesake does a banging cocktail—I always test a new joint with a dry martini and Coley’s is perfection—drawing the cool set from across the city. Creator Ck and his team offer the classics with subtle twists. Ada’s famous gin-based concoction, the Hanky Panky, is reworked with a dash of Jenever, a Dutch spirit rich in botanicals. The Hanky Spanky, meanwhile, features Lillet rosé and pomegranate. Other koktels (in Bahasa Malaysia) incorporate local flavours, from kendondong to pandan and assamboi. There’s food, too, with small plates such as ‘Tomatoast’, ‘Pulpo Fiction’ and Coley’s mini take on steak frittes. facebook.com/LongLiveColey
Blue.
There’s something about Southeast Asian cities and rooftop bars, their futuristic skylines and being up there at the top, where the air is cool and libations flow. There’s no shortage of vertiginous watering holes in KL, although it’s hard to beat the vistas at Blue. Perched on the 51st floor of EQ, the rebuilt and rebranded Equatorial Hotel, Blue does what sky bars do best: great cocktails and knockout views from a setting that gives a Jedi landing pad a run for its money. Go for the sunset and an EQ Envy—gin-infused sour plum, mint, umbra juice and aquafaba—or full tiki with the tequila-based Meet My Ginger. Stay for scrumptious bar food, from crispy baby crab to caviar, and knockout views of Petronas Towers, shining like diamonds in the night. eqkualalumpur.equatorial.com
SHOP
RexKL.
The Rex Theatre (1947) burnt down more times than some of us have hot breakfasts, rising from the ashes across the years as the nation’s largest cinema, a backpackers’ hostel and a karaoke joint. After the last fire in 2007, the building was all but abandoned. That is until 2018, when a gang of creative entrepreneurs led by architects Shin Tseng and Shin Chang rolled up their sleeves to remould the brutalist structure into the community and cultural hub, RexKL.
Alongside an immersive digital art gallery in the main theatre, RexKL is home to cafes, wine bars and eateries such as Shhhbuuuleee and Kai, as well as a handful of retail outlets that make for a small but interesting alternative to the ubiquitous mega mall. Quirky fashion, vintage and homewares shops on the mezzanine include The Objects Store, with its chic display of contemporary ceramics from Malaysia, Japan and beyond, while upstairs, the labyrinth-like BookXcess terraces down and around the steps of the dress circle. Shelves and tables are packed with English-language remainders—books no longer selling well—but fossick around and you’re sure to find a bargain-priced gem. RexKL
The Gilded Lion.
You wouldn’t think of going to Kuala Lumpur to visit vintage dealers the way you might Milan, Paris or Madrid, although the city boasts one treasure-filled exception. Located in Bangsar Village II, The Gilded Lion is packed to the rafters with goodies, from beautifully drawn plans of 19th-century steam ships to vintage German art books, Uzbek saddle bags and divine colonial furniture straight out of Indochine. This is actually my favourite shop in Kuala Lumpur, as much for lunch at nearby Kayra—hands down the best Indian restaurant in the city—as for the Lion’s trove of captivating treasure. facebook.com/thegildedlion
Fern.
Malaysian batik relies on brush painting, producing larger and simpler patterns than its Indonesian counterpart. Fern Chua happened upon the art as a form of physiotherapy after a car accident and realised the textile’s potential beyond traditional wear. She launched her eponymous fashion label in 2013, bringing fresh and youthful vigour to the ancient art of batik ever since. Her boutique—also in Bangsar Village II—reads like an atelier, full of flowy silk and cotton kaftans, palazzo pants and the like, in fetching patterns from waves to Greek key and hibiscus. The girls I take to Fern always buy, although the designer also does shirts for men and homewares. Fern.gallery
Central Market.
Born as a wet market in 1888 and rebuilt in 1937 to a design by T.Y. Lee, Central Market in Chinatown is the city’s most impressive Art Deco structure. Abandoned in the 1970’s and only surviving the wrecking ball by the skin of its teeth, the complex was reborn as a ‘cultural market’ the following decade. Today it is one of KL’s top attractions, but could—and should—be better, considering the buildings heritage. In either case you’ll find a jumble of vendors touting wares from Malaysia and beyond, from clothing to jewellery and homewares, such as Asli Craft, showcasing pieces woven by the Orang Asli people. The food court has just had a smart refresh, but better still head to the annexe out back, where up a flight of stairs you’ll find the Portuguese joint, barTolo–barTasca. A bakehouse by day and dining room by night (Portugal controlled Malacca in the 16th and 17th centuries, leaving its mark on Malaysian culture much as the British did 200 years later), barTolo–barTasca sports an extensive menu and jazz jams every Thursday. centralmarket.com.my
DO
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.
