Su Ann Ng

Eating well doesn’t mean you have to pay more, especially if you're in a food-centric city like Kuala Lumpur. Wherever you may be in the city, at any time of the day, there's bound to be a hot dish waiting for you... under RM15. We’ve got you covered for the best cheap eats our city has to offer. RECOMMENDED: The best noodle dishes in KL and Top 20 things you have to eat in KL Discover, book, and save at hundreds of restaurants with Grab Dine Out. Enjoy exclusive discounts, use dining vouchers, and make instant reservations, all in the Grab app. Explore Grab Dine Out now.

We’ll get the obvious out of the way first; if you like street food, you will fall deeply in love with Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian capital is a veritable foodie haven, with finger-licking magic waiting around every corner. Hungry visitors are in for a real treat.  The best things to do in KL cover much more than marvellous morsels. There is history, culture, architecture, and excitement here, with one of the best nightlife scenes in the region and lots of activities to boot. One of the coolest cities on the planet? There's absolutely no doubt about it. RECOMMENDED: 🍽 The best restaurants and cafés in KL🛏 The best boutique hotels in KL🌳 The best parks in KL🎸 The best live music venues in KL

Shopping for a bouquet of flowers doesn't always need to be a chore. Show that someone you care without even leaving your desk with our list of KL's top online florists for all occasions including weddings, birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries and more. Go grand with a dozen red roses or surprise someone with a beautiful rustic arrangement of wildflowers, all with a click of a button. 

The Time Out KL Drink List is where we handpick the best places to drink in our city. These are the bars and joints that serve up some of the most creative cocktails, offer the most rare labels (whether wine or liquor), and have on tap craft beer from some of the world's best craft breweries. Whether you're looking for a quiet night out over wine with friends, or a cocktail party overlooking our city's iconic skyline, we've got just the place for you.  Drank somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDrinkList. You can also find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews bars here.

There’s never been a better time to get a classic cut and shave at KL’s modern barbershops. Here, we check out the city's best places for cool hair and wet shaves. 

If you're up for a sushi experience where the food does the talking, sit back and submit to the will of these sushi chefs for the best omakase and sushi meals in the city. RECOMMENDED: Best Japanese restaurants in KL

Looking for a relaxing weekend getaway without travelling the extra mile? Here are some of the best staycation ideas for a nice quick holiday – all without leaving Kuala Lumpur (or Selangor). RECOMMENDED ⭐️ Best hotels in KL 🏙 Best boutique hotels in KL ❤️ Best things to do in KL

Looking for some high-quality rejuvenation but not keen on splashing out at one of Kuala Lumpur’s fancy hotels? Fear not, as the Malaysian capital has plenty of wellness to go around. Sure, you might not get the whole luxury experience at the places listed below, but you’ll also get to spend a handful of bucks to come out feeling like an entirely new person. Well, you’ll be the same person, just in a more relaxed state of mind. KL’s attractions and restaurants are legendary, but more and more people are finding out about the fantastic wellness roster that the city holds within its borders. These are the best cheap spas in the Garden City of Lights. While we’re here, how delightful is that nickname? Gorgeous stuff.

Jalan Dhoby is the best place to start your JB café-hopping adventure. Ten minutes away on foot from City Square Mall, the narrow street has the highest concentration of cafés, from coffee shops to trendy brunch eateries. We packed our passports (and cameras), hopped on a bus, and paid a visit to our closest neighbour to bring you the 12 best cafés in Johor Bahru, close to the causeway and beyond. RECOMMENDED Ultimate guide to Johor Bahru, the best family-friendly activities in Johor Bahru and the best supper spots in Johor Bahru

There’s no secret to becoming a successful secondhand shopper – but then again, I’m a seasoned hand. I’ve spent a lifetime shopping at undesirable, unexpected places, like bundle stores, pasar malams, and, um, Sungei Wang Plaza. No, it’s not just that it’s cheap; I like the character of vintage clothing, the details, the quality. Thrifting is a treasure hunt and a game of hits and misses; be prepared to spend hours shopping in a cramped, dusty space that smells like a basement, and by the end of it, still not find anything you want to take home. Be patient – that aged leather jacket, Kenzo T-shirt, or velvet button-up skirt is out there somewhere. Also, a good two-thirds of shops in Berjaya Times Square and Sungei Wang Plaza – as well as bundle shops and vintage stalls – have a strict no-trying policy. That, or the store simply doesn’t have a fitting room. I only have one word for you: alteration. If a dress works better as a top, cut it short. If a skirt’s too long, cut it short. Finally, to paraphrase Macklemore, cop it, please, please, please wash it, then go and get some compliments.

There's only so many times you can visit A'Famosa or the Stadthuys after the initial thrill of seeing those historical structures in Melaka. Give the obvious destinations a miss and learn top spinning from a gasing expert, view treasured Peranakan jewellery, read a vintage comic during an ear-cleaning session, wander through forgotten streets and more with our guide to the best things to do in Melaka.

