Chow Kit wet market

The Boy's family have been visiting for the past week so I have been busy playing tour guide in my free afternoons while he is at the office. Yesterday being the Australia Day public holiday back home, I had the whole day free and decided to take The In-Laws to Chow Kit wet market to look at what I hoped would be some weird and wonderful fruits and vegetables.

Instead of taking the monorail to Chow Kit station, we decided on the scenic option and caught the LRT to Kampung Baru and walked. Despite being just a stone's throw from KLCC, it felt like a different world! Wooden houses with sheets hanging in backyards, so many little food court/mamak stalls I lost count, and a general vibe that here is a peaceful community going about their daily life undisturbed by tourists...until we showed up!

We passed a durian cart on the way, its pungent smell announcing its presence well before we got close, though after our experience The In-Laws not surprisingly passed on the tasting opportunity.

A 5-10 minute easy walk later, we arrived at the bustling Chow Kit market. Heading past the first few fruit stalls into the undercover wet market area, we were greeted with sights and smells that completely overloaded the senses. 

Giant green beans towered over my head

Chillies galore!

There were the familiar - apples, oranges, bok choy and chillies...and then there were the not-so-familar - whole chickens fully plucked with feet still intact, cows' heads, hooves and hides, and other things I couldn't even identify.

Fresh seafood at Chow Kit market

Catfish (very much alive) splashing around

At about 10 in the morning, the place was lively with locals buying their groceries. For the most part the shopkeepers let us take photos in peace, occasionally calling out a greeting. 

Whole chickens with feet still intact

Cow heads for sale made for a startling and slightly morbid sight

Letting nothing go to waste...cow hooves hanging up

Living up to its name, the floor of the market was wet and princess that I am, I pranced delicately around the puddles to avoid getting more fish juice on my feet than absolutely necessary. 

Bags and boxes of crackers at Chow Kit market

After walking the full length of one aisle at least a hundred yards long, we emerged out into the sunshine and fresh air and decided that was enough fresh produce for one day. A quick walk to Chow Kit monorail station (100m if that) and we were heading for Bukit Bintang, where the delicious Heritage Food Court awaited us.

We only saw a fraction of what was on offer at Chow Kit, but I highly recommend paying a visit to see another side of KL!

Ki Ki Taiwan Cuisine, Suria KLCC

Taiwan has been on my mind recently, a combination of the advertisements lining the tunnel from Suria KLCC to the Convention Centre, and the stunning happy snaps my friends R+L took on their Christmas holiday there.

Here in KL where every day is as hot and humid as the one before, the closest I could get to experiencing Taiwan right now was through food. And so on a quiet Sunday night, The Boy and I paid a visit to Ki Ki Taiwan Cuisine on the fourth floor of Suria KLCC.

The staff were friendly and attentive from the moment we arrived and the place was lively with families and walk-in shoppers. The simple decor of wood with floral print glass panels in hues of pink and brown provided a comfortable setting for our meal.

Most of the menu consisted of set meals starting from 19.80RM and The Boy and I quickly made our choices - the Taiwan minced beef sauce noodle set for me and the Fried chicken with rice wine set for him. The side orders all looked so tempting that we succumbed and ordered fried mushrooms to share and I also added an oolong passion fruit tea to quench my thirst.

Everything was served promptly and the cute decorative crockery added visual appeal to our dishes - even The Boy's water came in an adorable mug with a picture of a dog on it! 

My oolong tea was delightfully refreshing - the taste was initially sweet like fruit cordial but the slightly bitter flavour of tea soon followed, pairing back the sugary passion fruit. 

Oolong passion fruit tea

Our fried mushrooms arrived blisteringly hot, coated in a delicious batter. The Boy managed to burn his mouth trying to eat it too quickly, which goes to show how tasty they were. The mushrooms themselves had an ever-so-slightly chewy, meaty texture and the chilli powder sprinkled on the batter gave it a fantastic spice that really added to the overall flavour.

