http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18985 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18985 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18909 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18909 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18235
Now, it is not on the tourist beat, it is not within sight of the Twin Towers, it's not even technically in KL but it is one of the best restaurants in the world.

It is situated next door to La Salle school on Jalan Chantek which is off Jalan Gasing which is off the Federal Highway heading towards Shah Alam. This is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world though. It has a large outdoor dining area shaded by trees and with a charmingly bubbling storm drain running down one side. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.

It is situated in a stand of shops which includes a picture framers, a photo shop and a barber's in a suburban residential area, populated by rather well off Malaysians, with Indians rather more plentifully represented than is perhaps the average. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.

The reason it's the best restaurant in the world is because it serves, in the mornings, roti canai - which is the best breakfast in the world.

Basically a paratha-style flatbread of many calories, it is griddle fried freshly so that a crisp, friable crust forms on the dough, which is then punched and broken up before serving. Fairly boring, really. But then add some dal, some fish curry kuah (the gravy, not the actual fish) and perhaps a small piring (dish) of mutton curry, or a piece of fried tengiri, then add to this a teh tarikh (tea made with condensed milk which has been "tarikh'd", i.e. "pulled" through the air from one vessel to another to aerate and cool) and heaven, my friends, is a place on earth.

So. Be seated. There is no reservation, there is no plate captain, no "This way sir" - this is Malaysia old-style. There are many south Indian waiters in white shirts and blue trousers however. Call one over and ask for "roti canai" (pronounced "rotty chan-eye") and a teh tarikh. The dal, some carrot chutney and some coconut chutney are dumped unceremoniously in front of you along with a damp banana leaf. It is perfectly permissible to dry off the leaf with a tissue. I don't bother. And wait. A short time later (longer if at the weekend) and the roti, steaming, fragrant and - a sticking point for many - slightly smaller than average disc of bread is casually clapped onto your leaf. Serve yourself with dal, chutneys in small pools around the circumference. Some pour great ladlefuls of dal all over the roti, mash it into a mush and devour it sloppily in handfuls. A perfectly acceptable way to eat it in my opinion.

But we will choose the dainty option (though not the daintiest - forks and spoons are available, and widely used).

Tear off a small piece of roti, drag it through the dal (whilst arguing with your friends about whether or not the best nasi lemak is to be found in Ipoh or Penang) and pop it in your mouth. There is a faint cuminy, asafoetida tang to the dal, a faint sweetness (not too sweet, oh no) to the roti and a mouth feel (as Mr Blumenthal would have it) which is crunchy, soft, full-flavoured with mild spice (but not too mild, oh no) and completely satisfying. Tear off another piece. Pick up a perfectly tender piece of curried mutton - and although I never had a bad mutton curry when I lived in Malaysia, Raju's has to be the best - and once again, those curious contrasts are there. Crunchy/soft, spicy/bland, tangy/sweet. Take a sip of your scaldingly hot teh tarikh: it is foamy, sweet, strong and in combination with the roti and the curry as precisely perfect as any of the great pillars of Malaysian food when made perfectly. nasi lemak, laksa, prawn mee, char kway teow - roti canai. These are the five. Now you know one. Seek the rest.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18235 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12646
Take a taxi from KL city, ask the taxi to go to Jalan Telawi in Bangsar - that's where all the good stuff is (less than RM10)! There are some good hotels in Bangsar too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12646 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12645
travelmalaysiaguide.com/rainforest-bed-breakfast-hotel-hostel-kuala-lumpur-malaysia/]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12645 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12644
There's a limit of 1320 per day and tickets are often snapped up early in the morning.

Go around 7:30am.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12644 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12643
Hawker food is the best choice if you want to get a variety of the Asian cuisines. There's just SO SO many places to get good hawker food in KL.

travelmalaysiaguide.com/hawker-food-in-kuala-lumpur-malaysia/

Hopefully this helps in making your choice.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12643 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12543
There is a really communal atmosphere, the Chinatown night market is a stones throw where you can buy cheap DVDs and watch them on the huge screen they have there.

Also if you can't go without a football fix during your travels this place has all the cable channels so you will never miss a match and there will always be someone to watch it with, even if it is at 3AM!

The best bit however is the food stalls right outside the hostel. Amazingly spicy fried rice for RM 3 and tasty chicken or beef satay cooked in front of you over charcoal for 60 Sen. Superb! If you do visit watch out for a guy named Aru - bit of a resident there and a great guy to chat to.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12543 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5686 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5686 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5576 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5576 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4607 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4607 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4103 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4103 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4043 See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_tow_kway

Another snippet of advice: Many places seem to add to chicken to most dishes - including otherwise veggie dishes. The vegetarian counter at the Mid Valley Mega Mall boasted a chicken roasting on a spit.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4043 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4042 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4042 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3205
Home of the Kuala Lumpur Celtic Supporters Club.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3205 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2794 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2794 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2136 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2136 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3934 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3934 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2589 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2589