Day 2: 30 July 2023, Sunday

Despite not sleeping much after returning late from the MUSE concert last night, I still managed to crawl out of bed at 6:20am. WY was too tired so she elected to sleep in. We had another early start to the day because IK and S were taking us out for breakfast. At 7:15am, they arrived at our apartment and we drove out of KL city to Restoran Foo Hing Dim Sum (富興點心), located at Bandar Puteri Puchong. Traffic was light on this Sunday morning so the drive was smooth and we arrived half an hour later.

Even though it was still early (by my standards), the lower floor of the restaurant was already filled with customers so we were ushered to the dining area on the second floor. Less than 15 minutes after we sat down, the entire second floor was full as well. No wonder IK said we had to come early. It was a very popular restaurant among the locals.

My family loves dim sum so it was the perfect place for breakfast. IK and S ordered an array of items, including all of our favourites – carrot cake, char siew bao, siew mai, har gao, chee cheong fun, century egg porridge, egg tarts and more. Honestly, everything was good, and it was very reasonably priced too, considering the amount of food we had. The total bill came up to only RM197.80, or about S$58.20.

Halfway through our meal, another of mum’s ex-colleague, MH, made a surprise appearance. IK had specially arranged for MH to join us because prior to coming for this trip, mum had informed her Malaysian ex-colleagues via a WhatsApp chat group that she would be coming to KL, and would love to meet up with them if possible. However, due to the short time we had, she could not meet everyone and she didn’t want to inconvenience them by making them travel too far as well. IK then secretly arranged for MH to come meet us here since it was somewhat in between her hometown in Klang and KL city.

When we finished our breakfast at 9:05am, there was a long line of people outside the restaurant waiting for their turn to get a table. Luckily, we didn’t have to queue, all thanks to IK for dragging us out early on a Sunday morning for great dim sum! From here, IK and S handed the baton over to MH to show us around. We said our goodbyes to IK and S, then hopped onto MH’s car.

Our first destination was Chinatown and we arrived at 9:35am. From an open-air carpark, we walked to a place called Kwai Chai Hong (click here). The name Kwai Chai Hong (鬼仔巷) is in Cantonese dialect and it translates to “Ghost Lane” or “Little Demon Alley”. According to this Malay Mail article (click here), the name is not supernatural in nature but there are two theories regarding its origin.

The first is that migrant workers from China settled here and they used the colloquial slang of “kwai chai” to refer to mischievous children running around the area. The second theory is that the area was filled with gamblers, drug addicts and drunkards in the past and those who engaged in such vice activities led to its nickname. Whatever it is, the area used to be dilapidated before a group of individuals from a space management company saw this part of Chinatown as a business opportunity and acquired 10 shoplots in 2018 for redevelopment. It became a passion project and they decided to rejuvenate the area to take visitors on a journey back in time to the 1960s golden era of KL Chinatown.

They restored the old, pre-war shophouses, repainted them and built an arch over the entrance of the alley. They also commissioned five local artists to paint murals depicting the daily activities of early Chinese settlers in the area during the 1960s. The result is a vibrant and delightful hidden gem full of Instagrammable spots that will appeal to both the young and old.

The entrance to Kwai Chai Hong is at Jalan Panggung and it was quite nondescript. The Chinese characters 鬼仔巷 were written above the entranceway but you could easily miss it if you didn’t pay attention. After passing through the entrance, we crossed a Red Bridge to access the back alley. It was actually not a real, functioning bridge but it was added there for decoration purposes, to serve as a metaphor for bringing visitors back in time. On the wall beside the red bridge was the first mural, depicting a couple of lovebirds enjoying a tender moment.

Entering the back alley was like being transported to a bygone era. The various murals blended artfully with the weathered and grimy old walls, giving the alley a slightly whimsical character yet invoking feelings of nostalgia. The three murals here depicted an erhu player, a bunch of young kids playing with marbles and a Chinese letter writer. Similar to the murals in Singapore painted by our heritage artist Yip Yew Chong, the murals here at Kwai Chai Hong were also painted life-size to encourage visitors to interact and pose for pictures with them.

At the end of the alley was a short flight of steps leading up to a terrace, where the biggest mural was painted on the wall beside it. It was an amalgamation of scenes in old Chinatown, and it even had 3D elements incorporated into it – a basket attached to a pulley to bring goods from the second floor down to customers on the ground floor, and a “rope” made of rubber band for kids to play a game called Zero Point. During my childhood days, many of the kids in my school, especially the girls, played Zero Point during recess time. It really brought back nice memories of a bygone era when there were no mobile phones or computer games. We entertained ourselves with simple games and had the best times of our lives.

It was not very crowded when we were at Kwai Chai Hong so we could still take photos with all the murals. When we left just before 10am, many more people were streaming in, so we just managed to avoid the crowd. Overall, I enjoyed the visit to Kwai Chai Hong very much.

