Rice on banana leaves
South Indian restaurants, many of them halal.
Shesmax — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shesmax — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shesmax — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shesmax — CC BY-SA 4.0
A few minutes' walk from KL Sentral station and everything changes: Tamil music from the shops, jasmine garlands hung in doorways, colourful Indian-style street pillars, and the smell of spices and incense. This is Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur's Little India, named after the brickworks that stood here in the nineteenth century. The main street, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, is lined with shops selling saris, gold, spices and Indian sweets, and the coloured arches over it make it a pleasant walk. Food is the first reason to come: South Indian restaurants serving rice on banana leaves and Indian breads, many of them halal because a large share of the community's Muslims live here. The neighbourhood is short on major sights; the visit is about walking, eating and shopping rather than sightseeing. At Deepavali, in October or November, it is decked in lights with seasonal markets everywhere, at its most beautiful but also most crowded. It is free and always open, and evenings are nicer than midday. KL Sentral is minutes away, so it pairs with the National Museum next door.
South Indian restaurants, many of them halal.
Painted arches and shops of saris, gold and spice.
The neighbourhood decked in lights in October or November.
Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
Thean Hou TempleSix tiers of sweeping red roofs and hundreds of hanging lanterns on a hill above12 minutes walk4.5
National Museum of MalaysiaFive ringgit, one of the cheapest things you will pay for in Kuala Lumpur, buys 12 minutes walk4.2
Sri Kandaswamy KovilOne of the leading Sri Lankan Tamil temples in Malaysia, in Brickfields, known a14 minutes walk
National PlanetariumMalaysia's national planetarium, a building crowned by a large blue dome on a hi15 minutes walk
Royal Museum (Old National Palace)This is the one place in Malaysia where you can walk into a real royal palace. T16 minutes walk4.2For lovers of Indian food, yes: it is one of the best halal eating areas in the city. Anyone after sights will find little, so make it lunch or dinner after the National Museum.