Goodnight Vietnam: My Week in Malaysia Pt. 1

I spent a week in Malaysia visiting my friend Allison before starting TESOL class in Cambodia. Allison is from Phoenix, AZ and has lived in Costa Rica for a year, Panama for 3 years, and now she has been in Malaysia for a year! She's quite the worldly woman, and I knew a visit with her would be a great way to kick off this adventure.

View of the city from the top of the Heli Lounge Bar, fish eye lens

Best tour guides a girl could ask for

I was pleasantly surprised by all that KL had to offer! The city felt much bigger and more modern than I had expected. I'll be honest, the extent of my Malaysian knowledge was pretty limited to the recent plane crashes. Oops, ignorant American. What I found upon arrival was a diverse, fast paced city filled with delicious food, friendly people, luscious greenery, and a fabulous skyline.

Kuala Lumpur skyline at Sunset

Let's jump right into the important info. I had so much delicious food during my visit, a few highlights included:

Suzi's Corner: I'd compare this to a Portland food cart pod, with the exception being that vendors come to your tables to take your orders, clear your tables, and you'll leave completely stuffed without putting a dent in your pocket. They have a Roti (malaysian flatbread) vendor who serves all types of roti; plain, cheesy, covered with butter, and crusted with sugar all served with delicious Dahl (curry. lentils.) That alone would be enough to have me return multiple times, but they also have a Kabab vendor, a Steak vendor, and a few others I didn't even have time to investigate. Finally, they have a Hookah/Shisha vendor. They may even serve beer, but I'm not completely sure. All that eating and shisha partaking and you're still only going to spend $4-7.

Ravi's Banana Leaf: Another delicious and inexpensive spot. We went for lunch, and we got the works. A big green banana leaf is laid down first, which serves as your plate. You're then served a pile of rice, which gets covered in various curries, fish, chicken, veggie. A little Dahl, some veggies, crispy papadum with a mug of Tea Tarik, again spending maybe $5, and you're going to be rolled out of there fat n happy.

From left: Suzi's Corner, Ravi's Banana Leaf, and Wadi Hadramawt

Wadi Hadramawt: I hadn't gotten my fill of Arabic food in Dubai, so it was Wadi Hadramawt to the rescue. Their website says they've got the best Arabic food in all of Kuala Lumpur, and I'm a believer. Between the hummus with lamb, the pita bread the size of all of our heads combined, alongside grilled chicken/beef/veggies, we all left full and happy.

Fish Farm Thai: Tucked away in the hills 30 minutes outside of the city center, is a little restaurant called Fish FarmThai. It feels like you're driving to the middle of nowhere, when all of the sudden you see a giant billboard, drive down the steepest street of all time, and find yourself in a little jungle oasis. I typically make it a rule to eat fresh fish only, but you know what they say; when in Rome! I'm not entirely sure whether this fish is actually farmed, or if that is just a translation thing, but it works for me. We had an endless supply of garlic shrimp, whole grilled fish, bbq shrimp, crispy tempura spinach, papaya salad, and finished off with some mango and sticky rice. The atmosphere definitely added to the experience, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Food being prepared and delivered via boat at Fish Farm Thai

Fish Farm Thai - Special Delivery via Boat

Heli Lounge Bar: The best view in all of Kuala Lumpur! During the day this is a working helipad, at night it is converted into a lounge. There is nothing but tables and chairs on the rooftop so you have a completely unobstructed 360 view of the city. Even the bar is set one flight down in order to maintain the clear view.We're talking Petronus Twin Towers, KL Tower, and breathtaking sunsets. Professional Photographers and casual iPhone Selfie Stick users alike rejoice in the beauty. Beware, there is nothing between you and the edge (aside from a thin rope barricade) so its probably best to stick to just one or two cocktails up there. The drinks are a little pricier here, but I'm always happy to pay the "view tax."

These were just the highlights, I also ate some amazing dimsum, brunch that competes with Portland style brunches and more. There is truly no shortage of delicious food in Kuala Lumpur.