The Garden City of Lights – Kuala Lumpur

“…Weekend come and have lots of fun
Joke around make us feel like one
Super slackers now kiss my heart
Growing older is not my fault
In the garden city of lights…”

— Butterfingers

That’s exactly how I felt spending 3 days in KL – disoriented…in a good way. Boasting gleaming skyscrapers with the Petronas twin towers standing tall and erect like trophies among other buildings, this garden city of lights is bustling from day to night. Just use the twin towers as a marker if you are drunk and lost, it will guide you home (I am joking, please just take a cab).

We took a bus from Singapore to KL as the cost of flight tickets was steep during the festive period. We bought our tickets from busonlinetickets.com which allows us to compare prices from different bus operators. Being a budget traveller, I chose the cheapest and surprisingly the seat was pretty comfortable. Though the journey takes around 6 hours, travelling by bus will be more convenient than by plane as it sends us straight to the city centre of KL.

High on High – Rooftop Bars

Roofino Skydining and Bar

There are way too many rooftop bars in KL to visit and we only managed to swing by two due to time constraint. On the first night, we squeezed through the overwhelming NYE crowd to get to Roofino Skydining and Bar for countdown. We had to walk 20 minutes from KLCC as there was no way for any cabs to get us there without taking a longer route. Facing road closure and the lost of signal, the best possible way for us to reach our destination was to work our legs.

Fortunately, we managed to get to Roofino in time for the fireworks display. However, when the clock struck twelve and the sky exploded into vivid colours, our mood was not lifted in the slightest bit as we were without our drinks (we ordered a bottle of Chivas and waited for almost 1.5 hours before it came but the show was already over by then). Afraid that my 2017 might not be smooth sailing, I was really gloomy at that moment.

When the drinks finally came, my heart skipped a beat (not an overstatement). I was overjoyed as finally the situation could be salvaged with some sweet intoxications and our year could begin proper with merriment.

Given the great ambience, old school music (I love) and spectacular view, the poor service may be forgiven (or maybe not). Newly opened a few months ago in October, the place was widely publicised by local bloggers and influencers. Sorry to say, the good reviews I read online just didn’t match up to my expectations and experience.

*Update*

After I gave it two stars on Facebook, its manager called me to apologise for the incompetency of his employees that night and offered to buy us a round of drinks if we ever go back again. For this conscious effort of damage control, I will give Roofino another chance.

Nevertheless, I had a great time that night. The people you hang out with are usually the game changers, so, choose your friends/acquaintances wisely! :p

Marini’s on 57

Offering one of the best views of the KL skyline and a close up of the twin towers, Marini’s on 57 is the highest bar/restaurant located right in the heart of CBD.

This place has an amazing view! To have an immersive experience, order a bottle of wine to give your taste buds and eyes a tantalising treat. With an extensive selection of wines, Marini’s on 57 is a great hangout place for wine lovers. As I prefer other alcoholic beverages to classy wines, the menu is less appealing to me. The ambience and view however won my heart hands down.

Nobu

If you have enough money to spare and want to treat yourself to a good meal for the hard work you have put in to earn that money, try dining at Nobu on the 56 floor before making your way to the rooftop bar.

Serving contemporary Japanese cuisine infused with American flavours, Nobu KL is a Michelin-starred restaurant co-owned by the well-known Hollywood actor, Robert De Niro. You have to be prepared to pay as the price starts from 90 RM (SGD$29) per dish. We ordered around nine dishes for four person and the bill added up to 1k RM (SGD$320). I had to eat like a beggar for a week the last time I had such an expensive meal. But it was the first day of 2017, what more can I say?

Let us look at some of the dishes to see if they are worth the amount paid.

Sometimes, simple is better. Marinated with sweet miso, the cod fish is baked till tender and moist. This flavourful dish is made perfect with a cup of warm sake.

The Jalapeno cream drizzled on top of the sweet and succulent lobster meat gives the dish a much needed zesty punch.

Honestly, I love this dish only because of its truffle flavour. The tenderloin is a bit tough to my liking (probably it was cooked to medium and not medium rare) and the pickled vegetables are not exactly my cup of tea.

What do you think? I guess sometimes it is the experience that counts.

The Golden Triangle

The three major streets Jalan Imbi, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Raja Chulan form a triangle at the city area that encompasses famous shopping places such as Berjaya Times Square, Sungai Wang Plaza and Lot 10.

*Everywhere within the golden triangle is walkable.

Berjaya Times Square

If eating and shopping are your favourite activities to do when travelling, Berjaya Times Square is a must-visit! Housing more than 1000 fashion stores and restaurants, you can easily spend 1 day here buying cheap clothes and stuffing yourself with delicious foods. If you are a thrill-seeking individual, try taking the indoor roller coaster and experience flying past the many shops in the mall.

Toyko Kitchen

Drawn by the oyster promotion, we lunched at Toyko Kitchen before starting our shopping spree. This Japanese restaurant not only has cheap and good food but also a friendly boss who came to our table to chat with us.

Jalan Alor

For seafood lovers, Jalan Alor is your heaven. Find the stall which has a Mickey Mouse sign and dine there. It has the cheapest and freshest seafood dishes. If you are too hungry to search for it, please just dine at any stalls along this street, it will be as good.

Central Business District

Suria KLCC

A six storey shopping mall at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers, Suria KLCC hosts many luxury outlets such as Christian Dior and Calvin Klein. Being a family friendly mall, it also has an oceanarium and science discovery centre targeting kids.

To make travelling more convenient, there is a Bukit Bintang-KLCC that connects Pavilion KL to KLCC. The pedestrian bridge is 1.173 km-long and people can access the two major retail and tourism spots easily without sweat across the air-conditioned bridge.

Pavilion KL

After around 10-15 minutes walk, you will reach the Pavilion KL, another high-end shopping mall housing many luxury brands. Pay a visit to Sephora Pavilion as it is one of the biggest in Asia with interesting architecture.

Going Around KL

Most of the time, we walked or took Grab Car to our destinations. Get a SIM card for around 8.50 RM with 1 GB data for 10 days to make things easier. Taking Grab Car is really cheap in KL as a trip to nearby places costs around 6 RM (SGD$3). You not only save the hassle of bargaining with local taxi drivers on distance fare but also know exactly where the drivers are going with Grab map. It will save you a lot of trouble.

Fare breakdown for 3D2N: