Photos: Malaysia, Southeast Asia's Next Great Foodie Magnet

The evening market at Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur is a popular dinner spot for locals—and feels worlds away from the skyscrapers and shopping malls of this cosmopolitan capital city (Jalan Alor, from sundown, dishes vary by vendor).

Dining at Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Alor night market is a festive affair.

Poultry on display at Jalan Alor.

The dining room at Enak KL, a family-run restaurant in Kuala Lumpur's upscale Starhill Gallery shopping center.

Ingredients for beef rendang at Enak KL. The dish is made from a recipe passed down in the owner's family for generations.

Roast Pork at Yut Kee, a traditional coffeehouse (or kopitiam) in Kuala Lumpur.

Sambal prawns at Enak KL.

Sunday brunch at Yut Kee.

A fresh steamed-corn cart at Jalan Alor.

Jonker Street, site of a popular evening market in Malacca.

Jonker 88 in Malacca, a restaurant famous for its cendol—a concoction made with pea-flour noodles, kidney beans, shaved ice, and gula Malacca, a dark, smoky, palm-sugar syrup.

Courtyard @ Heeren hotel in Malacca, a 14-room property built in a century-old home in the city's historic district.

Capitol Satay owner Low Yong Cheng with his staff.

Giant prawn at Malacca's Capitol Satay.

The signature dish at Hoe Kee Chicken Rice in Malacca.

The historic district of Malacca.

Nyona laksa, a house speciality at Donald & Lily's cafe in Malacca.

George Town, Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its distinctive colonial-era architecture.

A vendor in George Town.

Joo Hooi Cafe in Penang.

Sweets at Chowrasta Market in Penang.

A guest room at the Straits Collection in Penang. The hotel has 10 guest rooms, an on-site reading room, and a small cinema—all built within a handful of converted shop houses in the city's historic quarter.