Revisit: Lunch @ Madam Kwan's (KLCC), Kuala Lumpur

When we were in Malaysia last month for my cousin's wedding, we spent half the time catching up with relatives, and the other half eating. It was great when we could combine the two! On the day after the wedding, I spent much of the morning texting my cousins to arrange an impromptu lunch date before people started heading back for their home away from Kuala Lumpur. I suggested Madam Kwan's at KLCC since we previously had a great experience, and the location was convenient for those of us who had stayed overnight in the area after the wedding (and for my poor cousin who got called to go in to work on Sunday morning!). The food was three to four times more expensive than what we can get at the hawker centre, but the comfort and hygiene levels were infinitely better, and dining in the air con is so much better than sweating it out in the hot humidity outside. Especially when there are little ones! No one objected to my suggestion, so everyone made their way to Madam Kwan's for a delicious meal.

The 5-year-old requested the Nasi Bojari - Madam's tri-coloured rice with assam prawns, beef rendang and deep fried chicken drumstick (RM24.90). He ate everything but the assam (tamarind) prawns and the beef rendang which would have been a bit too spicy for him. The boy especially loved the fried chicken:

You can also order the Fried Chicken Drumstick on its own (RM10.90):

One of hubby's faves, the Char Kuey Teow (RM18.90) - flat rice noodles with chicken, prawns, squid, egg and beansprout. Delicious:

Another of hubby's favourite Malaysian dish is the hor fun, kind of like char kuey teow, but with a viscous egg sauce. At Madam Kwan's, it is called Fried Beef Noodles (RM19.90) - flat rice noodles with sliced beef, ginger and spring onion in egg sauce. Also delicious:

Curry Laksa (RM15.90). Each Malaysian state has its own regional version of laksa, and this particular bowl sparked a discussion about the differences between the laksa types in Penang, Sarawak and the curry laksa found elsewhere:

This curry laksa was superb:

Claypot Seafood Beancurd (RM25.90). I liked it so much last time that I had to reorder it:

Cendol (RM8.90) - green jelly and red beans served in coconut milk with gula melaka (palm sugar) on the side. So, so good. Definitely a big upgrade from the 50-cents cendol I used to buy as a kid from the motorbike vendor who rode past my house in Malaysia every afternoon:

Ais Campur (RM8.90), aka Air Batu Campur (ABC; "air batu" means "rock water" for the ice and "campur" means "mixed") or Ais Kacang ("kacang" means "beans" or "peanuts"). This is another childhood favourite, a shaved ice dessert with sweet red beans, attap chee (palm seed), sweet corn, grass jelly and nuts under the shaved ice, with a generous drizzle of sweet syrup and condensed milk:

Madam Kwan's is a solid choice for trying out the local hawker fare in the air-conditioned convenience and comfort of a luxury mall.

Madam Kwan's
Lot.420/421, Level 4, Suria KLCC
Jalan Ampang
50088, Kuala Lumpur
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel. +60 3 2026 2297