Kuala Lumpur

Here's our home page for Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia's capital, and showcase for the nation's modernising endeavours.

Kuala Lumpur Basics: New to KL and Malaysia? Here's a quick and easy guide to what to expect - how to get from the airport to the city, getting around, places to stay...
Hotel review: Federal Hotel: "The Federal was built just ahead of Malaysia's independence in August 1957, so it's not a spanking new construction by any means - in fact, it's showing its age a bit...That said, though, the overall standard was not bad at all." Kay and Dave spend a few days at the Federal Hotel, Bukit Bintang.
Where to eat: Delaney's: "OK, so to a certain extent Delaney's is typical of the sort of Oirish pub you can find anywhere in the world. But it's a pretty good bar in its own right, with comfortable chairs, a selection of magazines to read, a big-screen TV for whenever there's a major sporting event on, and very friendly and helpful staff who are happy to engage in a bit of banter with the customers." Kay and Dave sink a few pints of the black stuff, and scoff a couple of decent pub meals, at Delaney's in the Federal Hotel, Bukit Bintang.
Where to eat: Ship Restaurant: "Actually, we hadn't set out intending to go to the Ship at all, even though it does bill itself as providing 'The Best Steak In Town'. (Beef isn't our favourite meat, although both of us enjoy a steak from time to time.) But as we were passing, a waitress invited us to look at the menu - and we were happy enough to do that, since she didn't then harass us by hovering over our shoulder, pointing at individual dishes and telling us their names. (Why do so many whippers-in do that? Do they think we can't read?)" Kay and Dave sample the fare - and get to grips with a funky new service call system - at Kuala Lumpur's Ship Restaurant in Bukit Bintang.
Where to eat: Planter's Inn, Crowne Plaza: "We often go for a hotel buffet if we're getting hungry and can't decide between ourselves what we fancy to eat; at least that way we stand a fair chance of getting something we like, and neither of us is constrained by the other's preferences or dislikes. So one lunchtime we took the easy option and nipped into our own hotel's lunchtime buffet to see what they had to offer. A preliminary scout around looked promising: salads, tempura, teppanyaki, sushi and sashimi, pasta, Malay food, cheeses, soups and desserts, all well presented. We decided to go for it, and were shown to a table for two in the restaurant's smoking section (yes, they still exist in Malaysia) with a great view of the Petronas Towers." Kay and Dave go for the easy option in the Planter's Inn at Kuala Lumpur's Hotel Crowne Plaza Mutiara.
Restaurant review: Outback Steakhouse: "The meal didn’t look that great, to be honest. The 'Aussie chips' were bog-standard frozen fries, the grilled onions looked anaemic and rather as if they’d simply been sweated off, and the peppercorn sauce looked like a thin gravy, with no evidence of any peppercorns anywhere. Still, I cut myself a small portion of the steak – noting as I did so that it wasn’t medium rare, but blue (not a problem; I like my meat bloody) – and took a mouthful." Kay and Dave visit the Outback Steakhouse in Bukit Bintang - and discover that it's not all it's cracked up to be.
Restaurant review: Santini/San Francisco Steakhouse, KLCC: "What a wonderful contrast with our horrible experience at the Outback. The steak was cooked to perfection, and melted away in the mouth as you chewed it. Most importantly, it was still hot! The sauce was rich and peppery without taking anything away from the delicious flavour of the steak." After a disastrous steak meal at one KL restaurant, Kay and Dave take the "falling off a horse" approach at the San Francisco Steakhouse - and find it's second time lucky.