Globetrotting
MALAYSIA
Voyage
through Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Kuching
by Lawrence Ferber
(Page 1 of 2)
I’m jonesing for dinner at Top
Spot (Jalan Padungan), an outdoor food court
located
atop a parking structure, where you pick fresh
seafood
and select the preparation method—perhaps with
slivered ginger and herbs. Thian dismisses my
request,
taking me to Bla Bla Bla (27 Jalan Tabuan.
Tel: +60-8-233-944).
Downtown Kuching looks dusty, a bit worn. It
lacks any
modern, urban shimmer. Bla Bla Bla, however,
is stylish.
The food is largely Chinese with a twist
(butter prawns
with cereal) and they serve midin (Borneo’s
edible
curly ferns), one of the reasons I’m back
here.
A few steps away is Junk Bar
(Tel: +60-8-2259-450),
one of several equally cool sister businesses
on the
same strip. Thian orders a 555 for me, a
signature cocktail
he helped create. A combination of tuak (rice
wine),
sour plums, orange peel, fresh lime, and
water, I re-christen
it “The Donut.” It’s yeasty and sweet,
like a distilled Dunkin’ Donut. It also
completely
messes me up. Happily, Kuching’s gay bars are
within
walking distance. Grappa is mainly Malay. Soho
is largely
Chinese. Both are chock full of youngsters.
Dare we
go? Thian and friends roll their eyes. That’s a
no.
We drive, instead, to Jambu
(32
Crookshank Rd. Tel: +60-8-2235-292. www.jamburestaurant.com),
a mixed bar/restaurant that feels like
someone’s
mansion. While relaxing on the outdoor patio’s
wicker couches, observing a “tomboy” lesbian
(“husband” and “wife” roles are
the norm here), a small plate of cake is
offered by
a well-known transsexual with a talent for
baking. They’re
made in the famous, time-consuming Kuching
style: a
multitude of thin, colorful layers. Delicious!
My next stop is Penang, famed
for its
Batu Ferringhi beach, colonial British
Georgetown, and
mélange of Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic
temples
(the nuttiest, the Chinese Snake Temple, is
populated
with live, poisonous pit vipers). While here I
meet
up with Rozz, a sassy drag queen singer who
appears
at gay-friendly restaurant/lounge, Bagan (18
Jln Bagan
Jermal. Tel: +60-4-2264-977); Aussie
expat/hotelier
Narelle, who transformed a pair of
heritage homes
into boutique properties (www.straitscollection.com.my);
and Joe Sidek, an impresario/industrialist who
takes
me to the peak of Penang Hill for amazing
twilight views
and a Chinese Steamboat (hotpot) dinner, as
well as
the astounding 1880s Chinese courtyard house, Cheong
Fatt Tze Mansion (14 Lubuh Leith. Tel:
60-4-262-0006.
www.cheongfatttzemansion.com),
which doubles as boutique hotel. I learn there
isn’t
much gay nightlife here beyond Bagan and a
mixed disco,
Momo (2 Jalan Penang. Tel: +60-4-262-3030).
Doing as the Romans do, I
binge on street
food, but my iron stomach luck has run out and
for the
next several days I pay a price.
Back in KL, Eric Choong, a
designer
with five labels to his name, whisks me to
Kechara
Oasis (Unit 19-LG1, Level B1 Block D Jaya
One, No.
72A, Jalan University. Tel: 60-3-7968-1818. www.kechara.com/oasis),
an outstanding vegetarian restaurant owned by a
Buddhist
organization. We tear through multiple orders
of the
addictive, crispy butter mushrooms and
convincing “meat”
BBQ skewers. My stomach accepts Kechara’s
offerings
greedily, without negative consequence.
Pampering follows. First, a
traditional
Malay massage at The Ritz-Carlton’s
(168,
Jalan Imbi Tel: 60-3-2142-8000. www.ritzcarlton.com)
tucked away Spa Village. Next, a high-end
incarnation
of a recent trend at Kenko Reflexology
& Fish
Spa (168 Jalan Bukit Bintang. Tel:
60-3-2141-6651.
www.kenko.com.sg).
After spraying my feet and legs with a
vinegary solution,
I dangle them into a man-made pond.
Minnow-like fish
frantically attach themselves. I yelp from the
tickling
sensation as the hungry critters go to work,
sucking
and scraping away dead skin, their delicacy of
choice.
They appreciate ethnic fusion cuisine too.
[Published:
June, 2010]
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