The first time that I went to Malaysia was in 2009 and I fell in love with the country! I loved the people, nature, and the food, although back then I wasn’t very adventurous when it came to trying different foods. Luckily that changed as I got older, because if there’s one place in the world to eat delicious food, it is in Malaysia!

In 2019 Paul and I went to Malaysia together. Between 2019 and the beginning of 2020, we traveled to different cities in Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Georgetown.The last two are our absolute favorite when it comes to food, Kuala Lumpur is a good third. So what was so special about the food in Georgetown and Ipoh? 

Georgetown

Well, in Georgetown, it doesn’t matter where you go within the city, there is always food to try! We discovered this amazing place where they served Indian food. It didn’t look like a restaurant from the outside, just a normal house, and the food was amazing! Served on a banana leaf and eating it with our right hand. 

There are many small stalls on the street where you can try traditional Malay, Indian, Sri Lankan and Chinese food, loads of little coffee shops with really good coffee, cake shops (of course!) with at least 20 different cakes to choose from, and a good variety of different restaurants. Have your pick! There is also a food museum in Georgetown! A must go! This is one of the best and fun museums we’ve ever been to! 

Ipoh

There is an old town area and a new town area. The old town had this charming little bakery that also served normal food. The chef/baker (who apparently was famous) invited us after closing to try some of his special menu, which included some dishes with durian, some with anchovies and lots of chili peppers!  I never liked fish, so you can imagine that the dishes with anchovies weren’t my favorite. Because it was offered to us, I couldn’t say no, because that would be impolite and ungrateful, so I had to try. Yep, I really do not like anchovies!!! So when he wasn’t looking, Paul and I swapped plates (his was already empty), and he ate it for me. Isn’t he the greatest! He doesn’t like wasting food (me neither, but when I really don’t like it, I can’t eat it) and will finish the plate (even if he doesn’t like it or when he is full.). Bless him!

Kuala Lumpur

The capital city of Malaysia has many street markets and stalls where they serve a lot of local and Chinese food. I did some research and found this food blogger on YouTube that walked around in KL looking for special places to eat. So many interesting dishes, some better than the other. And yes, we also tried durian!!! I still have nightmares! It was the strangest thing I have ever tasted. It tastes like chicken bakpao, but has a very strong and lingering aftertaste. Apparently people can smell hours later that you’ve had durian. We walked into a store later that day and a woman, quite repulsed, asked if we just had durian because she could smell it. (we had it hours ago!!) Very weird, and likely I will never have it again in my life! I filmed Paul when he tried it and his reaction was priceless!

The food is only a small part of Malaysia that makes this country so amazing! We always said that if we would have the chance, we could definitely live here and probably wouldn’t fit in our clothes anymore!

Where is your food heaven? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!