At the edge of Perdana Botanical Garden, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) is home to Southeast Asia’s most important collection of Islamic art. With two thirds of Malaysia’s population being Muslim, around 12,000 artefacts cover the breadth of Islamic culture with a focus on India, China and the Malay world. The collection opens with dozens of exquisite scale models introducing the beauty of Islamic architecture, followed by manuscripts and other themed galleries, from jewellery, through to early Islamic textiles, inlaid furniture, metalwork and ceramics. Miles of shelves in the museum bookshop are a bibliophile’s heaven, packed with art tomes relating to every aspect of the Islamic world. iamm.org.my/
National Mosque.
Time your visit to the museum to take in Masjid Negara, the spectacular National Mosque, open to visitors between prayer times and a two-minute walk down the hill. Architecturally speaking, this is the Palm Springs of mosques, a striking example of mid-century religious architecture that, when completed in 1965, symbolised the progressive aspirations of the just-formed nation.
Set within 13 acres of tropical garden, the structure is characterised by a parasol-shaped roof in blue and green tiles and a 73-metre-high minaret. The open-air hall leading to the main prayer room is magic, semi enclosed in breeze blocks and punctuated by a forest of double-height columns. It’s the perfect spot for a few minutes’ pause before wandering the mosque’s play of covered terraces, their modernist balustrades based on Saracen designs. masjidnegara.gov.my/ms/
Sin Sze Si Ya Temple.
Kuala Lumpur developed at breakneck speed in the late 19th century, a tin mine in the jungle one minute and the state capital of Selangor the next. The ascent of Yap Ah Loy (1837-85) was similarly swift, a poor village boy from Canton who became ‘Kapitan Cina’ in less than a decade—a position of great influence between the Malay Sultan, the Chinese diaspora and the British. When the city was destroyed by fire and flood in 1881, Yap restructured its fabric. New brick-and-tile buildings mirrored the shophouses of southern China, characterised by the arched ‘five-foot ways’ we still walk through in Chinatown today. There are no public monuments commemorating Yap but Sin Sze Si Ya, the Taoist temple he founded in 1864, stands memorial to his legend. It is the oldest Chinese temple in the city, a jewel box of feng shui, prayers to the White Tiger deity and fortune telling, where devotees rattle a box filled with fortune sticks until one falls out, deciding their fate. The attached museum is the perfect spot to learn how Kuala Lumpur was born. facebook.com/Sin-Sze-Si-Ya-Temple-Pioneers-of-Kuala-Lumpur-Museum
Sri Mahamariammam Temple and Batu Caves.
272 brightly painted steps lead to Batu Caves—Hindu shrines set within a limestone cavern, halfway up a mountain on the northern fringe of the city. It’s a dazzling climb, although you’ll be navigating hordes of tourists and Hindu pilgrims on the ascent. Smaller scale but matched in exuberance is the Sri Mahamariamman Temple just a few doors from Else in Chinatown. Founded in 1873 by K. Thamboosamy Pillai, the wealthy Tamil businessman who also founded Batu Caves, Sri Mahamariammam is the oldest Hindu temple in the city, although the current structure dates to the late 1960s. It features a South Indian-style gopuram—a monumental and highly ornate entrance tower depicting hundreds of carved deities, painted in a deluge of Vegas-worthy colours.
River of Life.
In 1909, Masjid Jamek—Jamek Mosque—was built in the Indo-Saracenic style at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers that gave Kuala Lumpur its name. The ‘River of Life’ seems overly ambitious a title for the regeneration of a waterway lined in enormous amounts of concrete, but the Mughal-inspired buildings lining the riverbank, including the mosque, are magnificent, some also surrounded by verdant tropical gardens. Continue to Merdeka Square, where the Union Jack was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time on 31 August, 1957, ending a century and a half of British control—and the birth of one of the most charming nations in all of Asia. rolkl.jwp.gov.my
From a story originally published in Vogue Living.
