Secrets of KL Food, Art and Cocktail Tours

KL Food Art Cocktail Tours

Kuala Lumpur city has always impressed me in many different ways, but on a recent exploration, I have to admit that I was totally out of touch with KL city and what it has to offer in terms of tourism, entertainment, and nightlife. 

This unique story starts with me taking a specialized experience called Secrets of KL Food, Art and Cocktail Tours which is created, managed and operated by Simply Enak, a local food tour company in Malaysia. 

Secrets of KL Food, Art and Cocktail Tours

So, you may be wondering what is this tour about, and let me share my experience on attending this so very unique tour which is what Kuala Lumpur city needs right now.

KL Secrets Tour
Pauline from Simply Enak and her guests at the start of the Secrets of KL Tours.
 
Don't get me wrong, but there are a ton of tours available in KL but all of them are the commercial tourist type of tours.

You usually come across the usual KL city tour, Putrajaya tours, Batu Cave tours, and the list go on. 

Simply Enak, a pioneer in the Malaysian food tours, has been operating the general KL Food Tours for many years now and has branched out to some different food tours in Malaysia. 

Pauline is the mastermind behind this setup and her passion for sharing the wonders of Kuala Lumpur through food and culture made her come up with this unique idea.

Simply said, the objective is to bring visitors to experience a different side of Kuala Lumpur just as the sun sets in the city. 

Exploring Petaling Street's Local Food and Culture Scene

KL Chinatown Tours
Petaling Street's south entrance arch in Kuala Lumpur

The Secrets of KL Food, Art and Cocktail Tour starts at 4.15 PM by meeting up with the licensed tour guide at the Pasar Seni MRT Station, which is located in the Petaling Street or Chinatown KL area. 

The tour actually starts at the MRT Station by viewing some of the creative artwork or murals that are painted in the station.

These murals tend to reflect a very modern contemporary art showcase of traditional Kuala Lumpur and truth be told, they are quite interesting to look at.

KL Petaling street Tours
Exploring Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown on foot is part of the tour.

From the train station, the four-hour tour starts on foot and heads towards Jalan Tun H.S Lee, where Pauline introduces the various Chinese and Indian temples along the way.

After the short walk along Jalan Tun H.S Lee and exploring some of Kuala Lumpur's old businesses, Pauline makes a stop at one unique shop selling the world-famous durian puffs.

She patiently explains how the unique fruit can be made into many other desserts and opens up a tasting experience for the group, which is, of course, something I wanted to try.

Tailor-made Tours Kuala Lumpur
One of KL's Chinese Restaurants is along the tour route.

On the way back, she points out various popular local Chinese restaurants, one that is over 50 years old and still attracting locals and some curious tourists.

Along the way, Pauline never seizes a moment to keep the group entertained with her interesting facts and information that is done casually.

This makes the tour less tiring and more interesting due to the constant information being shared along the walk.

Chocolate Shop Museum Kuala Lumpur
Inside the Beryl's Chocolate Shop at Petaling Street in KL.
 
Our next stop is, of course, something that recently opened at the Southern end of Chinatown and the place is called Beryl's Chocolate Story, which is a chocolate museum, cafe, and shop combined in one concept.

Inside this unique chocolate shop, Pauline will explain the different types of chocolates which of course include the famous Malaysian Cocoa chocolates.

A tasting is done with some of the unique chocolates while one of the staff there will continue to share valuable information about the type of chocolates.

Durian Chocolate Malaysia
Beryl's Durian Chocolate, a must by as a souvenir from Malaysia.

Don't be surprised when you see Durian Chocolates being sold here, and if you are a huge fan, these can be bought as souvenirs from Malaysia.

Beryl's has been a local household name for chocolate since 1995 and only recently, they have moved towards a more international name.

Kuala Lumpur Popular Tourist Spot
Kwai Chai Hong or Prankster Lane at Petaling Street, KL.

A quick tour of this place then leads you to the next place located just behind the Beryl's Chocolate Shop and is also one of KL's new tourist attraction called Kwai Chai Hong or Prankster Lane. 

This beautiful heritage row was preserved and refurbished to acknowledge what Petaling Street used to be like back in the good old days from the 40s to the 60s.

While here, Pauline or your guide will give you a more verbal explanation of how this place got its unique name.

And if you love photography or want to get a nice memorable picture of your Secrets of KL tours, this is one of the places to do it.

Speakeasy Cocktail Bars in Kuala Lumpur 

Bar Tours in Kuala Lumpur
The beautiful and rustic interior of the Attic Bar in Petaling Street.

