Eat Your Way Through Malaysia

As you have probably heard from Viv and other sources (Viv, again) Malaysia is the unsung culinary capital of the world. So, leave your inhibitions at home and prepare yourself for a culinary delight.

The Malaysian Food Experience

The best food is generally not found in expensive restaurants. The Malaysian “Restoran” experience involves sitting at a plastic table, with plastic chairs. There are no individual menus. Do not be fooled, the food is meant to be cheap and cheerful (and will be cooked in front of you). In one restoran, you might have different stalls operated by separate vendors selling different fares. You will pay the restoran for the drinks and each vendor for the food.

You might also come across food courts (also known as Hawker centre), which operate along similar lines and offer and even wider choice of food.

What you must know and try!

Roti Canai (ro-tee-char-nigh)

Roti Canai

Roti = Bread. Roti Canai is basically the best dish in the world (and one of the most affordable)! It’s traditionally a breakfast dish. You can pretty much find these on every street corner (at the Indian stalls). It’s generally served with Dhal (a lentil curry) but it may come with other types of curry (fish or chicken). When bought from a stall – it shouldn’t cost most than RM 0.80.

Besides roti canai, you can have rotis in all shapes and forms (some which are also definitely worth trying) including:

-          Roti telur (with egg in the middle),

-          Roti pisang (with banana)

-          Roti bawang (with onions)

-          Roti marjerin (with margarine)

Viv’s personal favourite is Roti Jala - which isn’t really like a standard roti bread...

Roti Jala

Murtabak (Muhr-tah-bach)

Similar dough to that of Roti Canai, however this little parcel of delight is filled with meat, veg and beans. It’s a complete meal and dipped in curry creates smiles when eaten. Best with beer.

RICE DISHES

The Malay word for rice is Nasi, so you know what to expect when you order.

Arguably, the national dish of Malaysia is Nasi Lemak (Na-see-le-mak) which has spicy paste and anchovies. It is served with peanuts, cucumber and a boiled egg. Again this is a breakfast dish. You might find stalls selling nasi lemak wrapped up in banana leaf. Again, this shouldn’t cost more than RM1 for the banana leaf version.

Nasi Lemak

-          Nasi Goreng = fried rice (generally with prawns)

-          Nasi Kampung = rice “village” style

-          Nasi Ayam= chicken rice.

-          Etc.

You might also see Nasi Kandar restaurants around (a well known chain which has a good reputation is Pelita) – Nasi Kandar will serve a range of rice and curries – make sure there are proper cooking appliances on the premises to guarantee the food is fresh). Nasi = rice, kandar = the stick that the vendor used to carry Tiffin carriers on.

Besides “Malay” rice dishes, there are also Chinese rice dishes. Check out the Chinese stalls. Hainanese Chicken rice is ubiquitous and delicious. Your chicken can be roast or boiled. And make sure you ask for the broth on the side.

Chicken Rice

NOODLE DISHES

Noodles or Mee come in variety of shapes and styles. Different regions will cook different dishes differently (example Curry Mee or Hokkien Mee).

A few examples:

-          Char Kway Teow (char-koueh-tiao) – flat wide egg noodles which are delicious. These are fried with eggs, spring onions and seafood (prawns, clams) - but in Viv’s case she just has the vegetarian version.

Char Kway Teow

-          Mee Hoon (or Bee Hoon) is another type of thin rice vermicelli fried.

-          Curry Mee (or Curry Laksa) – another national dish a spicy curry soup with noodles in coconut milk with prawns, fish balls. Variations on the same theme: Prawn Mee

Curry Mee

-          Wanton Mee – noodles served with pork and dumplings – the noodle can be dry (with soup and noodles on the side) or in a soup.

Also a rice based noodle is Chee Cheong Fun – a large tube like noodle that is chopped up and served with black sauce and fried shallots. It is also served with Yong Tau Foo, (fried "food stuff" e.g. deep fried beancurd skin). Yong Tau Foo is generally sold separately.

Chee Chong Fun

OTHER MEAT DISHES

The king of street food – Satay. A dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meats (chicken or beef), served with a peanut sauce. Make sure you have the ketupat (rice squares).

Satay and Ketupat

Beef / Chicken Rendang (wren-dung); meat in a rich spicy coconut sauce. It can have a bit of kick but the meat just melts in your mouth!

Beef Rendang

Try also mutton peratal, mutton mysore, devil chicken

FISH & SEAFOOD

There is an array of seafood-based dishes. You might like to try grilled fish (Ikan Bakar) or crab. Oysters are also popular.

