After the stress of moving a dog to Malaysia it was time for Scott and I to find our happy place, FOOD! Southeast Asia has so much to offer when it comes to food. However, food wasn’t the only thing that took us down to Kuala Lumpur for the first time, it was knives. Yes, knives. Hand made Damascus Steele with Malaysian wood. Scott wanted a good set of kitchen knives and he put in the research. He found Wayne, who is a chef from Dewakan (a 2 star Michelin restaurant in Kuala Lumpur) that started making Japanese knives during covid when the restaurant shut down. Wayne communicated well on the details of the knives and long story short we had a trip planned to pick up knives in KL (Kuala Lumpur).
Friday
Scott took a half day off work and we rode the 4 hours by car to KL. Fikri was nice enough to drive us and to show us some local food when we arrived. We enjoyed an evening walk around the Petronas towers and some food stalls, then ate some Nasi Lemak, so good!
We stayed at a cozy place called the Villa Samadhi. It was a beautiful retreat within the city limits. The villas were luxurious, clean and quiet. The staff was friendly, parking was easy, happy hour was enjoyable and the amenities were impeccable. It was an oasis that I highly recommend staying at if visiting KL. Very romantic having your own hot tub…..
Saturday morning
After a good night’s rest we had a fun filled day ahead of us. We had a “tourist” itinerary planned which involved seeing a lot in little time. We saw –
- Merdeka Square –a historical site where Malaya declared its independence.
- Sultan Abdul Samad Building –The building was originally home to the secretariat of the colonial British administration and later housed the supreme courts of Malaysia. Today it houses the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture.
- Tugu Negara (national monument) – commemorates a young nations struggle for freedom and to those who died defending it. Principally it is to the 11,000 people who died during the 12-year communist insurgency known as the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960).
- National Mosque –The mosque was built in 1965 following the independence from Britain in 1957and a boom in construction of public buildings.
- Petronas Twin Towers and square –the world’s tallest twin towers reaching a height of 1482 feet and with 88 above-ground floors and 39 elevators.
Now the pictures!
Saturday Night
After a jam packed morning and afternoon we headed back to the villa for happy hour and spent time getting pretty for our dinner.
Dinner was at Dewakan Restaurant located at level 48 of Naza Tower. It’s the only 2 star Michelin restaurant in Malaysia and it very much has earned it! The location, ambiance, kindness of staff, and of course the food was all astonishing. Wayne (our knife guy) set us up with a tour of the kitchen before dinner. The kitchen was artfully ran and the chefs were very impressive. We saw how they plated dishes and tasted local spices that went into many dishes. Dewakan took pride in their local food and displayed it so gracefully. The first 30 minutes was just the beginning of an incredible night. Once we made our way into the dinning room our host sat us at an impeccable seat that had views of the Petronas Twin Towers, gorgeous at night.
Now, If I were to go through all 12 food dishes and the 7 wine pairings that we had, this post would take longer than it is. The pictures tell the dish and a quick description. One thing I would like to note is that we ate pigeon. I already know your first thought on that…. “Wow, I wish I could try pigeon!” See, I knew you were thinking that…. If you are curious on the taste, it was very comparable to duck, just a lot smaller. On to the pictures
Sunday
Before leaving KL we wanted to make one more stop to Batu Caves. A short drive from KL and if someone was staying in KL city, an easy train trip. A 400 million year old limestone cave that became home to a Hindu Temple in 1920. The two “largest” attractions, literally the largest, is the gold Hindu God, Lord Murugan and the colorful stair case. Lord Murugan stands at the base parking lot and towers over at 140 feet. The colorful staircase is nothing short with over 272 steps to reach the cave entrance.
Before entering I made sure my clothing was modest, because this is a place of worship. My shoulders were already covered with my shirt and I wrapped a sarong around me to cover my legs. Just an FYI if anyone wants to visit a Hindu temple please respect their culture and be prepared to dress appropriately. I saw a lot of people forbidden to enter this beautiful place because of their attire.
We made the journey up the stairs and into the caves. The beauty inside did not disappoint. It wasn’t a long trip but definitely worth the short jog from KL. After our visit we headed back home!
The Knives!!!
The whole reason for the trip, the knives!! Thanks again to Wayne for helping set up our dinner and of course making the knives. We were also very lucky to have the knives delivered to our villa so we didn’t have to carry them, unbelievable service. If anyone wants to look at Wayne’s work you can find that here. Of course, pictures of the knives…..
After the incredible weekend we had in Kuala Lumpur, the kitchen knives almost seemed like a free gift from QVC……. almost.
Again, if anyone has any questions feel free to reach out.
Sending love from Penang,
Ry
So glad to read this and see the amazing pictures ❤️. You both look SO happy
Love you
Thanks, Robin! Love you too!
All looks so fun and the food pretty crazy! That poor pigeon! We will sure miss you guys at Thanksgiving this year, but hopefully we’ll see you in a couple years. Even better would be to see you before then!
Love you, Aunt Janis
We miss you too! We will have to FaceTime while everybody is together. We’ll let you know when we are back next so we can plan a visit!
Love you,
Scott & Ryan
I love story time with Ryan!
Hahaha!! Thanks, Del!