Food & Culture Guides

Kuala Lumpur's food history is written in the buildings where people still eat. The kopitiams with their marble-topped tables and handwritten menus. The mamak restaurants open 24 hours a day with thei

You are standing on Chulia Street in George Town. The smoke rising from a Chinese hawker's wok smells like the best meal of your trip. You want to order. But you pause. Is the food halal? The stall ha

You are standing in front of a hawker stall in Chinatown. The steam rising from the wok smells incredible. The cook motions for you to come closer. But you hesitate. Is the food halal? You can't tell

Penang's food reputation is built on noodles. Char kway teow, Hokkien mee, wan tan mee, laksa. Almost every famous dish on the island is a noodle dish. When you are gluten-free, this sounds like a pro

You walk past a nasi lemak stall. The rice is coconut-scented, the sambal is bright red, the fried chicken is golden. Everything on display is rice-based. No bread, no pasta, no pastry. You think: thi

Penang's famous stalls are famous for a reason. The cendol on Armenian Street is excellent. The char kway teow at Gurney Drive is solid. But the serious food in Penang happens in places that do not re

The food that most tourists eat in KL is competent. The char kway teow at Jalan Alor is fine. The nasi lemak at Pavilion's food hall is acceptable. But the meals that define KL's food scene are not in

The essential guide to eating in Penang, Malaysia's street food capital. Where to find the best Char Koay Teow, Assam Laksa, Mee Sotong, and Nasi Kandar.

Melaka is smaller than KL and quieter than Penang, but its food scene carries a weight of history that neither can match. This was the centre of the Malacca Sultanate in the 15th century, then a Portu

Penang's Little India is a cluster of streets in central George Town, centred on Lebuh Pasar (Market Street) and extending into Lebuh Queen and Lebuh King. The area was established by Indian traders w

Brickfields is the neighbourhood around KL Sentral station, the city's main transit hub. Most travellers pass through it without stopping. That is a missed meal. Brickfields is KL's Little India, home

You step out of the train at a KL station and the first thing that hits you is the smell. Not pollution. Not humidity. Somewhere in the immediate vicinity, someone is wok-frying noodles over a charcoa