In the middle of Kuala Lumpur you will find the unique Kampung Baru district, home to an ethnic group of traditional Malays.

Kampung Baru is a very interesting island of local rural architecture of low houses with gardens among modern skyscrapers.

The area is constantly on the radar of developers and the city has been negotiating with local residents for years to sell off land to build modern high-rise buildings. But Kampung Baru continues to resist and hold on to its unique character.

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To the northwest, Kampung Baru is joined by another district popular for street food and local markets - Chow Kit.

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The main street of the district is Jalan Raja Muda Musa, surrounded by local eateries, restaurants and small street food stalls.

It's easy to tell that this really is an authentic place by the fact that the locals far outnumber the tourists.

We liked Kampung Baru as a place to sample a fix of local cuisine by far the most out of the easily accessible locations within the centre.

Certainly Kampung Baru is infinitely more authentic than touristy Bukit Bintang, and there's a much wider variety of eateries than the famous Central Market.

In Kampung Baru, you'll come across the most genuinely Malay restaurants (Bukit Bintang and the Central Market area tend to be dominated by Thai and Chinese). Prices for traditional Nasi Lemak with chicken are around 11 myr.

Some restaurants do accept cards, but many of the smaller stalls only accept cash.

How to get there

Kampung Bar is easily reached on foot from the Petronas Twin Towers via the futuristic-looking Saloma Link Bridge in about 15 minutes.

On the southern edge, use the "Kampung Baru" metro station, which is crossed by the red Line 5 in the direction of Masjid Jamek, Pasar Seni or KL Sentral.

Where to stay

Kampung Baru is not one of the locations with a lot of accommodation, but if you want to have local street-food on your doorstep every night, we would recommend these options:

• Tamu Hotel & Suites Kuala Lumpur **** - The only classic hotel in the area with nice views of downtown Kuala Lumpur.
• The Luxe Colony KLCC BY Infinitum - very cheap and modern apartments with prices ranging from 30 usd

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