Rediscovering Petaling Street (Chinatown) Jalan Sultan/Jalan Hang Lekir - 7

Visiting Kuala Lumpur for the first time and you want to taste something great in a foreign place but you don’t know where or rather you have no clue what it is to try? Or maybe you have tried it before but just don’t know what it is that you tried? Maybe you have heard of Petaling Street or maybe you haven’t but regardless of it, take this opportunity to head on over to Petaling Street to experience the heritage food walk. Day or night, visitors continually come to Petaling Street to either eat within the celebrated street foods here or to acquire some fantastic deals on items marketed here. Petaling Street is definitely the shoppers’ heaven if you’d like to discount your path for some affordable items.
Evenings are when the surge of life is at its peak. Motor vehicles all beat a hasty retreat after 6pm as stalls take over the whole street. Strolling around pre-war shop houses within the street, you will end up spoiled for option with a wide selection of traditional Chinese food which has withstood the test of time. The (in)famous Chinatown night market springs to life and the crowd starts to swell with hundreds of sightseers, gawkers and bargain hunters. From the start of Jalan Sultan (from the Kotaraya building side) till the end of it which is near where the MRT construction is on-going, you’ll be spoilt for taste of the weave of aroma of roasted ducks, claypot chicken rice, roasted pork, steam boat (uncooked food…meat, veggies, fishballs , where you dip it all into a steaming hot container of water), baked/grilled fish, burgers, Hokkien fried noodles, Bak Kut Teh, and the list goes on… As for drinks, you name it they have it, from soft drinks, fruit juices to BEERS!!
As you walk along the street, stroll down Jalan Hang Lekir and soak up the food, snacks or tidbits. You will notice more rows of tables all filled with foreign tourists sipping on their beers and lapping up their food while some just sit with their drinks a watch the world go by. There are also quite a number of quaint budget hotels for back packers, providing sufficient tourist information, Wi-Fi and some of these even include breakfast. The atmosphere on these two streets is anything but quiet. Feel free to appreciate your food searching at Petaling Street from daybreak to dark; simply because several foods stalls are just open up in the morning while some only during the night. When you may go shopping for anything at all from gems and incense to toys and t-shirts, the real attraction of the evening market is in roaming all over coupled with taking pleasure in its scenery, noises and vitality. So, move on, get bold – run into Petaling Street while on an empty stomach and an adventurous energy.
One thing’s for sure and this applies to Malaysians as well…
Re-discovering Petaling Street will never offer you a dull moment.