Routes · Asia

Shanghai to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang

Shanghai → Singapore → Kuala Lumpur → Penang

Food capitals Best season (general guide): Jan–Mar

Some of the best eating in Asia happens in three cities linked by short hops: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and George Town on Penang Island. From Shanghai you fly direct to Singapore, then move north up the Malay Peninsula, and each stop adds its own mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan flavours. The itinerary spends three nights in Singapore, three nights in Kuala Lumpur and three nights in Penang.

Singapore is the most orderly of the three. Its hawker centres, from Maxwell to Lau Pa Sat, are the best way to try chicken rice, laksa or satay, and the Gardens by the Bay and the Little India and Kampong Glam districts are close by. Kuala Lumpur, a short flight away, has a busier street-food scene on Jalan Alor, the Petronas Towers and the Batu Caves just outside the city. Penang is the culinary finale. George Town's UNESCO-listed heritage core is full of shophouses, clan halls and murals, and evening food courts serve char kway teow, asam laksa and cendol. The train or a short flight both work for the KL to Penang leg.

The region is warm and humid all year. On Malaysia's west coast, roughly January to March tends to be the driest period. April is an inter-monsoon month that often brings heavy afternoon storms, and Penang and KL both have their wettest months around October and November. Lunar New Year can close some family-run stalls for several days, and it's also a busy time to travel.

Hawker stalls often close one day a week and sell out of popular dishes, so go early. Malaysia's KTM electric trains link KL and Butterworth, from where a ferry crosses to George Town. In Singapore, the East Coast Lagoon food village is a good place for chilli crab and satay by the sea, and Penang's Kek Lok Si temple and Penang Hill make a cooler half-day away from the street-food lanes.

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