Swiss Inn & Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
I’m off on my first overseas trip this year – it’s been 6 months which is a long time between gigs for me considering I’ve been back and forth between Australia and the region fairly frequently in the last 2 years.
This time around I’m going to visit some Shangri-la Resorts to experience their newly-launched Rooted In Nature programme of locally-sourced menu ingredients, and I’m also visiting KL/Melaka courtesy of People Express Travel who are providing ground support during my stay.
Baby Noah is even more happy than his usual self as we pull up at Sydney International Airport . I’m fairly certain he remembers and associates airports with imminent fun, sun and great food.
Flashback: Baby Noah at Sydney International Airport waiting for our flight to KL
Posted by Jackie M. on Wednesday, June 10, 2015
We hop onto our Air Asia flight and Noah is giddy with excitement, squealing at the top of his lungs while I weakly apologise to our fellow passengers. Nobody seems to mind.
Baby Noah plots mischief at the start of our 8 ½ hour flight. Never mind jet lag, my main preoccupation is how to keep his exuberance in check.
We land an hour late due to stronger-than-expected head winds. On arrival at KLIA2 I’m greeted by my local driver and guide, Zaid, and from there we head to Swiss Inn in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown – they will be hosting my stay for the next 2 nights via People Express Travel.
I catch up with People Express’s tour designer, Diana, at the hotel lobby and head off to Swiss Inn’s eatery for dinner. Mee Hailam catches my eye – I’ve had Mee Hailam in Kuala Kangsar before.
Mee Hailam by Swiss Inn, Chinatown KL
Mee Hailam is Malay for Hainanese Noodles – and ever since I tried it in Kuala Kangsar I’ve been wanting to learn how to make it. It usually looks like noodles in brown gravy but Swiss Inn’s version has some carrot slices in it to add a bit of visual interest. Diana speaks with the hotel’s manager, Mr. Rahman, and arranges for a cooking demonstration for me tomorrow. I can’t wait.
After dinner we take a quick stroll through Chinatown and Petaling Street – it’s an area known as much for its knock-offs as for its great eats. Sadly for the fake goods vendors I’m not the sort to pay any amount of money for even authentic brand items (my wardrobe consists of a mix of hand-me-downs and made-in-China Ebay purchases), so the knock-offs hold less than zero interest for me.
I do love eating frog however, so this is what I have for supper – frog (not just its legs – waste not, want not) in a ginger and shallot sauce. A great way to end the night 🙂
Frog with Ginger and Shallot Sauce
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