Kuala Lumpur: A City for Vegans!

On a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, my colleague Claire and I were delighted to discover that there were vegan dishes galore in the capital. KL has a diverse culture, and the city’s many Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern restaurants offer everything from hummus and falafel sandwiches to aloo ghobi, chana masala, and mock-meat variations of all the traditional Chinese favorites.

On this visit to the Klang Valley, I noticed several new food finds that had popped up since my last visit, the best being that the city now boasts several Boost Juice outlets. In addition to the healthy fruit-based options that Boost offers, it also serves up luscious, “creamy,” and dairy-free cookies-and-“cream” (made with everyone’s favorite accidentally vegan cookie, Oreos!) and strawberries-and-“cream” shakes. Just ask the server to make your drink dairy-free, and you’re in for a real treat!

Boost Juice in Pavilion mall

Cookies-and-"cream" and strawberries-and-"cream" shakes

It was rumored that there was a row of vegetarian hawker stalls behind our Bukit Bintang hotel, but sadly, we never got to try them because when we attempted to find the stalls, we ran into an injured pigeon who had to be rushed to the veterinarian. We did, however, make it to the vegetarian food stall in the basement of the posh mall Pavilion, which offered scrumptious mock-meat dishes and beautifully prepared vegetables for cheaper than you’d pay for a coffee at some places.

My favorite vegetarian restaurant in KL has always been Woods Macrobiotics, which is home to everything from veggie burgers and donuts (all with a healthy spin, of course!) to energizing juices and salads. Here’s my lunch of udon noodle soup and the Five Energy Salad:

Even dining at the airport is easy, now that the low-cost carrier terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport boasts a pure vegetarian Indian restaurant.

So if Malaysia is next on your vacation list, there’s no need to worry about not being able to find delicious vegetarian food. For a complete list of restaurants in the bustling city, check out HappyCow.net.

Posted by Ashley Fruno