Petaling Street is the center of Kuala Lumpur's original Chinatown. It's the place that never sleeps. Adventurous visitors should not miss a walk on Petaling Street.
Even in daytime you have great bargains. Petaling Street is not open for the traffic. It is a great place for locals to get some goods at bargain prices and certainly an eye-opening experience for tourists.
Chinatown has a bustling market serving as a bargain hunter's paradise and one of the premier shopping areas in the city with its distinctly oriental atmosphere.
If you're looking for cheap clothes, fabrics, souvenirs, electronic items, watches, DVDs, CDs and more? Then Petaling Street is the place for you. It is easy getting to Petaling Street. Take a taxi, but also numerous bus companies service the area.
To get the best atmosphere you must go at night!
Everything gets fried in kind of old looking/tasting oil so whatever you get kind of tastes like a mix of everything else.
**Deep Fried Sweet Potato Balls
About 10-12 for RM 2
This is a traditional Malaysian snack. It’s mashed sweet potatoes, flour, sugar and water rolled into balls and then deep fried.
They give you about a dozen in a baggy with a toothpick.
They’re slightly sweet and very bread like. It was quite doughy for me and I could barely tell it was sweet potato.
They’re actually pretty good and they are local favourites. This is something I wouldn’t have tried unless I was taken around by a local – thank god I was!
Sometimes they roll them in sesame seeds before frying – I wish they did that here.
**Air Mata Kucing –
Air Mata Kucing means “water of the cat’s eyes” RM 1.20It’s a very traditional Malaysian drink made from dried longan fruit and rock sugar. Make sure you get with ice – so much better.
It’s sweet and aromatic, but not overly sweet and it’s very refreshing. It’s a refreshing fruit nectar tea.
It’s supposed to cool you down on a hot day and it really does!
This is a must try in Malaysia. These stands are everywhere and not only on the streets.
It’s one of their national foods and seriously every stand was good and has their own unique flavour. You can actually watch them barbecuing the meat. It’s the ‘freshest’ beef jerky. After they grill them they do get dried so it still is jerky.
A variety of traditional Malaysian baked goods.
Anything green is made from the signature Malaysian dessert ingredient: Pandan.
Pandan leaves come from trees that grow in tropical climates in Asia.
Pandan tastes quite floral and aromatic and carries a gentle sweetness. It’s not herb tasting but almost like thyme + lemongrass, but not as bold. The flavour is distinct, but also mild. It matches perfectly with coconut.
A popular Malaysian snack or salad. It’s a cup of mixed fresh fruit or vegetables topped with Rojak sauce and peanuts.
I had a Fruit Rojak with green apples, pears, guava and pineapples.
Rojak sauce is a traditional Malaysian sauce that tastes like Chinese Hoisin sauce but much more bold and sour. It’s sweet from sugar, sour from Tamarind, and also spicy from chili.
The taste may be aquired, but if you’re expecting it then you might like it. I did, and I wasn’t! I thought it was delicious. The fruits they used were tart fruits so the sweet and sour Rojak sauce actually complements them really well.
One must remember that bargain-hunting only happens at the stalls. A successful bargain for an item you’ve likened to can reach up a fifty-percent discount or more! Proper shop owners do not entertain bargaining but maintain friendly customer service; cheerfully attending to the many change of clothes you try on.
The hotels in Chinatown are very personalized; presenting to tired visitors a home away from home concept! Most of them operate on a small-scale, and are owned and managed by family members. These charming little hotels offer clean rooms and good hospitality to add on to your memorable holiday. Retaining the charm and character of yesteryears, hotels in Chinatown offer good value for money for budget conscious traveler.
Many other shops here open their doors to the eager shopper. The range of items available here is incredible, ranging from handbags, clothes, shoes, jewelry to leather goods. Petaling Street is also noted for its dazzling display of gold fashion accessories encrusted with precious gemstones! In fact, the whole street is brimming with stalls and that’s where the fun of bargain-hunting begins.
Thankfully, the place has been renovated since; transparent roofs have been built overhead and re-constructed roadworks have made the streets shopper-friendly. This is especially good for tourists as one is able to while away hours of shopping and food-tasting regardless it’s rain or shine.
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