Fried mushrooms

Fried mushrooms and the sweet decorative serving plate

Our meals arrived looking fantastic, each set coming with a main dish and a selection of three small side dishes. My minced beef noodles took me back to a fond childhood memory I have of some 15 years ago of going to a local restaurant in suburban Sydney with my mother and ordering this same dish. I hoped it would be just as good as I remembered and I wasn't disappointed - the slight spice in the beef was offset by the cool cucumber and spring onion, and mixed all together with the noodles, I was content to sit silently and eat, enjoying every mouthful.

Taiwan minced beef noodle set

After The Boy cleared up a small misunderstanding (he thought his set came with rice wine but the chicken was actually marinated in it!), he pronounced the fried chicken to be perfectly crunchy with a subtle aftertaste of the rice wine marinade, while the cabbage was 'the best (he'd) ever eaten' due to the flavour explosion provided by tiny pieces of fried garlic and baby shrimps.

Fried chicken rice wine set

We both had the same set of side dishes and they provided a pleasant variety of contrasting textures - crunchy fried tempura, soft nuts infused with the delicate heat of chilli, and the subtle flavour of boiled chicken. The chicken broth had a delicate flavour and was a nice accompaniment to our meal.

The portion sizes were generous and we finished feeling pleasantly full. Overall, it was a very enjoyable dining experience and we hope to return soon to try more of their menu.

Happy New Year - NYE at The Library

2011 was coming to an end and for the first time in quite a few years, The Boy and I wouldn't be spending NYE with our friends. Back in Sydney, I'd long since given up the trek to the city to watch the fireworks, deciding the crowds and the tedious train trip back home to the suburbs were not worth the few minutes of admittedly spectacular entertainment.

Now living in KLCC, for the first time we were already right near the action with the Petronas Towers and KLCC Park just around the corner being the centre of Kuala Lumpur's midnight celebrations. We were curious to see what KL was like at this time of year so together with Aussie Guy, we headed to The Library on Jalan Ampang for drinks and dinner so we had a good view of the crowds on the street.

The boys ordered beer and I chose a Librarian Margarita, which promised to be a delicious concoction of tequila, pineapple juice and lime. Unfortunately, it was made with too much ice and the flavour all but lost. My next drink - a standard mojito - was much better and our pizzas were tasty too. By the time it got to 11pm, the place was packed and it was getting harder (and slower) to get any bar service. So shortly after 11:30, we decided to venture over to KLCC Park and get in position for the midnight countdown and fireworks.

The Petronas Towers lit up at night

In the space of just a couple of hours, KLCC Park had filled with people and now a crowd was slowly surging from Jalan Ampang around Suria KLCC towards the fountains. Men, women, young families and elderly people, tourists and locals, everyone had that same sense of anticipation and excitement that happens on NYE all around the world. A guy walked around selling horns and judging by the noise, plenty of people had already bought one! For the most part, people just sat and waited patiently.

I thought of my friends and family in Sydney who would have already celebrated midnight, one of the first cities in the world to do so, and my brothers who were in Tokyo and Chicago tonight and wondered what they would be doing to mark the beginning of 2012.

Then the fireworks started. Our view was partly blocked by a tree but we oohed and aahed with the crowd anyway and I joined the thousands of people taking pictures on their cameras and mobile phones.

NYE fireworks above KLCC Park

NYE fireworks above KLCC Park

While not as large-scale and spectacular as those that light up Sydney Harbour each year, there is no doubt that fireworks are always exciting, no matter when or where they happen.

Capturing the moment

After the fireworks were over, we decided to call it a night - The Boy and I were dead on our feet from a day of cleaning and running around for office supplies, and Aussie Guy had an early flight to Singapore the next day. Unlike in Sydney, we weren't faced with a long trip home, just an easy 10-minute walk.

Home in bed by 12:30am, The Boy and I fell asleep to the street sounds of horns and cheers as excited KLites welcomed a new year.