Malaysia’s capital is rapidly transforming into Asia’s coolest city. Here’s why it’s worth a visit – and why every visitor should explore beyond the Petronas Towers, writes Tamara Hinson In the shadow of the twin-tipped Petronas Towers , an elderly lady tends to sizzling skewers of satay. Her workplace is one of the stalls on Jalan Raja Muda Musa, a street lined with wooden stilted houses dating back to the late 1800s.
This is Kampung Baru, a small village in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and a brilliant example of how reminders of the past are never far away in Malaysia’s capital. READ MORE: What every visitor should see and do in Kuala Lumpur In 1899 Malaysia’s British colonial administration created Kampung Baru (“new village”) as a home for Malaysian farmers, allowing them to continue to farm while living their lives free from the risk of development. In reality, the goal was to ensure their produce continued to feed the rapidly expanding city, but the fact that several of these wooden houses remain is a credit to both their inhabitants and the ancestors.
It’s also one of the city’s most popular street food spots – not just for tourists, but locals, including some of Malaysia’s top chefs. “My heart belongs to Kampung Baru,” says Norazizi Taslim, executive chef at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur. “It’s steeped in tradition, and you’ll find fantastic street food, from juicy skewers of satay to ayam bakar (charcoal-grilled chicken), and every dish.