Restoran Muar, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Muar is a town about half way between Kuala Lumpur and Johor known for its delicious local variations of Chinese and Malay dishes. Restoran Muar, just off Changkat Bukit Bintang, offers a chance to try some specialities from this region right here KL. I’ve been dragged to Restoran Muar three times in the last few months by local friends. It’s a popular spot on weekends so you might have to wait for a table – not for long though – it’s not the type of place for hanging around, just eating and moving on. Honestly I’m quite biased towards healthier dishes so this place didn’t have a great chance to begin with the majority of the popular options being fried – crispy fried eggs, fried butter kai lan, chicken fried in a sweet sweet sauce. They were all good, very tasty, not just something I’d regularly order. Restoran Muar is also known for it’s assam fish cooked in a spicy sour tamarind sauce with plenty of juice made for slurping up after all the fish is gone. Their cendol is celebrated by my local pals and we haven’t been able to leave ever without everyone (except me) ordering one or two rounds – shaved ice, coconut milk, red beans and noodly worm-like green jelly on top. It’s really too much for my taste buds to contemplate – the idea of beans mixed with jelly and ice for dessert. I feel obliged to write about this place though as it is obviously pretty good stuff according to KL urbanites and I shouldn’t let my bias for leaner cuisine put anyone else off giving this spot a go. The setting is simple and homey, portions are small (but prices are not too bad considering the location) and the food is fresh and flavoursome.