Street Food on Jalan Alor

It's been a long time since since my last post as I was in Malaysia for work in the month of July before returning to London for the Olympics.  I am back again in Malaysia, this time for at least 5 weeks and already time has flown as I am 2 weeks in.  Whilst Malaysia's food heaven provides ample blog material, it has also kept me extremely busy as I endeavour to eat as much as possible back in my home country.

I'm in KL for work so that has also kept me busy but I have managed to visit Jalan Alor twice already, this time with my Aussie mate Lauren who was also here for work which was great as we got to catch up.  Jalan Alor is a busy eat street in the city centre, right near Bukit Bintang, which is really happening at night.  Here you can get a variety of hawker food - the usual favourites like "Char Kway Teoh"  (famous Penang fried noodles), "Har Mee" (prawn soup noodles) and grilled chicken wings.  There's also an abundance of seafood options including oyster omelette which I introduced Lauren to.  We both loved it, especially the garlic sauce which added to the flavour but I was somewhat concerned for the other passengers who would be flying back from KL to Sydney the next morning with Lauren. 


Hawker stands - GIANT prawns - Kway Teoh - Pandas & dessert?


We shared three dishes:  a Kway Teoh, chicken & rice noodles ("Gei Si Hor Fun") and the omelette, all of which cost only 25RM (or£5/$8) which is the normal price for street food.  As I always say, why would you want to eat anywhere else?  I rarely eat in "proper" restaurants in Malaysia as it's just not worth it compared to the quality you get for the price of street food.
Apart from all the hawker food stalls on Jalan Alor, there are also various street steamboat ("lok lok") or grills where you get seafood and meats on sticks including some giant prawns that we saw at one of the grill stands. 

There are also many fruit vendors selling local Malaysia fruits like rambutans, longans, star fruit and the famous "king of fruits", durian.  The mix of food items on this street make it a great little stop for a snack or a meal.  You can also get some desserts like soybean ("tofu-fa"), advertised by a large number of panda bear dolls - bizarre but cute!

"Lok lok" - garlicy oyster omelette - local fruits & the king of fruits

As a Malaysian, I would say the quality of food at Jalan Alor is just average as you tend to have to go to specific places for specific foods; for example, the best satay is in Kajang, the best "bakuteh" is in Klang (although that is debatable amongst locals) and the best dry won ton noodles (in my opinion anyway) is in Ipoh.  However, Jalan Alor is right in the centre of town and is a great experience for those new to street food in Malaysia.  A recommended option for anyone visiting KL and looking for a relaxed but authentic food experience.  Enjoy!

What:  Street food
Where:  Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (all cab drivers will know this)
How much:  various - noodles 6RM, Oyster omelette 12.50RM, large bottle of Tiger beer 16RM