ASIA CAFE - OUTDOOR FOOD COURTS, MALAYSIA
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Malaysia at night is bustling with people who go around hunting for good food with their friends. There is always many outdoor food courts busy with hungry customers and eager stall-owners who serve the freshly made dishes to fill your midnight appetite.
In Petaling Jaya (right beside the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur), Asia Cafe is my favourite food court to go to during the night (which begins at 1800-1900 and opens all the way until 0200). Asia Cafe is one of the larger food courts serving cuisines ranging from the Malaysia trio of Malay-Indian-Chinese to Korean, Japanese, Italian and Western. So if you would like to try local food and still eat what you do at your own home, you can do so here.
Pick which piece(s) you want them to cook for you: this one's stingray
Unlike the food courts North Americans are accustomed to in shopping centers, these ones are rather different, so let me now give you a breakdown of how food courts operate here:
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You pick an empty table you and your party would like to sit at;
Remember the number printed on the table top;
Have at least 1 person sit at the table;
While the rest go around the food stalls;
To make orders and give the vendors your table number;
Then return to your table and wait for your dishes to arrive.
The drink servers are in orange tees here
Right upon claiming your table there will typically be a server to come and ask for what you would like to drink.
What I recommend? - ABC, Cendol, kumquat with plum, or barely water for something refreshing. Of course there are many other drinks. But if you have limited days in Malaysia, these are the few you must try.
And remember, you pay for your food/drinks to the person serving it when it arrives at your table.
And now a list of things you should order when dining at Asia Cafe:
Green beans sauteed with a lovely shrimp paste and chili will make you fall in love with vegetables because they taste nothing like veggies!
Satay is everywhere in this country, but do order some whenever you see it - the taste differs (especially the dipping sauce) at every stall
Grilled stingray must be eaten with the provided chili
Alcoholic drinks are a good price (as with all of Asia I think)
Salted egg crab. You can even eat the softer parts of the shell as it is fried until very crispy. Finger licking is not optional when eating this
A melange of sauteed veggies in that spicy shrimp paste
Oyster pancake here is a thin batter loaded with juicy oysters
A mountain of crispy fried mushrooms - you can even choose which mushrooms you'd like deep-fried (they have quite the variety and yes, they are all equally delicious)
A large fruit smoothie is a must-order because they blend fresh fruits and the large size is really large. Just let them know which fruit(s) you want and they will blend it for you. I ordered the dragonfruit and mango
Now you may be wondering - but what about the famous Nasi Lemak, or Laksa? Well that is also must-have in Malaysia, but the former is not to be eaten at a night time food court and I will let you know where the go-to place for laksa in a soon to come post!
X
MUAH MUAH MUAH
VICKI CHOW
P/S
After landing in Canada for three days, I had to get my 4 wisdom teeth extracted on Monday and my cheeks have swelled to a point I did not know they could swell to. My past day and next few days are of me blending smoothies and eating cooled congee (which is not so enjoyable) *sad face*
Come back shortly for my next destinations in Malaysia!
