Central Market Food Court

We constantly encounter food stalls that proudly claim to be of a certain origin and always seem to be famous for some reason. Stalls with signs that take advantage of “state-of-origin” food fames like Famous Penang Laksa, Ipoh Chicken Rice, Original Kajang Satay, and a bit more international; Original Thai Tom Yam etc. Get the drift?

Ironically, all these stalls are easily found in KL (so it’s not really “Penang Laksa”) and more often or not, these are just abused claims. Heck, there are so many Penang and Ipoh food stalls in KL, that Penang and Ipoh would no longer have anymore stalls of their own!

Of course there are a handful of really good stalls featuring actual styles of food preparation from a certain land of origin; a good example would be a Penang Char Kuey Teow stall in a certain coffee shop in Section 13, it’s so good it’s even been featured in the newspapers before.

If you’ve not been to the new and improved Central Market lately, it’s about time you take a trip there. Apart from the much, much improved decorations, layout and toilets, the food court is a major attraction that to us, seems to be rather underrated. And in this food court, you will find a whole lot of Penang this, Kedah that, Thailand this, Kelantan that etc. The difference is, almost all these stalls taste authentic!

The Food court now has a more premium feel to it, with premium plastic chairs and weaved rattan chairs, top notch cleanliness, really nice flooring and overall, it really looks well maintained. And unlike say the very overrated Midvalley Food Court, its prices are really, really affordable too!

Kelantan Nasi Campur RM5

Among the many Malay skewed food stalls, one that we must highlight is the Kelantan Nasi Campur (or something like that). It’s got SUPERB tasting rendang dishes, curries, fried stuff as well as a host of other Malay style favourites. We had a serving of belacan kangkung, mutton rendang, and fried egg all in pretty large portions for less than RM5! The taste alone makes up for the price.

Considering the constant flow of foreign tourists in the area, it’s good to know that the Central Market food court is good enough to make a good impression. And if you’re taking a day trip to the less premier part of KL, do yourself a favour… have some Kelantan Nasi Campur for lunch.

Local Chicken Rice RM6