If there are more than 2 of you, get a steamed fish, especially with garlic and some soy sauce. You can even pick the exact fish you want to eat from the aquariums that adorn the hallways and walls of the restaurant.

If you like cockles, try “Lala”

Lala

SWEET TREATS

Malaysians have a sweet tooth but the ones on the short list include:

-          Goreng Pisang – banana fritters – perfect at tea time

-          Pinapple Tarts – speciality from Melaka

-          Kueh  - sweets made from rice (Kueh Lapis, Kueh Dadar, Seri Muka) – many variations

-          Ais Kacang (ice-kar-chung) – shaved ices with syrup, jelly, beans.

The better ones:

-          Teh Tarik – tea, made with condensed milk and poured from a height. It’s really delicious (although very sweet) but is really worth trying. Might take some getting used to, but honestly one of the nicest to drink with a curry puff. Malaysians drink a lot of tea as it is produced here.

-          Soursop – Viv’s absolute favourite non-alcoholic drink in the world. If it’s on the menu anywhere try it!

-          Barley water – boiled barley with sugary water.

-          Ice Lemon Tea – (not Lemon Ice Tea)  

Better Late Than Never

TRAVELLING MALAYSIA - PRACTICAL INFO

Ok it’s now a little late to be re-inventing the wheel and most of you will probably have a clear idea of what you’d like to do. Ideally we should have posted this up ages ago – but the past few weeks have been rather busy. Still, I’m sure there will something for someone in here J

We’ve put this guide together as there have been quite a few questions and interest on what to do for the upcoming travels to Malaysia, Truly Asia. Of course, this is not meant to be exhaustive and if there are more questions etc please do get in touch. This is more to give you insight into things guide books might not actually provide answers for and is based on our recent experience travelling through the country (so apologies if it comes across as partial at times).

Both of us want our entire guest to have a great time and it means a lot to us that all of you want to share this special occasion with us.

Malaysia Overview

Malaysia is divided into two parts, the Peninsula and Borneo, separated by the South China Sea.

Climate

With February seeing the end of the rainy season, April brings more sun and warmer weather with temperatures of 22-32 deg C and average of 27 deg C. It can be quite humid, around 65%.

Expect occasional showers (daily) which can be quite heavy rain, especially compared to what is experienced in North Europe. Generally, a shower means it’s time for cover. A poncho / raincoat is recommended, umbrellas provide little cover unless they are humungous.

Sea water temperature is around 25-28 deg C and wetsuits are not necessary, (perhaps a 3mm shortie if you really feel the cold). It should be possible to find some good diving pretty much everywhere at this time of the year.

Practical stuff

·         Electrical plugs are like the UK, 240V.

·         Currency= Ringgit; RM5= £1, RM4 = €1.

·         Don’t forget MOSQUITO REPELLANT – carry it wherever you are – the mozzies are never far (day or night). Sun-block also a good idea. Suntan for those pasty ones.

·         You may wish to have some vaccinations – the ones recommended are Hepatitis A and DTP.

·         Taxi and metering - always ask the taxi driver to turn the meter on.

·         Bring a course of Lomotil (diarrhea), Paracetamol and replenishing salts.

·         If you are travelling intercity using buses, a blow up air pillow and a hoodie will find itself very useful.

Move

Moving around Malaysia can be a bit of a bore, mainly because there a mountains and rainforest across the middle of the country and distances between points of interest can be substantial. Luckily there is a reasonably good transportation system.

Air

Companies and Destinations

Established international airlines (MAS, SIA) have connections to places outside KL so you can easily connect to Langkawi, Penang etc.

There are also a lot of regional airlines that will fly close to anywhere you want might like to go in Malaysia (and other parts of Asia – e.g., Bali, Thailand, Vietnam). Some have regular deals on and these can be very good indeed.

The most comprehensive are probably: Firefly and AirAsia which have an extensive list of destinations (including remote parts of Borneo).

If you are flying from Singapore – there are also local low cost airlines, Tiger Airways, Silk Air, Jetstar Asia, Valuair, Lion Air.

Check out SkyScanner to plan routes and see flight options.

Airports

When flying from KL bear in mind that there are effectively 3 airports.

·         KL International Airport (KLIA) – which is the hub for all established international airlines (MAS, Emirates, Singapore etc.). This airport is actually nowhere near central KL. Takes about 45 – 60 mins to the city. RM30 in the fast train or RM70 by taxi.