Rickety rickshaws and tourist traps are all fun and games during your first visit to Melaka, but you'll be looking for the real deal soon enough. Skip the first-timers' attractions and sit down to a Peranakan dinner, eat putu piring, sip flavoured rice wine at a four-generation family-owned bar, and more with our guide to the best cafés, restaurants and bars in Melaka. Chicken rice balls still included.

Kevin Tan’s The Oven Cuttery is all about one-on-one barbering in a comfortable and casual (and very cool) environment. It’s first and foremost home to Mentega, Kevin’s own fine grooming goods line — but it’s also a barbershop, where you might ask for a beard trim, a hot towel shave, a haircut or anything else that strikes your fancy. After, chill out at the café on-site by Ellipsis turning out specialty coffee and pastries.  Haircuts from RM50.

This neighbourhood joint, formerly known as Amplitude Barbershop, is a triple threat – barbershop, music store, and academy for dance and music. Chief barber Lex Low has been practising the craft of the cut since he was 16 years old; in June he partnered up with Jonathan Lim, founder of Amplitude Music, to open the barbershop. In the front and on the walls, guitars are mounted alongside posters of rockers past and present; the back area is the barber space, decked with a couch, leather chairs and pomade products from America, Holland and Indonesia. Lex also brews his own pomade – the water-based LeQuiff&Co – and takes to the streets to cut hair for the homeless, the orang asli and the underprivileged. Go in for a beard trim, a haircut, a fade, and have a conversation with the boys – it has a hip-but-homey vibe, without a hint of pretension. They also offer free cuts by their barber apprentices, under the watchful eyes of Lex, of course. 

The Michelin-selected Sushi Taka serves Edomae sushi at KL’s The St. Regis, where chef Daichi Yazawa works only with fresh wild-caught seafood air-flown directly from Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. Settle in at the 300-year-old Hinoki wood counter seater to experience his 18-course omakase, which includes seasonal small plates of appetizers and sushi nigiri. Past standouts have profiled awabi served with a liver sauce; horsehair crab with tosazu jelly; and mozuku, a prized seaweed paired with ground ginger and tosazu vinegar. Don’t miss: the signature Taka Tamagoyaki. The humble tamagoyaki is elevated into a special treat here; it’s custard-like, not cake-y, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, sweet from shiba ebi, eggs and honey. Lunch omakase menus start from RM600. Dinner omakase menus start from RM1000.

From The Curate Group behind such excellence as Sushi Ryu and Wagyu Kappo Yoshida, Sushi Masa by Ishibashi is an extension of Michelin-starred chef Masakazu Ishibashi’s Edomae-style sushi restaurant first set up in Tokyo’s exclusive Ginza district. Take a seat at the counter to marvel at the sushi master at work; it’s currently helmed by chef Yossy, who more than holds his own. He’ll start you off with appetizers of boiled soft octopus, crab croquette, and sweet potato, before running the rest of the show with sushi nigiri, which might feature kindemai, the sweet splendid alfonsino with lightly-seared skin; Japanese tiger prawn; and nodoguro, the rare blackthroat seaperch fish. To conclude the meal, tamago is served two ways (cake- and custard-style) and for dessert, finish with an ice cream or wagashi. Lunch omakase from RM488. Dinner omakase menus start from RM988.

Chef Norikazu Shibata started his career at a sushi-ya in Tokyo about four decades ago. Today, he’s one of the best in the business, as evidenced by Sushi Kazu’s recognition as a Michelin-selected restaurant in Malaysia. His is the Edomae way: the centuries-old tradition of Tokyo-style aged sushi, often cured before serving. At Sushi Kazu, elegance is everywhere; cloud lanterns float overhead the restaurant’s signature curved counter, where guests are served sushi starring only the season’s finest on tableware sourced from Japan.  Lunch omakase menus start from RM258. Dinner omakase menus start from RM488.

Behind a discreet wooden door at the ground floor of Four Seasons Place is one of the city’s best omakase restaurants. At Sushi Hibiki, all dim lighting and dark wood, the counter takes centrestage. That’s where you’d want to be seated to enjoy chef-owner Makoto Saito’s multi-course omakase, as he serves up masterfully-crafted sashimi and sushi nigiri. It might include ankimo, a delicacy of monkfish liver, known as the foie gras of the sea; hoshigarei, a rare catch of spotted hablibut considered the king of white fish; and the buttery-sweet uni — all expertly paired with saké from across Japan. From RM580.

Sushi is, well, you know what sushi is — while kaiseki is a centuries-old Japanese haute cuisine tradition. Hoshun offers an omakase experience that combines the two. At Hoshun, the degustation-style meal, meticulously prepared and artfully plated, more or less begin with starters, followed by a soup, sashimi, seasonal nigiri sushi, a couple of cooked or grilled dishes, a rice course and dessert — and depending on the menu, you can even opt to upgrade your main dish to more sushi. While you dine, note the artist Red Hong Yi’s feature piece of a long mountain range made from vegetable printing blocks. Lunch omakase menus start from RM380. Dinner omakase menus start from RM450.

