When all the walking in the humid Asian weather gets too much and all you need is a tasty Malaysian meal, fret not. Just pop into the nearest mall and head to the food court for a culinary treat.
We love food courts for their diverse selection of popular hawker dishes, ease of navigation and straight-forward ordering system, all under one roof.
More often than not, these food and beverage proprietors undergo stringent quality control and spot-checks before they are accepted as tenants. As part of the culture, more often than not, the younger generations take over famous decade-old heritage hawker businesses from their ancestors, so it’s easy to find famous hawker favourites in food courts as well. Prices may be slightly higher than say road-side hawker stalls, but given the air-conditioned comfort and convenience, the difference is negligible.
Here, we take you through choices 5 to 8:
Taste Enclave at Avenue K, Jalan Ampang
While Signatures at KLCC offers pork-free cuisine, Avenue K, located right opposite from KLCC, goes all out with their swine selections.
Again, old-school vendors made their mark here; notably the Huen Kee claypot chicken rice, Tong’s Roast from Pudu and the Sentul Ah Yap Charcoal Hokkien mee.
Not exclusive to Klang Valley alone, Taste Enclave features some famous hawker names from Singapore too with the presence of Jalan Kayu Prata (roti pratha) and Mandarin Chicken Rice.
And needless to say, the food choices at Taste Enclave are varied enough with noodles and rice as well as Japanese, Malay, Chinese, and Indian favourites.
Not many food courts are allowed to sell alcoholic beverages, but you will be able to find beer on the tap here.
It is a growing trend for food courts to have offshots of famous hawker favourites in their space and we are not complaining! It’s a three-way win for the hawkers, the food court management and the customers who get to dine in comfort and enjoy.
Getting to Taste Enclave @ Avenue K
Address: Mid Valley Megamall (LG-Floor), 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 22845220
Opening Hours: 7:00am – 10:00pm (Monday – Sunday).
How to get there (Recommended mode): Take the train (Train – PUTRA LRT) to KLCC Station.
Refer map: (Using Putra LRT) https://goo.gl/maps/RI0sB
What to wear: Casual
What to expect: A very basic food court and caters mostly to the working class
Operational hours: 10 am – 10pm. **No off days
Foodcourt at Sg Wang Plaza, Bukit Bintang
Sungei Wang Plaza may seem a bit shabby in comparison to its posh neighbours but this popular mall houses one of the best food courts in the city.
Though the cuisine here is predominantly Chinese, there are a handful of Malay and Indian food stalls to pick from, so choices remain diverse.
There are at least 4 proprietors offering economy rice here; vegetarian and non-vegetarian included. The economy rice stalls are a gastronomic sight with its spread of 50 – 100 varieties of dishes.
The best part? Prices are crazily low for the KL Golden Triangle area.
Meals can start as low as RM2.00 for the vegetarian options and a full meal plus drink won’t set you back more than RM10.
Catering to the locals and working people around the area, the food court offers a no-frills dining experience in a clean and simple non-air-conditioned environment.
If you’re on a budget this is where you need to be!
Getting to the food court @ Sungei Wang Plaza:
Address: 4th floor, Sungei Wang Plaza, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, Kuala Lumpur
How to get there (Recommended mode): Take the train (Monorail) to Bukit Bintang Station. Walk from Bukit Bintang (Monorail) Station.
Refer map: https://goo.gl/maps/4QHJ0
What to wear: Casual
What to expect: Creative pastries made specially using the King of Fruits
Operational hours: 10 am – 10pm. **No off days.
E.A.T. Food Village, Publika Food Court
There are only a handful of non-Halal (serving pork) food courts in Kuala Lumpur and E.A.T. Food Village is one of them. Similar to Hutong Food Court in Lot 10, E.A.T. is made up of a hand-picked selection of some of the best and most popular hawker favourites.
Famous names here include Kin Kin Pan Mee, Yeoh’s Bak Kut Teh, Sentul Ah Yap Hokkien Mee (with lard) and Woo Pin Fish Head noodles.
A main course would cost you less than RM10 and you can pick from variety of delicious local Malaysian food in a safe, air-conditioned environment.
We highly recommend the BM Yam Rice which comes in a set of yam rice, a side of braised egg with tofu, and a main dish. If you order the mixed pork soup as your main, you will be rewarded with a bowl of slightly sourish soup loaded with pork belly slices, intestine, pork balls, pork tripe and coagulated pork blood.
Sounds too adventurous for you? You can choose to omit the spare parts and include only the pork belly and minced pork balls.
Else, Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee (dry or soup) won’t disappoint. This meal of delightfully springy and chewy handmade noodles coupled with a poached egg and spicy chilli flakes is one of our best-loved Malaysian dishes for a good reason.
The ambiance at this artsy mall is lovely too with warm lights, Chinese calligraphy, poems and paintings dotting the walls.
Getting to E.A.T. Food Village @ Publika
Address: 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur
How to get there (Recommended mode):Take the train (Putra LRT) to Bangsar Station. Take a metered taxi from Bangsar Station.
Refer map: https://goo.gl/maps/L9KrZ
What to wear: Casual
What to expect: A creative and artsy mall with a very hip vibe
Operational hours: Daily 12pm – 9pm
Tips on safety, communication, ordering and directions:
Air-conditioned and bright, Publika is a shopping gallery in Dutamas with independent boutiques, bistros & diners, art galleries, an urban market with gourmet items, bookstores, convenience shops and more. The anchor tenant, Ben’s Independent Grocer, stocks both gourmet goodies and everyday essentials.
City One Food Court
This hidden Indian and Pakistani culinary gem smack in the middle of Kuala Lumpur offers a truly authentic mix of Indian and Pakistani food cooked by Indian and Pakistani natives.
Come early in the morning for the freshly rolled chappati (Indian flatbread) and roti paired with a variety of vegetarian and lentil curries on the side; a lip-smacking treat indeed as well as much cheaper than other Indian restaurants in town.
By lunch time, the food court is abuzz with locals for the delicious tandoori, naan, biryani and banana leaf rice.
One particular stall we would recommend is Hanif Catering. It isn’t hard to spot this stall – it’s the busiest one in the food court and for a good reason too. Some of his dishes are not available anywhere else, such as the haleem that is cooked and sold only on Fridays. It is a dish made with beef and lentils.
The dish is full aromatic spices – an ultimate slow-cooked wonder.
not many of the locals themselves are aware of the existence of this food court so you are definitely hitting a culinary jackpot here!
Getting to Plaza City One Food Court:
Address: Plaza City One, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, 50100 Kuala Lumpur
How to get there (Recommended mode): Take the train (Putra LRT) to Dang Wangi Station. Walk from Dang wangi Station.
Refer map: https://goo.gl/maps/0j2zz
What to wear: Covered clothing; preferably no sleeveless or short outfits. Shoes.
What to expect: This is a food court within a shopping mall that caters mainly to the Indian community so there are a lot of cultural items to be bought here which could make for an interesting shopping experience.
Operational hours: 7am – 7pm
Tips on safety, communication, ordering and directions:
The area has a strong Indian community so it is almost like Little India of KL (other than Brickfields). Curious stares are expected but everyone is friendly. The proprietors speak English so there are no foreseen issues in ordering your meal. Prices are usually shown on the stall or you can just ask the proprietor. Like anywhere else do watch out for your belongings as you navigate the area.
Read: 8 food courts in Kuala Lumpur to visit, Part I
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