Where to find the best street food in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hidden under mounts of skyscrapers and noisy streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a little roadside eatery tucked away in a secluded area around junkyards and automobile repair shops.

The only signature of the dilapidated looking eatery is the luscious green foliage of a huge tree – which is why the place is aptly called and referred to as “The Place Under the Big Tree” by the locals. The only indication of a shop’s name is a vague board that says “Steam Fish Head Food Stall”.

Eat home-style Asian food like a local

One look and you know this is a locals-only joint because under the zinc roof and the wooden house, you would not expect to see men and women dressed in their office attire sitting on a plastic stools eating their lunch there. A stark contrast in comparison united by only one thing – the food served.

The food is to die for and the cuisine is Hakka (a subgroup of Chinese), home-style. The kitchen is open space and occasionally, you’ll see sparks fly from their huge fire stoves as the chef fans the flame to the proper temperature. Of course, their signature dish has to be their steamed fish head among other things. A proper home-style Chinese meal courses through a bowl of rice for each person and several dishes shared communally. Be prepared for a savory preserved yellow bean, onions, ginger, garlic and chili sauce on the fish head – it sure packs a punch.

To order like a local, impress the waitress by saying the name of the steamed fish head dish in the local Chinese dialect: “cheong jing yu thau”, which translates to “cheong jing” style fish head. Ask for recommendations as well as their other dishes are wonderful.

How to get there ?

Since there is no proper address to the place, the only way to get there is:

1. Ask a local from Kuala Lumpur to take you there
2. Pay a taxi to take you to one of these automobile repair shops and you walk to The Place Under the Big Tree.

In the likelihood that you don’t know anyone who knows of the place I am talking about, I will walk you through it with Option #2. Find a taxi driver (preferably a Chinese driver because he would probably know the place better than a non-Chinese) from your hotel’s concierge or hailing it from a taxi point and tell him to bring you to Art Auto Works off Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Sungei Besi, Kuala Lumpur. Or better yet, tell him this: “Big Tree Head Chao Fun”, he should get the picture. Anticipate a big tree and a hawker style food area – and you’re there!

I know this is pretty much off the beaten tracks in Kuala Lumpur but it shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes from the city center unless there is a jam. Once you have arrived, the place is usually loaded with customers between 11am-4pm (they are closed on Sundays) so be prepared to wait a short but well -deserved wait, as there are no reservations.

The Place Under the Big Tree is in between No. 5, Jalan 3, Off Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Kuala Lumpur and 9, Jalan 3, Off Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Kuala Lumpur.

Photo of Kuala Lumpur street food originally posted by Catsper

Topic:  Restaurants & Food | 5 Comments
Tags:  budget, food, restaurants

About the author

Elaine Lim is a freelance copywriter with several published articles in local food magazines. Her interests lies in traveling, which mainly involves hunting for local delicacies and fine cuisine. During her spare time, you can find her packing for a trip or feeding her loved ones. Elaine would like to visit the whole of Italy someday.