Jalan Alor Eateries

Jalan Alor at dusk when the food operators are setting up their stalls and getting ready for business for the night

This is a street which is not only close to where we lived for many many years but close to my heart for we have spent many an outing to this food paradise. Foodies have traveled from far and wide to savour the fascinating dishes that gives the street the global reputation.

Recently the KL city council actually had the gall to rename the street with the name of a someone obscure with absolutely nothing to do with the history of the city or Bukit Bintang. Without the slightest hint of their misled intentions they took out the old street signs and replaced them with new ones bearing the new name. All hell broke loose as business owners and street vendors who has been the backbone of this street cried foul and before long the whole country voiced their discontent over the dastardly act. It didn't take long before the authorities behind the fiasco restored the pride and place of the name Jalan Alor.

Chinese food dominates the fare with a sprinking of Malay, Indian & Thai. One can spend a few nights visiting the different outlets and yet not try everything that is on offer. Most tourists frequent the place in the evenings to enjoy outdoor dining under the stars, sitting at tables that encroach onto the already narrow street, turning the area into one big party.

Note: Jalan Alor is a short 5 min walk from Sarang Vacation Homes. Christina often accompanies her guests to introduce them to the various dishes, ordering for them dishes which they would normally not order if they were to dine by themselves.

KL Chinatown Pictorial

Morning scenes of Petaling Street before the hustle and bustle that typifies the culture of KL Chinatown.

KL Chinatown in the morning and the Chinatown at night is like ebony and ivory, well like day and night itself. Michael & I find the mornings much more fascinating than the bright lights, beer gardens and cheap watches that fill up the glitzy nights all dolled up for the tourists.

Many who turn up at Petaling Street at night to do their obligatory tour and bargain hunting would miss the wet market which is one of the oldest markets in Malaysia still in existence. Miss the morning flea market in one the side streets where 'stolen' goods are displayed quite openly as second-hand goods. Miss the pushcart vendor selling duck's feet wrapped in intestine. Miss the Petaling Street without the make-up exposing the tired looking facade of old heritage buildings poorly maintained, yet so full of old world character.

Turn up in the mornings and you will experience what the locals have been enjoying. You will chance upon many elderly Chinese men and women who have lived all their lives on Petaling Street. Like the family who sells 'Yong Tau Foo' in one of the side streets or the barber under the make shift canvas canopy - a dying breed trimming the thinning hair of his elderly customers who really don't need a cut but would enjoy the casual banter that goes along with the session.

This is the KL Chinatown which Christina takes pride in showing our guests.

Note: Chinatown is a 15 min walk from Sarang Vacation Homes. You can also take a monorail ride from Hang Tuah Station to Maharajaleela Station and walk 5 mins to the chinese Assembly Hall end of Petaling Street. Or take 2 min bus ride from the main road to Kotaraya and walk across the road to Chinatown. A short taxi ride would also bring you there for a few Ringgit.

Old Fashion KL Chinatown - a brief history

This introduction is taken from an article written by June Chua - a Malaysian born Chinese currently living in Canada. I chanced upon her writings and following her accomplishments I have come to admire her work, most of which is nothing short of being remarkable. Although I would not know whether she would still consider herself a Malaysian, I nevertheless feel a pinch of pride in knowing that she is a fellow countryman (person) amidst the social and political humiliation Malaysians have been subjected to in recent years.

A few years ago, when I was in Berlin, I noted the lack of specific neighbourhoods i.e. no Chinatown! save for the area that is predominantly Turkish. My German friend replied: "Here people are spread out not like in North America where you have ghettos." Well, she did have a point, I suppose.
Thing is, I find Chinatowns comforting. Everywhere I have travelled, I have managed to find a kind of Chinatown – London, Montreal, Paris, Naples, Sao Paulo etc…
Most of these "ghettos" had their start in the early 1800s, when the Chinese government opened up borders and allowed the movement of migrants all over the world (of course, there has been Chinese trade and migration prior to that). Specifically, the Cantonese, the Hokkien, the Teochew and Hakka peoples were the most active – settling in places such as North and South America, Australia and even Cuba.
Most of these communities were bachelor societies as many states forbid these migrant workers to import their wives or children. Of course, this has changed. Eventually, Chinese migrants headed to Africa, India (Calcutta and Bombay), Korea, the Caribbean, England and then, Europe.
Some of the earliest Chinatowns are located in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Manila and Nagasaki in Japan.Read more: http://chinese-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/chinatowns_around_the_world#ixzz0NOkmhZLv


This takes us to Kuala Lumpur Chinatown with its small beginnings in the early years of the 19th Century. Below is a condensed version of the history of KL's Chinatown from an article taken from The Star newspaper, 2007 August 9
Why early Chinese settlers chose the site
The original Chinese town in Kuala Lumpur was centred on Market Square.
However, as the population grew, High Street, now known as Jalan Tun HS Lee, became increasingly popular as it was higher than the rest of the town and therefore less prone to floods.
The population at the time were mostly Cantonese and Hakkas who came to the city because of the tin trade. They worked as coolies in the mines and were governed by a Chinese Kapitan or headman.

A civil war in 1870 caused the Chinese community to split into the Cantonese Ghee Hin and the Hakka Hai San secret societies.
Even though the British were called in to help end the conflict, the fighting between the two clans caused many buildings in the settlement to be burnt down and severely damaged.
The mines were abandoned during the Selangor Civil War. After the war, the miners could not return to work because the mines were flooded.
Yap Ah Loy, a famous Kapitan of that time, convinced the miners and coolies to remain in KL.
Yap opened a tapioca mill in Petaling Street where the tubers from his farms were brought here to be ground into flour.
Some people still call Petaling Street ‘Chee Cheong Kai’ which means starch factory street in Cantonese.
In 2003, the road underwent a major RM11.3mil facelift with two large Chinese arches placed at both ends of the street to welcome visitors. It still pulls in many tourists, who go there to shop and will be regarded as a heritage site.

Note: Chinatown is a short 2 min bus ride from Sarang Vacation Homes down to Kotaraya and a stroll across the road. Those who would like to walk it'll be a 15 min journey taking you past Puduraya bus terminal.