Where to watch the World Cup in KL?

June 19, 2010 7:06 PM

[Travel filter] Will be Kuala Lumpur for a 3 day stopover next Saturday. Atmospheric places to watch the World Cup, please?

We will be staying at the Ritz Carlton and have never been to KL before. Are two twenty somethings who are pretty bold travellers but know very little about traversing the streets of KL and don't speak the language. We would appreciate any other tips on great things to do, as we have a 2 dayer on the way home, too, so might get a bit bored of shopping!

posted by man down under to travel & transportation around Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (4 answers total)

The Ritz Carlton is in a very central location in KL so getting around shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry about the language as most Malaysians speak English reasonably well, especially in the capital.

Places to watch the World Cup/football generally fall into 2 categories; clubs/pubs and "mamak" stalls. If you are looking to have a beer during the match, there are plenty of upmarket bars along the Bukit Bintang Road. I suggest taking a walk along that road just prior to matches to find a place that suits you.

If you are willing to get down and dirty with the locals during a match, head over to one of the ubiquitous roadside mamak restaurants run by Indian Muslims. They are invariably equipped with large lcd tv's and satellite channels, although alcohol is not served on these premises. Whilst there, make sure to try a "teh tarik"(frothy milk tea) and a "nasi lemak"(rice boiled in coconut milk, served with spicy shrimp paste, anchovies and peanuts).

I currently live in KL, so feel free to ask any more questions about your visit!
posted by ianK at 11:52 PM on June 19, 2010

It has been three years now since I've been there and KL seems to change all the time, so my advise is probably dated and a bit vague.
From Google Maps it seems like the Ritz Carlton is right in the middle of the general area I'd start looking. There should be a bunch of pubs and bars around Jalan Imbi, Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail. And if that's not too helpful, there used to be a bunch of clubs in the part of Jalan P Ramlee between Jalan Sultan Ismail and KLCC that had big screens and showed big sport events.

Language shouldn't be too much of a problem - I've always got around just nicely with just English.
posted by dominik at 12:05 AM on June 20, 2010

ianK the latter option sounds right up our alley-- only I'm wondering if this kind of place will be ok to bring mrs down under? I don't know how conservative KL is-- sorry if this is a ridiculous question!
posted by man down under at 12:45 AM on June 20, 2010

Mamak restaurants are perfectly fine for women. I was just at one yesterday with a female friend in full clubbing attire and no one batted an eyelid. Of course, common sense prevails; try to dress sensibly.

Make sure to show up slightly early to get a good seat in front of the telly, especially for the big name matches. The waiters don't mind you sitting around for ages, nursing your drink as they are quite used to it.

Here's some Malay vocabulary that might be helpful when it comes to ordering at these places.

Drinks (minum, pronounced mee-nom)

teh tarik - hot frothy milk tea
teh ais - milk tea with ice
teh o panas - hot tea without milk
teh o ice - iced tea without milk
milo panas - hot chocolate drink
milo ais - cold chocolate drink
limau ice - iced lime juice
teh o ice limau - iced lime tea (this one is great!)

Food (makan, pronounced mah-kan)

nasi lemak - as described above
roti canai - layered flat-bread, served with lentil sauce and curry. Most places have an option of having this prepared with margarine (planta), eggs (telur), cheese, canned sardines (sardin) or just plain (kosong).
mee goreng - fried noodles
maggi goreng - fried ramen noodles
nasi goreng - fried rice

You can have side dishes of chicken (ayam), fish (ikan) or cuttlefish (sotong) with these. If spicy food doesn't agree with your palates, say, "tak nak pedas", literally "don't want spicy".

Most of these places also serve nasi kandar, where you get a plate of rice and point to curried dishes laid out buffet style. Just go to the counter and say "nasi".

Just grab a seat when you arrive, you don't need to wait for a waiter to seat you.
To get the bill before you leave, ask the waiter to "kira" (kee-ra).
posted by ianK at 2:08 AM on June 20, 2010