Walking along Jalan Alor

Jalan Alor is a food street in Bukit Bintang, a shopping and entertainment district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Diners have plenty of choices for a meal, including local, Singaporean, Thai, Indonesian and Chinese.

Of course, we had to go local.

Jalan Alor, a famous food street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We reached Jalan Alor at around 8 a.m. on a Saturday. I had read that this place was packed from afternoon till late at night, but only a few stalls were open at the time.

I have been curious about how authentic char kway teow tastes like because it is one of the popular dishes of Malaysia, yet the ones I have tried before have been unimpressive: too salty, too saucy, too much soy sauce.

It had to be better than this for it to be this famous.

The quest for authentic char kway teow

As we looked over each stall we passed, a very friendly elderly server from Uncle Lim chatted us up. We were tired and maybe in need of a little hospitality, so we immediately took a table and gave him our order.

Uncle Lim is one of the few food stalls on Jalan Alor which open early in the morning.

That’s him inside the booth, wearing eyeglasses.

Hainanese chicken and braised duck hang on hooks. The sign of “Penang fried kuey teow” really got my attention.

We ordered a plate of Penang fried kway teow (also spelled “kuey teow” and “kui teoh”) and I have to say, I totally understand the hype.

Penang fried kway teow is made of flat rice noodles with some soy sauce, bean sprouts, shrimp, and scrambled egg. The flavor was not overpowering at all. In fact, it was a little sweet, but still more on the savory side and very filling. The egg was only very slightly scrambled and very soft, not overcooked at all.

I was so happy I finally got to try the local authentic version. I truly recommend it.

A plate of the best Penang fried kuey teow I ever had.

Other dishes we ordered included Hainanese chicken rice. Our server must have misunderstood because he gave us porridge instead. In the Philippines, we call this porridge “lugaw,” which we season with a bit of salt, maybe some ginger, and toasted garlic.

This porridge was really plain. The chicken, however, well, you can hardly go wrong with this dish in these parts.

Hainanese chicken with porridge and chili sauce.

We also had noodles with fish balls. The hot soup was good and the broth was tasty, but I wasn’t a big fan. I still like chicken noodles better.

A bowl of hot fishball noodles.

If you are ever in Kuala Lumpur, make sure to drop by Jalan Alor to feel authentic Malaysian street dining. Tiger, Malaysia’s number one local beer, is everywhere here.

A food stall on Jalan Alor. Tiger beer is everywhere.
Jalan Alor at 8 a.m. on a Saturday
Another food stall on Jalan Alor. You can see how much they patronize Tiger beer.
A food stall signage featuring a Cambodian eatery’s specialties
Glad they’re not open yet because I don’t think I’m ready to see frog dishes.
A Chinese market/eatery at the top end of the street.

Which Malaysian food do you like best and where can you get it?

Directions

From Kuala Lumpur International Airport, take the bus to KL Sentral (Myr 12). It takes around one hour.

At KL Sentral, ask for directions to the monorail (within walking distance) and buy tickets to AirAsia Bukit Bintang (MYR 2.5) from a ticket vending machine. The station is the fifth stop from KL Sentral.

From AirAsia Bukit Bintang station, ask for directions and take a walk to Jalan Alor.

Tips

Try the Penang fried kuey teow at Uncle Lim food stall.

Ride the green line bus to KLCC (free!) and visit the Petronas Twin Towers.

Spend a day at KLCC Park. Watch the dancing fountains. If you have extra clothes, frolic in the water park. Relax in one of the pavilions and enjoy the view.

*MYR 1 = PHP 13 (approximately) as of this writing

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