·         KL Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) – This is the main AirAsia terminal – a few local “low-cost” companies will also fly from there (but it’s largely an AirAsia airport). This is close to KLIA but not in the same place (so bear this in mind if you are purchasing onward flights from AirAsia). Takes about 50 – 60 mins to the city. RM75 by taxi or take a shuttle bus to main KLIA terminal to access the train.

·         KL Subang Airport. Subang is a suburb of KL and this airport used to be the main airport. It’s closer to central KL and therefore cheaper to get to in a taxi. Some Firefly flights leave from there. Takes about 20-30 mins to the city. RM35 by taxi to the city.

Bus

Buses are a good way to see Malaysia. They are cheap, pretty much go everywhere and can be comfortable and reliable. The rule of thumb is probably – you get what you pay for. So if it’s costing you RM20 to get to Singapore from KL – you know, it will be an interesting ride.

The Puduraya bus station in central KL (near Central Market) is the mother of all bus stations. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle around the station, so make sure you give yourself enough time to find out where your bus departs from.

There are several very reliable bus companies to choose from. And when in doubt – you should probably turn to these first.

Nice Coaches - depart from Old Train Station – for trips to Penang or Singapore

Plusliner – departs from Old train station and Puduraya, all over Malaysia

Aeroline – for trips to Penang or Singapore

Transnasional  - all over Malaysia

Sri Maju – all over Malaysia

First Coach – for trips to Singapore

Sea

Ferries can be an efficient way of travelling when on an island – and there may be ways to island hop. A good example is the ferry between Langkawi and Penang. There are also “taxis” between the Perhentian Islands and Redang. Langkawi – Penang Ferry

Ferries may also be the only way of accessing some remote spots (e.g. Perhentian, islands off Borneo). These need to be purchased directly from a travel agent as operators are smaller and not as established.

Train

Not the most practical mode of transport but potentially very picturesque. You can travel from Singapore (leaving from the beautiful art deco station) to Thailand on the West Coast (although you will need to change trains) or to Kota Bahru on the East coast.

For more information check out seat61.

One journey that is in most Malaysian guide books is the famed Jungle Railway. It is still possible in Malaysia to open the back door of the last car of the train and sit on the steps and watch the world go by. Unforgettable.

Another Day... Another Deal

Qatar Airlines also have a pretty decent deal on for those travelling to Kuala Lumpur. It think the flights stop in Doha but QA are a 5* airline - so it's probably quite good value for money. Deadline to book the deal is 15 December...

Details of the deal can be found here.

Eating in KL

The Guardian recently featured an article on some of KL's best eats (although really you are spoilt for choice).

Check out the article here

For those who fancy a bit of luxury...

For those who fancy affordable luxury - a new hotel has just opened in KL - the Villa Samadhi. When it's finished (December 10) - it looks like it may well be rather lovely - and they are currently having good deals on (70 % discount). Whether the deal will still be on in April is a different question - but probably one worth asking ;)

Group Deals on Hotels - Anggun

Wow - a second post in one week...

Just to say - we're trying to negotiate group deals on hotels for those interested.

If a "generic" luxury hotel experience (Hilton, Shangri-La etc.) at a reasonable price (for Europe) is what you are after, Malaysia (and certainly KL) will certainly hit the right note... However, I get the feeling most people are after something with a bit more personality.

We've been looking at "boutique" places (if there is such a place in KL) and places with a less "corporate" vibe. So far - research has yielded - the Anggun Hotel - a new 4 star hotel in Bukit Bintang (Central KL near Chinatown).

They only have 21 rooms but are happy to do us a group deal (10+). Details would need to be discussed and minimum numbers reached of course. The price of a room would probably be around MYR200 (around £40 - a reduction of around 30%).

Let us know if you are interested (so we can have an idea of numbers at least) and we can do more research!

xxx

V&A

Singapore Airlines Deal

Hullo

Following on our promise to update this regularly - especially for travel deals - we've been told of a deal on Singapore Airlines. Yeahee... For those who have never travelled with SingAir, it is an excellent company (5*).

The price of a London to KL return is at £320 (plus tax - around £295) - so at total of £615. There are restrictions on dates though. So please check. The deal is on until 14 December (on first come first served basis)

Check http://www.leestravelemporium.com/SqAutumnS.pdf.

I've also been told we can expect Malaysian Airlines deals in the next 1 to 2 weeks.

We'll keep you posted