After a light dinner and dessert and a short walk, our next stop is one of Kuala Lumpur's hidden speakeasy bars called The Attic Bar.

This is one of the many little speakeasy bars that have mushroomed in the last two to three years around Petaling Street. 

Getting to the bar is an adventure by itself, where you walk through a hotel, then climbing up two floors using an antique cast iron spiral staircase before going through a wooden door and then only arriving at the attic of the building. 

Once up here, you will be pretty much impressed with the beautiful decoration of the bar and walk towards the outdoor section where the complimentary cocktail will be served to you. 

Do not worry if you don't take alcohol or a Muslim traveller visiting KL as Simply Enak can arrange for a mocktail and pork-free food selection on the tour.

Local Food Experience Tour in Kuala Lumpur

Foodie Tours KL
Claypot Chicken Rice, just right for a KL Foodie Tour.

From the evening cocktail tour, you move up towards the main Chinatown area where a mandatory stop to sample one of Malaysia's popular Chinese hawker food called Claypot Chicken Rice.

Here, guests are treated to a large bowl of the dish, which is cooked openly over a charcoal fire. Pauline briefly explains how this dish came about before placing the order. 

From there, we were brought into the main Petaling Street shopping area where Pauline introduced us to the local street dessert stall selling Tai Kao Meen (Peanut Turnover) and Apom Manis or Soft and Sweet Pancakes.

Of course, we were treated to sample some of these popular Malaysian desserts which are done by this old Chinese uncle, who has been selling these for over 30 years.

KL Food Tour
Pauline explains the different types of local Chinese biscuits during the tour.

From the dessert stall, a short one-minute walk brings us to one of the oldest traditional biscuits and cake shops in Petaling Street called Fung Wong.

This traditional biscuit shop is now in the fourth generation serving some of the best freshly baked biscuits and cakes in Kuala Lumpur.

The tour continues through Petaling Street or Chinatown KL with Pauline leading you through the many stalls along the way. Vendors will call you to see their wares but we did not make a stop.

However, if you see something that you may be interested in, please do let Pauline know as she can help you negotiate the price of the item.

RexKL, a Heritage Building Revived for Today's Lifestyle

Petaling Street RexKL Cinema
The entrance to RexKL in Petaling Street.

We end the tour at RexKL, one of the latest attractions in Petaling street where an old abandoned cinema was refurbished to cater to the lifestyle travellers.

This multi-store concept building houses various concept stores, a unique food centre and of course one of the popular speakeasy bars called Modern Madness that sells very unique craft beers.

Pauline introduces us to some of the strangest craft beers which will definitely impress any beer drinker. A paddleboard of craft beers is served complimentary and we get to try some of these beers.

The menu at Modern Madness Craft Beer Bar changes from time to time, hence when you are there, you will see what is available. I would recommend trying the Kopi Stout and Assam Boi Beer.

And if you are not a drinker, not to worry as Pauline can easily order a non-alcoholic drink for you. Our group sat down nearby and thus the tour was concluded. 

Craft Beer Bar in Kuala Lumpur
Some of the unique craft beers served at RexKL Craft Beer Bar.

Conclusion

I have to say that this KL Secret Tour experience was totally unexpected, even as a local hailing from Kuala Lumpur, we often tend to overlook our own little backyard. 

There are many little hidden gems that we don't see, but others may see, and Simply Enak's Pauline has a strong eye for things like this.

Her dedicated passion and a strong command of English makes the tour so comfortable and worthwhile, that even I could not pull something like this off.

KL Private Tours
Pauline is one of the most passionate persons I have met in terms of sharing her hometown experiences.
 
For anyone visiting Kuala Lumpur and wants to experience a very unique and interesting tour, you can contact Simply Enak and they will arrange everything for you. You can also Whatsapp or call them at this number: +6017-287 8929. 

Simply Enak has a dedicated team of tour guides, that are licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, and have been doing specialized food tours in Kuala Lumpur for almost a decade.

They are one of the highly recommended companies for any specialized food tours due to their passionate nature in sharing the best of Kuala Lumpur.

Simply Enak Food Tours Pauline
Pauline of Simply Enak takes some time to pose for a photo.
 
They also operate a Penang food trail called Eat, Drink Georgetown, which takes you to discover the best food of Penang along with some of the cultural experiences along the way.

Therefore, if you are in KL or Penang, and has around four hours of free time, go ahead and experience the little secrets of Kuala Lumpur with the Secrets of KL Food, Art and Cocktail Tour.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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