Eating In Kuala Lumpur - Lunch at Betty's Kitchen

Cap Square is one of the new Shopping Centres in Kuala Lumpur. As in most KL shopping centres, food and beverage outlets are an important component of the tenant mix. Being fairly new, not all the lots are taken up yet, but there are several interesting food places here. I decided to try out one of them for lunch. 

The outlet is called Betty's Kitchen. It's one of those modern Malaysian Cafes that seem to pop up like mushrooms everywhere. It serves basic Malaysian hawker fare, but in an upscale setting. The interior is nice and modern.

I ordered the assam laksa - one of my favourites, wanton two ways, and iced coffee. Assam laksa is a Penang specialty. It is noodles in a savoury sour soup. The soup is make from fish stock, and is usually tickened with shredded sardine. In this case, the sardine was left in chunks. The laksa was okay, not the best I had. What was missing was the usual garnish of bunga kantang - ginger torch flower which gives this dish it's unique fragrance.

The wanton soup was not so good, as the soup seemed to have been made from chicken powder, and the wantons were not very fresh. The deep-fried wantons were a bit better. 

I think this outlet is still finding it's footing. Will check back in a few months to see if they have improved.

Thompson Corner Tabuan Jaya Laksa

You can't get away from laksa in Kuching. Every coffeeshop you go you are guaranteed to get a laksa stall. But not all laksa is created equal. This stall in my oponion is among the top 3 in Kuching. It is located in the Thompson Corner Coffeeshop in Tabuan Jaya.



Order the laksa special and you get a generous serving with the usual prawns, shredded chicken and sliced egg omelette. Unusual for Kuching, you also get a generous amount of fresh clams. The gravy is standard Kuching style, but with a pronouced taste of coriander. 

Kuching Hawker Food 2

One of the coffeeshops I regularly visit is the Chong Chon Cafe at Central Park Commercial Centre, 3rd Mile. The laksa here is one of the best in town. Order the laksa special and you get a generous serving with prawns and chicken. The gravy is thick and very flavourful. Kuching Laksa is different from it's West Malaysian counterpart. The gravy is not curry or assam based, but made from a secret recipe of herbs and spices, thickened with coconut milk. There is usually a hint of coriander, and the laksa is normally garnished with a bunch of fresh coriander leaves.

This is the lady who makes the great-tasting laksa.

Another nice item you can have at this coffeeshop is the noodle special. The noodles are not like the normal Kolon Mee. These are thick noodles mixed with either carrot or spinach, providing a healthy dose of vegetable fibre. What a great idea ! What makes the dish special are the dumplings which are served with it. More like raviolis, the skin is flavoured with spinach and the filling is made from minced pork and fresh prawns. Really yummy !



You can also get nice local kueh at this coffeeshop. These are Kueh Salak (square) and Kueh Cangkeh (round).