We then walked to Petaling Street, the main tourist strip in Chinatown. We took some photos at the entrance gateway before entering the pedestrian street, which was sheltered with a green roof dubbed the “Green Dragon”, presumably built to make the street weather-proof and provide a better shopping experience for visitors. The old shophouses that flanked both sides of Petaling Street were similar to those that can be found in our Chinatown in Singapore. However, I think our Singapore shophouses are better preserved and more unified in design.

It was still early when we visited and only a few stalls were in the process of setting up. Most of the shops were not open yet. From those that were open, I saw that they were mostly selling counterfeit stuff, which didn’t interest me. I then remembered why I didn’t really like this street when I came here during one of my previous visits years ago.

We ventured to a street perpendicular to Petaling Street and saw several food stalls there. MH said the Chee Cheong Fun stall was famous and I was tempted to try it, but I was still very full from our dim sum breakfast earlier so we gave it a miss. A female hawker operated a stall on wheels selling Min Jiang Kueh and it looked really good too. But when I saw another hawker selling Fa Sang Wu (Cantonese peanut cream dessert), I couldn’t resist anymore and bought a bowl to try. It was smooth, velvety and peanutty, so good.

We then walked through a narrow alley which served as an old school wet market. Only a handful of stalls were open and they were mainly selling meat. We emerged at Jalan Tun H S Lee and the beautifully ornate Sri Maha Mariamman Temple came into view. Founded in 1873 but relocated here in 1885, this is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia.

Similar to our Sri Mariamman Temple in Singapore’s Chinatown (which is also the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, built in 1827), the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple here in KL is also dedicated to the Goddess Mariamman, regarded by Hindu Tamils as the Mother Goddess. She is worshipped for protection against diseases and also associated with the sustaining and life-giving qualities that rain brings. Back in the past when life was mainly agricultural, adequate rain was required for an abundant harvest. The word Mari means “Rain” and Amman means “Mother”. Hence, Mariamman is worshipped as the bringer of rain and prosperity.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple also boasts an impressive 5-level gopuram (entrance tower) filled with intricate sculptures of Hindu gods. The building flanking both sides of the gopuram were painted bright orange and its decorative style reminded me of our Sri Krishnan Temple at Waterlo Street in Singapore. A signboard in front of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple showed a picture of the origina building façade in 2002. Back then, it was adorned with sculptures of various deities and much less ornate, but I felt it had a more classic look compared to its current incarnation.

We then walked over to the nearby Guan Di Temple (關帝廟), built in 1888 and one of Malaysia’s oldest Taoist temples. The temple is dedicated to the Chinese warrior Guan Yu, who was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the Eastern Han dynasty, around 1,800 years ago. Guan Yu is known for his loyalty and righteousness and he is revered as “Emperor Guan” (Guan Di) or “Lord Guan” (Guang Gong). We went in to the temple to take a quick look. The smell of joss sticks permeated the air, and many locals were busy praying and making offerings.

At 10:55am, we left Chinatown and swung by another famous Chinese temple, Thean Hou Temple (天后宫), located at the top of a hill in downtown KL, a short drive away. It is a relatively new temple, completed only in 1987 and built by the Hainanese living in Malaysia. The temple is dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu (妈祖), who is widely worshipped in many Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan as a deity of seafarers.

Built in classical Chinese temple architectural design with upturned “swallow tail” roofs, intricate carvings and embellishments, the temple has six tiers and it was an impressive sight as we walked towards it. To the left of the main entrance gateway was the marriage registration office. This is where Chinese couples can submit their applications to get married and obtain their marriage certificates. Hence, Thean Hou Temple is not only a significant place of worship but also one where important life decisions are made.

We climbed the stairs to the main prayer hall. Here, small orange lanterns strung on lines stretched across the entire courtyard while larger red lanterns hung from the edges of the roofs. It was very crowded with locals and tourists, and also newly-wed couples surrounded by their families and friends.

We then climbed onto the uppermost level, where the Drum Tower was. Here, we had a good close-up view of the architectural features of the temple. The balustrades flanking the walkway were designed in Qing Dynasty style, with pairs of kirins (Qilin, 麒麟) on the slabs and dragons carved onto the capitals. The dougong (斗拱), or bracket sets, painted in blue with a white border, support the extended eaves of the roofs to help concentrate the weight at the columns. The dragon and phoenix cresting on the temple ridge represent the masculine and feminine respectively, signifying a fruitful and blissful marriage filled with prosperity and offspring.

After taking plenty of photos, we left Thean Hou Temple at 11:30am as it was getting hot. We were still pretty full from the dim sum breakfast so MH said she would take us somewhere nice for coffee. We drove to a café called Huckleberry at Damansara Heights. When we arrived at noon, there was a waiting list of at least half an hour for a table. I guess that was to be expected because it was Sunday. However, we decided not to wait and instead drove to Mid Valley Megamall, which is actually near Thean Hou Temple, so we kinda went back to where we were.

Unsurprisingly, Mid Valley was crowded as well as scores of locals were out on the weekend for shopping and eating. Most of the cafes and restaurants were full so we settled on Secret Recipe simply because there was no queue. By then, it was around 12:45pm and we were hungry enough to eat. After a simple lunch, we decided not to impose on MH any further and let her enjoy the rest of her Sunday. It was so nice of her to take us out for sightseeing, and of course, a great opportunity for mum to catch up with her too.

