KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — I feel a disclaimer is needed before I start writing, lest someone hipper and more in sync with the heartbeat of Klang Valley jumps in with much cooler joints. I must add that I’m a 36-year-old so my list of what’s hip may sound horribly outdated to all you young’uns. These are some of the places I’ve come across in the last few years that I thought were interesting. I made sure to include lit (as the wee ones would say) eateries from all over Selangor so whether you’re in PJ, KL or Klang, you’re represented.
CookieNation was created on such a simple premise — freshly baked soft cookies served with ice cream — that I’m surprised no one has thought of it before. They do a great job with the higher-end candy-inspired cookie creations and you just need to add RM5 for a scoop of their delicious ice cream. Besides their ice cream cookie sandwich, they also have cookie cups in which you can enjoy your scoop of ice cream. I just love this place! These are comforting childhood treats you can enjoy again as an adult.
Beard Brothers’ BBQ has been getting a lot of hype and justifiably so. They do American style barbecue — smoked with wood with the mantra “slow and low”. The low heat helps bring a pink smoke ring to the meat products while retaining moisture. They have beef ribs, beef brisket, lamb and chicken — and they smoke all their meat in-house. You can pop behind and see the huge racks of wood beside the smokers. I love their flavourful and fork-tender beef brisket. Delicious! You owe it to yourself to check out this place if you’re a meat lover.
Stiq is a “permanent food truck” located in Wangsa Maju. They serve lamb, beef and chicken products at a reasonable price. The beef steak is just RM27 and comes with a free soft drink. All their meat goes through a sous vide (temperature controlled water bath) process before being grilled so it’s tender and juicy. They only serve it at one doneness though — medium, so you can’t have it rare or well done, but considering the price, it’s a minor quibble.
SALTed actually stands for Sarawak Authentic Local Taste Extra Delicious. They do Sarawakian favourites like kolo mee, Sarawak laksa and belacan beehoon. The strongest dish here is the Sarawak laksa. I’m from Sibu and this tastes just like the ones we get back home. Anthony Bourdain famously calls it the “breakfast of the Gods”. Be sure to come early because SALTed closes at 3.30pm. By the way, Sarawakians usually eat kolo mee and laksa for breakfast.
Getting there:
CookieNation
D-G-13, Sunway Nexis Mall, Jalan PJU 5/1, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: Surian
From the station: 200 metres
Operating hours: Noon-11pm
Beard Brothers’ BBQ
PG-01, Tropicana Avenue, Persiaran Tropicana, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya
LRT/MRT: Surian
From the station: 600 metres
Operating hours: Noon-2pm and 6-10pm (Tuesday to Thursday); 6-10pm (Friday), 11am-10pm (weekends). Closed on Mondays.
Stiq
Jalan 4/27A, Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur
LRT/MRT: Wangsa Maju
From the station: 500 metres
Operating hours: 6pm-1am
SALTed
30-1, Jalan PJU 7/16, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: Mutiara Damansara
From the station: 600 metres
Operating hours: 10am-3.30pm
More MRT info:
MRT Surian
Opened in December 2016, this station serves the suburb of Kota Damansara in Petaling Jaya and is named after Persiaran Surian, the road above which the station is located.
Shoppers will find this stop useful as it is located near the Dataran Sunway commercial area where Sunway Giza Shopping Centre and Sunway Nexis are found.
About 1km away is Encorp Strand Mall and Giant Hypermarket Kota Damansara while Section PJU5 of Kota Damansara is also close by.
There are two entrances: Entrance A and Entrance B. A pedestrian link bridge connects Entrance B with the Sunway Nexis development while an elevated pedestrian linkway connects Entrance A with the Tropicana Gardens, a 6.9ha mixed development property. There are feeder bus stops, taxi lay-bys and drop-off areas at both entrances along Persiaran Surian.
LRT Wangsa Maju
Did you know that this area, now a major township in the city, was previously occupied by Setapak rubber estates from the 1900s until the 1980s when the township was formed?
The housing areas around here are Wangsa Melawati, Desa Setapak, Taman Sri Rampai and Taman Bunga Raya, to name some. Shopping centres in the vicinity include Alpha Angle and Aeon Big.
There are also several Chinese temples and related cultural activities happening in the area.
MRT Mutiara Damansara
The station has a high traffic flow as several residential properties are in the vicinity like Mutiara Damansara PJU 7, Bandar Utama (BU4) and the Effingham (BU5).
It is accessible from five different directions namely the North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sprint Highway (Penchala Link), Damansara Perdana and Persiaran Surian.
With shopping centres like The Curve, Ikano Power Centre and Ikea Mutiara Damansara, not to mention the Royale Bintang Damansara hotel nearby, this station is one bustling place.
