Night markets are such a vibe in this part of the world. Due to the nature of the weather and the love for food, food night markets just make sense. In these night markets, you’ll find a buzzing street food scene like no other! I wish England had something similar! You’ll find so many wonderful and unique things to sample, so much going on into the late hours of the night. Whether you want to eat or just wander and have a good time, a night market is definitely the way to go in this part of the world. Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur is no different. The night markets here are incredible and at least one should be added to your itinerary. It’ll make you feel like you’re on holiday proper! In this post, I’ll list some of the things we tried at the Jalan Alor night market in Kuala Lumpur.
Apam Balik – This is a Malaysian / Indonesian pancake. It is folded and stuffed with a sugary, buttery filling. Common fillings are peanut butter, chocolate and even cheese. Peanut butter + chocolate is aaaamaazing by the way! The Apam Balik is a popular sweet street food item and it comes in a thick and thin version. The thin one has a crispy exterior. Both have a soft and fluffy interior. It’s sweet, but not overly. It is super moreish. In other countries it is called Murtabak (confusingly because in Arab countries a murtabak is a savoury dish).
Mochi ice cream – This was the first time ever we tried mochi, but it was the more innovative type. It was the ice cream version i.e. little moons (this is way before they became famous). They had interesting flavours like Teh Tarik.
Oyster omelette – A popular dish to try when in Kuala Lumpur, but it wasn’t on my personal list as it didn’t appeal to me. However, when I saw it on the menu at the one sit down restaurant we sat in I thought why not. How was it? Not great to be honest.
Char kway teow – This was the other dish we ordered in the sit down restaurant. This was a very poor representation of this amazing dish. We could barely take second bite here, yet the one in Penang we had to go for seconds!
Dragon breath ice cream – More gimmicky fun than anything.
Coconut ice cream – Refreshing and interesting flavour toppings.
Satay – There are many Malaysian classics to devour. But I think very few are as famous or as popular around the world as Satay! Small chunks of meat (usually meat) on skewers covered in sauce that is predominantly peanut flavoured! Absolutely delicious if you haven’t tried this yet. Such a unique taste – so different to normal kebabs/ meat skewers.
Sugar cane with passionfruit juice – Are you even on holiday if you haven’t had sugar cane juice?
Mata Kucing / Longan drink – This is an absolute must when on the streets of Malaysia and Indonesia. Look out for stall with these large containers and the unmissable pitch black drink. A very unique colour, a very unique fruit and a very unique taste for a fruit juice. It’s one of those things you’ll probably not find outside these countries. Tastes almost like a brown sugar / caramel juice. Sweet but not too sickly. A definite must try!
Overall, this night market is definitely worth spending a late evening during your holidays. It’s packed full of people, there’s a very lively atmosphere and all importantly there’s so many food options (actually, I think it’s solely a food market!). Most of the above we food stalls, only one was a sit down restaurant. And to be honest that one sit down restaurant was the worst experience on the night. It’s probably better to pick up bits and bobs here and there and enjoy as you wander. Our favourite thing on the night without a doubt was Apam Balik – such an amazing dessert.
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Getting there
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