After MH left at 1:30pm, we continued shopping on our own. It was not called Mid Valley Megamall for nothing. With over 565 specialty stores occupying 1.7 million square feet spread over five floors, Mid Valley had everything under one roof. Located next to Mid Valley Megamall was The Gardens Mall, a premium shopping haven with more than 200 top fashion brands spread over six floors. Together, the two malls made up Mid Valley City. You could easily spend a full day shopping and eating here. However, I was quite tired due to lack of sleep so we didn’t shop for too long. At 3:08pm, we booked a Grab car and went back to our apartment to rest. The 22-minute ride cost RM29 (S$8.76).

After taking a good afternoon nap to recharge, it was time for dinner. I am not a foodie so I don’t usually scour the Internet to look for places to eat. So we asked IK for suggestions and she recommended a place called Sek Yuen Restaurant, located at 313 Jalan Pudu. The four of us hopped on a Grab car at 6:55pm and we arrived at the restaurant 25 minutes later. The Grab fare was only RM11 (S$3.32), which is very cheap. In Singapore, the flag-down fare for the cheapest taxi is already S$3.90.

IK told us that the restaurant had two seating areas – a non-air-conditioned one, and an air-conditioned one, and asked us to go for the latter since it was hot outside. When we arrived, we saw the non-air-conditioned restaurant, which occupied a standalone building. It was housed in the same building as it did when it first opened in 1948. Peering into the building, we saw that it was very old school, like a large canteen hall with dozens of round tables inside. I like old school eating places.

Nevertheless, we followed IK’s advice and went to the air-conditioned area. The service staff led us through the restaurant, but deeper and deeper we went. We found out that Sek Yuen occupied three adjacent shoplots and we our assigned table was at the back of the last shoplot, right next to the toilet. All the other tables were full; if not, they were big round tables meant for larger groups.

Their menu was very extensive and we had a hard time deciding what to eat. IK recommended us a few dishes to try – their signature Pei Pa roast duck and Kwai Fa Chi, so we ordered them. We also ordered a plate of Kai Lan vegetables with beef, sweet potato leaves with sambal, and crispy pancake for dessert.

Sek Yuen really gave off old school vibes. The staff member who took our order spoke only Cantonese. Among us, only WY spoke a smattering of Cantonese so we struggled a little to communicate with him. All the other diners around us were locals and many of them brought their entire three generations of families with them. The table beside us was celebrating the birthday of one of the children and brought their own cake along.

The food was served shortly, and first up was the Pei Pa duck. I had actually never heard of it before. Apparently, it is a famous Cantonese dish similar to Peking duck, but with some differences. It is called Pei Pa duck because the duck is splayed open using metal skewers before being roasted, and as a result it resembles the shape of a Pipa (or “Pei Pa” in Cantonese dialect), a pear-shaped Chinese string instrument. This increases the surface area and produces an extra crunchy exterior. Indeed, the skin was crispy but the duck meat was soft and juicy.

Kwai Fa Chi was next, and I was surprised to see that it was also served with a plate of raw lettuce leaves. Kwai Fa Chi is Cantonese for Gui Hua Chi (桂花翅), which means “Osmanthus Fin”. There is actually no osmanthus in the dish, but it got its name because the stir-fried scrambled eggs resemble osmanthus flowers. The fin in the name comes from shark’s fin, or rather, imitation shark’s fin. It is sometimes replaced by glass noodles too. Crab meat, shredded carrot and onions complete the dish. But the real clincher was the lettuce. After scooping a spoonful of the eggs onto the lettuce leaf, wrap it up and bite into it. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy, and complemented well with the taste of the Kwai Fa Chi. Yummy.

The other dishes were very good as well. The pancake was filled with lotus paste instead of red bean, and it was pan-fried and crispy without being oily. We enjoyed all the food. The total bill, including sales 6% tax, was only RM168.45 (S$49.50). Really good value for such a sumptuous meal. Thanks to IK again for the great recommendation.

We left Sek Yuen at 8:43pm to go back to our apartment. The return journey on Grab was a bit more expensive, RM18 (S$5.43). We reached our apartment at 9pm and went up to the rooftop swimming pool to see the night view. We realised that many guests from the adjacent apartment block also came to our block to swim. The adjacent block also belonged to THE FACE Suites but we deduced that it did not have a rooftop infinity pool. Hence, many of their guests walked over to our block while dressed in bathrobes and flip flops. Not the most glamourous look, for sure.

Even at that hour, the rooftop pool was still crowded. In fact, it was even more crowded than when we went up earlier in the afternoon. I think by this time at night, most people had nowhere else to go so they all came to use the pool. It wasn’t very big but it was an infinity pool after all, so everyone wanted to come and enjoy the experience. From up there, we could see KL Tower and the newly constructed Merdeka 118 building further in the background. The Petronas Twin Towers were partly obscured. It was quite cool but too crowded to enjoy a swim properly. We took some photos then retreated to our apartment and called it a day. And that’s the end of Day 2!