Catering mainly to the day worker crowd, there are lots of street-side restaurants in Kuala Lumpur that pop-up for lunch.
While randomly browsing Kuala Lumpur, searching for something to eat, I bumped into a little Chinese buffet serving something known as Economy Rice (video).
It included all the great indicators of a delicious street food restaurant (a small gathering, stunning aromas, a few scattered tables and chairs, and often under a big shade tree), and I immediately knew I wanted to be part of whatever was going on.
Though Malay food and Indian food are also frequently served in this buffet manner, this particular street food establishment happend to be of the Chinese variety (which I didn’t know until coming closer).
Economy rice is just like nasi campur (one of my favorite things in the world), but instead with all Chinese dishes.
I eagerly motioned for a plate of rice, not the takeaway foam box version, and happily started analyzing what I’d carefully include on my plate.
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Unlike having to fight in the buffet line in Vietnam, in Malaysia things are calm and organized. Everyone has an equal opportunity to fill their plate!
Just about everything looked good and freshly prepared.
The pan full of fried tofu chunks swimming in thick brown soy sauce was tempting and I placed a couple scoops onto my plate. I also couldn’t resist the pan of braised pork spare ribs which appeared to be incredibly flavorful.
At the far side of the buffet line were about 10 dishes of vegetables, mainly greens.
Happy with my plate creation I took a seat on one of the ancient plastic tables along the street.
I arrived at about 11:30 am, so I presume I beat the main lunch crowd, meaning I was able to get a table all to myself.
See those glazed nuggets of pork?
Just as they looked, they were extremely meaty, fall apart tender and bursting with wonderful sweet and salty soy sauce and maybe a hint of black bean flavoring.
The full meal cost just 4.50 RM ($1.50). It was a normal everyday lunchtime meal, and it was pretty delicious.
I really have no idea about the hours or days they are open, but I can tell you that I ate there on a Tuesday at about 11:30 am.
And just in case you happen to find yourself in the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur (video) during lunchtime hours and want some cheap and tasty Chinese food, here’s a map:
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sully86
10 years ago
mark: Hey mark. Thanks for the answering my questions. I will be getting back to you if I need some more information
Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans
10 years ago
The pork and greens look divine!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Dana!
paul | walkflypinoy
10 years ago
I love love these street-side buffets. They have ’em in every city here in SEA, I think. Bangkok’s are the best, but with that price (a little more than a dollar) KL is a strong contender. Haha.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Paul, I agree, one of the best things about SEA!
Josh
10 years ago
That looks so good. Can you recommend a good street food cookbook for these simple but tasty dishes?
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Josh, thanks a lot. Hmm, I’m not sure, have you seen David Thompson’s book about Thai street food?
Rachel
10 years ago
That looks so yummy! That water spinach is perfect for your meaty, juicy spare ribs and tofu. perfect lunch. <3
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Rachel!
Jessica
10 years ago
oh I love these kinds of pop-up buffets – Malaysia really offer so many wonderful dishes!!!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Glad you love them too Jessica, Malaysia is a food paradise!
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence)
10 years ago
While I never saw a pop-up version of these types of buffets, they have definitely been our one of our favorite types of food in KL & Singapore! Whenever we see the “good Chinese eggplant” (as we call it to amongst ourselves) we are pretty much powerless to resist! The only thing I dislike is that they seem to charge based on the number of dishes you sample, and I always want to try a bit of everything!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Steph, glad you also love the eggplant, it’s one of my favorite dishes too. Yup, they do often charge on how many dishes you take, but it’s still so worth it!