ONE PLACE, THREE WAYS

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

In Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Penang, there's a feast for the eyes around every corner.

By Naomi Lindt, May 2011 issue | Subscribe to the magazine

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).
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Dining at Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Alor night market is a festive affair.
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Poultry on display at Jalan Alor.
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The dining room at Enak KL, a family-run restaurant in Kuala Lumpur's upscale Starhill Gallery shopping center.
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Ingredients for beef rendang at Enak KL. The dish is made from a recipe passed down in the owner's family for generations.
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Roast Pork at Yut Kee, a traditional coffeehouse (or kopitiam) in Kuala Lumpur.
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Sambal prawns at Enak KL.
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Sunday brunch at Yut Kee.
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A fresh steamed-corn cart at Jalan Alor.
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Jonker Street, site of a popular evening market in Malacca.
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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.
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Courtyard @ Heeren hotel in Malacca, a 14-room property built in a century-old home in the city's historic district.
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Capitol Satay owner Low Yong Cheng with his staff.
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Giant prawn at Malacca's Capitol Satay.
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The signature dish at Hoe Kee Chicken Rice in Malacca.
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The historic district of Malacca.
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Nyona laksa, a house speciality at Donald & Lily's cafe in Malacca.
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George Town, Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its distinctive colonial-era architecture.
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A vendor in George Town.
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Joo Hooi Cafe in Penang.
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Sweets at Chowrasta Market in Penang.
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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.
(Morgan & Owens)