Chef Hiroyuki Murakami, formerly of Tokyo’s Ginza Sushimasa, makes the most sublime small plates at The Linc’s Sushi Hara. The pursuit of perfection is relentless: from the freshest fish air-flown from Japan to its eventual setting on exquisite made-in-Japan tableware. For omakase, sashimi might include servings of akagai red clams, chutoro, and fugu pufferfish, while sushi could feature kuruma ebi or nodoguro, the rosy seabass. There’s also an a la carte menu, offering donburi (think Australian wagyu steak don and unagi don) and kaisendon, topped with assorted rich fish. To drink, there are over 30 sakés to choose from, plus Japanse whisky, wines, and tea.  Lunch omakase menus start from RM168+. Dinner omakase menus start from RM428+.

Two things to note of importance: Ed.ju seats only ten, and serves aged — not fresh — fish. It’s a technique that chef-owner Eddie Ng has perfected with a variety of fat fish, aged anywhere between a week to two months. At the helm, he’s joined by chef Wataru Inoue, a Michelin-experienced sushi master whose 30-year career has spanned across Japan and other parts of Asia including Macau, Hong Kong and Thailand. The omakase experience blends tradition and innovation; think classic nigiri sushi alongside cooked fish, to beyond Edo-style offerings of crispy tempura. Lunch omakase menus start from RM290+. Dinner omakase menus start from RM380+.

Sandwiched between an electronics store and a 7-Eleven in Sea Park, this unassuming (but so, so ambitious!) omakase eatery offers something a little different to the others. Helmed by head chef-owner Jack Weldie, Chipta11A is a curated dining restaurant with a convivial vibe. The “no-menu menu”, as the self-taught chef of Kadazan-Dusun descent calls it, is a culinary journey fusing Japanese-Malaysian ingredients and techniques. A Chipta11A one-of-a-kind creation is, for instance, the grilled aka ebi with kulim emulsion, mixed herbs and a belacan vinaigrette; kulim, a rare jungle fruit native to Malaysia, is used here for its earthy notes. These days, the nigiri courses may feature the fist-sized sea snails awabi; masaba and dry-aged tuna smoked with pine wood; and samurai oysters from Hokkaido. Expect the unexpected.  Lunch omakase from RM280. Dinner omakase menus start from RM350.

It’s a true rags-to-riches story. After ten years of selling her namesake nasi lemak by a streestside stall in Kampung Pandan, Saleha Abdullah now operates two restaurants and three kiosks, pocketting profits of over RM400,000 monthly. She owes it all to her nasi lemak: a plate of fluffy, steaming-hot rice cooked in santan, accompanied with half a boiled egg, cucumber slices, ikan bilis goreng, peanuts, and the all-too-important house-made sweet-spicy sambal.  The nasi lemak pairs perfectly with ayam goreng berempah — crispy skin, juicy meat, so good you can eat it on its own — or even ayam or daging rendang, paru berempah, or sambal sotong.

If you ever find yourself hungry for nasi lemak in Bandar Baru Selayang or Gombak. Nasi lemak is done a little differently at Ujang Corner, self-styled ‘the best nasi lemak in town’: fragrant coconut rice is plated on a banana leaf with cucumber slices, half a boiled egg, and a scoop of sambal. But ikan bilis and peanuts are nowhere to be found, although Ujang Corner more than makes up for it with over a dozen lauk add-ons, from ayam masak merah, ikan keli berlada and the east coast specialty ikan tongkol berlada to rendang daging, rendang limpa, sambal sotong, and more.  Prices are affordable: a plate of nasi lemak plus any of the above add-ons will set you back only RM7. If you opt for bergedil, and you should, that’s RM2 à la carte. Queues are long, but fast-moving.

Time’s a-ticking, and it's mere days to Christmas. If you still haven't settled your festive shopping, here are ten places to run to for good last minute presents. Lifeshop Atelier A life without Lifeshop Atelier is no life at all. Expect to spot a variety of carefully curated, quirky furniture and décor, ranging from antique art pieces to chic vintage French round chairs, and clothing, confections, lighting, scents, and stationery. Sunday’s Sunday’s is stuffed with everything from ceramic cups, pillows, and toys, plus artwork prints, vintage knick knacks, and other home décor essentials. Nala Designs   Photo: Ng Su Ann         Even if it is a last minute gift, your giftee will be feeling the love for months to come with a present from Nala Designs. The handcrafted, locally-grown brand, which began as a salmagundi of stationery, has expanded to include accessories, books, clothing, home décor and homeware. Ben’s Independent Grocer The grocer is a great place to source (edible) presents for your foodie friend. Think balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and T2 teas. Pick up a bottle of wine on your way out. Kaison Malaysia The gift and home décor retailer delivers affordable, cute-sy home furnishings. Think of it as an atas Daiso. Come here for framed inspirational-type quotes and metal plates, mugs, mass-produced artwork and paintings, pillows, soft toys, stationery, wooden letter blocks, and home décor items. Ilaika   Photo: Ng Su Ann         Pick up something thoughtful from pur