NASI LEMAK and TEH TARIK Night Out with Mark and Sharits

This is one thing I learned in Malaysia, vices come at a price.Basic commodities are cheap,gas,food,fares,clothes, but those that you don't need are expensive, cigarettes,beer and that kinda stuff.That explains why my title speaks of "night out" but what we had was food trip instead of a drinking session.

I came all the way from Melaka that day.Had to catch the 6pm bus to get to KL by 8pm.Took the MRT from TBS to Bukit Jalil station where Mark and his friend Sharits we already waiting.They went there all the way from work.It was a regular workweek for both of them so I was really thankful to both of them for making the time.Sharits even drove for us.

 
Sharits (left) and Mark (right)

The best way to learn about a place is by talking and interacting with the locals.Mark,although a Filipino,has been working in KL for years so he knows about Malaysia.Sharits on the other hand is a local himself and he has been nothing but supportive and friendly.

We went around Bukit Jalil area for a few minutes.Mark told me about the "dining out" habits of Malaysians as we moved around one of the areas full of "mamak stalls".We are talking here of long line of buildings full of restaurants.In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or cafe-type establishments.---source:

 

"Kuala Lumpur residents usually go out for dinner after work before going home,they prefer dining out as it is their form of socialization" Mark said.I was really impressed at the diverse selection of food stalls to choose from.From fast food to fine dining.I also noticed restaurants with extensions on the sidewalk.Malaysians love eating in these open areas.

We settled in a restaurant ,HAILAM KOPITIAM.I asked Mark to suggest something for me to eat and he immediately said that I should try Nasi Lemak,no doubt one of the most popular dish in Malaysia.

Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. It's cooked in coconut milk, with pandan leaves and even ginger or lemon grass. Nasi Lemak is available on almost every street corner and in almost every local-themed restaurant, served with everything from chicken to beef to cuttlefish.

We were lucky that night.The restaurant happens to have a weekend promo where you order 1food and you get 1free.I ordered Nasi Lemak Special (chicken) for RM.9.60 and I got a BIG serving of Mee Hoon Soup for free!yay!

 
Nasi Lemak Special!!!

Mark ordered Thousand Island Chicken Rice for RM.9.90 and got Tuna Egg Croissant for free!

 

Sharits ordered this rice meal which name I missed but I know is very spicy and got something for free.We got very full and our bill totaled only RM30.

 

I really enjoyed the Nasi lemak Special.just the right spice for the chicken and it goes with peanuts,cucumber and boiled egg on the side.I like it coz it's not extremely far in taste with the comfort food that i am so used to.

We then transferred to another mamak stall near the Bukit Jalil Stadium where we had our drinks before going home.Drinks in this case doesn't mean beer.There's more to enjoy in Malaysia than alcohol.

I ordered Teh Tarik which is considered as a food heritage in Malaysia. Teh Tarik literally means “pulled tea,”.It got its name from the way it's being prepared.The mixture is poured back and forth repeatedly between two vessels thereby giving it a thick froth on top.

 
where's the frothy top on this Teh tarik????hmmm

Aparantly,the guy who served my Teh Tarik was kinda strange.There were only three of us but I ordered a second drink coz the teh tarik is supposed to be hot and I wanted something cold after finishing my milk tea.I guess he was confused so he served the three drink and went away with the Teh Tarik still on his tray.

We were puzzled why he went away with it only to come back a few minutes later to serve it again.Asked why he didn't serve it along with the other drinks,he said he went back to the kitchen to remove the froth.Huwat??????I thought Teh tarik is teh tarik because of that froth? Hahaha.Funny.A portion of happiness seeing that froth denied there.

Enjoyed the milk tea nonetheless.I can't remember how much the tea is actually but I recall paying only RM20 for the four drinks. ftw!

 

It was past 11pm when we finished and my two companions were to report to work the next day so we decided to call it a day.Sharits dropped us in front of Mark's apartment in Bukit Jalil.

But I guess a good night out is not complete without alcohol after all.Mark and I dropped by a 7-11 Convenience Store and bought beer,one for each of us.It's really true that sin commodities in Malaysia are expensive. A bottle of beer in KL costs RM15 on the average.That's a wooping  195 pesos there!hahaha

 
 view from Mark's Apartment in Bukit Jalil

The consolation would be that their beer comes in big bottles.Mark and I got just the right amount of tipsiness. I made a good decision to sleep over at mark's place coz going back to my hotel along Bukit Bintang coz his place is kinda far from the city center and taxi fare could get really expensive at night as a surcharge fee is legal in KL after midnight.

Mark went to bed while I had to update my blog for the Airphil Express Bloggers Contest.It was a brief yet memorable night for me.Thanks Mark for all the help,during the duration of my stay and the endless bbm messages prior to flying to KL.You really are one of the reasons why I successfully survived the KL tour.Owe you a lot!

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This is part of the KL Bloggers Challenge courtesy of Airphil Express and Tourism Malaysia.

Airphil Express now flies to KL 3x a week: link here: