PERCHED ON
a plastic chair, in a tiny kopitiam
(coffeeshop) tucked down a shaded back-street of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, I survey the scrumptious-smelling breakfast spread across my mosaic-topped table. There’s French-style toast drenched in a warm sauce of egg yolk, peanut butter and honey, a freshly blended papaya juice, a platter of sliced banana, melon and pineapple, and a punchy-looking coffee that the elderly Chinese proprietor has sweetened with a dollop of condensed milk. It’s ample fuel to kick-start my exploration of Malaysia’s steamy capital. Known as KL, this urban jungle edged by tropical jungle, challenges visitors with its heat, humidity and traffic congestion, but rewards with a tantalising range of cultural, shopping and - especially - foodie temptations. I spend a muggy morning perusing majestic Islamic-inspired architecture, ornate Hindu and Buddhist temples and stately British colonial relics, and before I know it, it’s lunch. Rubbing shoulders with head-scarved Malay women in a bustling restaurant cooled by whirring ceiling fans, I embrace the popular Malaysian custom of nasi campur - where diners can choose from an aromatic buffet of freshlyprepared dishes (from beef rendang and coconut curry to stir-fried vegetables and prawn satay). Stuffed, I hop between the shiny, air-conditioned malls of the skyscraper-packed Bukit Bintang district, alongside trendy young things and besuited businessmen and women scouting the latest
From top: KL's Colourful architecture; Cendol shaved-ice dessert; one of the many shopping malls; The Petronas Towers Steve McKenna, Elinor Sheargold