Milo and Chocolate in Kuala Lumpur
Selamat datang ke Kuala Lumpur.
Kuala Lumpur (or KL) is a fantastic city, especially if you like to eat. It is easy to get around, very walkable, and packed with interesting things to see and do. There is a beautiful mix of ultra-modern and deeply traditional and the Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences across the city make it fascinating…and tasty. They have plenty of impressive independent bookstores (high on my list of requirements for a great city), and, of course, chocolate made using Malaysian beans!
Despite this, there weren’t as many great hot chocolate options as I had hoped. I’ll admit I ended up drinking far more teh tarik than hot chocolate, a black tea with condensed milk that’s mixed by pouring it back and forth between two vessels (a bit like how chocolate drinks were once made…funny that.) It did make me wonder why none of the local chocolate makers offered a chocolate version: a teh with white chocolate instead of condensed milk, or even a milk chocolate variation. I’m experimenting with this at home at the moment, and will share with you whatever I land on.
The Land of Milo
Milo is the chocolate drink of choice in Kuala Lumpur (and Malaysia more broadly). It’s a chocolate-flavoured malted powder product considered the country’s unofficial drink, even though it’s originally Australian. Made with malted barley, milk powder, sugar, cocoa and a range of vitamins and minerals, it sounds healthy but really isn’t. It is incredibly sweet…healthier than just eating sugar, I guess.
Still, when in Rome…
We (the kids, mostly) drank a lot of Milo, though I didn’t write up full blog posts on each one. After a few dozen, we did learn that not all Milos are created (or prepared) equally. Our favourites (with write ups) were:
- Kafei Dian paired with a fantastic traditional Malaysian breakfast (Click here to read review)
- Jiak Kopi, alongside the best Nasi Lemak we had on the trip (Click here to read review).
The Hot Chocolates..
Chocolate Concierge is a must visit in KL if you love chocolate (and even if you don’t). They have a few cafes, all a bit of a trek away from the tourist areas, but well worth it if you have the time. Beautiful chocolates with origins from around Malaysia and transformed into either single origin bars or a range of stunning and tasty bonbons featuring Malaysian flavours such as pandan and durian. A few others we visited ...
- Gioia - great gelato, with lots of local flavours, plus a decadent hot chocolate made with Valrhona. (Click here to read review).
- Kakao Origin - a bean to bar chocolate maker with a stall in Central Market, Chinatown. (Click here to read review).
- Boom - a trendy bakery where we had pain au chocolate with an iced chocolate. (Click here to read review).
- Kedai Coklat - not our favourite hot chocolate, but some interesting chocolate desserts (Click here to read more).
-Cacao Mixology & Chocolate - a stunning, chocolate themed bar on the 75th floor of the Park Hyatt (Click here to read more).
What To Do in Kuala Lumpur
· Climb the 272 colourful steps to reach the Temple Cave at Batu Caves, one of Malaysia’s most important Hindu pilgrimage sites (about a 30 km metro ride from downtown)
· Explore Central Market, an art deco building that was once the city’s wet market. Located in Chinatown, it now houses a food court and many small shops
· Visit the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world (375 m). Behind them is a beautiful park with a lake that hosts a nightly sound and light show. The shopping mall inside is, unsurprisingly, full of food—and an excellent bookstore
· Walk… in any direction, stopping frequently to eat. For example, take an evening stroll through Bukit Bintang and stop at Restoran Mon Chinese Beef Roti for a beef roti
The main thing to do in KL is to eat.
There is so much good food in KL. Visit one of the main food streets, the most popular with visitors being Jalan Alor Food Street in Bukit Bintang. Another is the food street in Kampung Baru. Don’t miss (but this is really the tip of the Malaysian iceberg)
- Nasi Lemak, coconut rice served with sambal chili, fried anchovies, peanuts, egg and chicken.
- Beef rendang, a slow cooked braised beef
- A traditional breakfast of kaya toast, soft boiled eggs and teh
- Roti…with anything….
- Evergreen Tea House for teas
For more chocolate from my 2 week trip to Malaysia, see
- A Chocolate (and food) Lovers Guide to Penang
Thanks for reading!
Giselle
Chief Chocolate Sipper