Old Town White Coffee

<—-Previous Story

After sipping the oat powder, I walked away from the edge of Tun Sambanthan Street. Crossing it to reach the Central Market courtyard.

In the courtyard, I stood still, looking at all the market buildings which were sparkling with lamps. This was one of the landmarks in Kuala Lumpur which is more than 130 years old.

“Hhmmhhh….Central Market, what should we do on my fourth visitation this time?”, I thought.

“Ohh…Better to dissect every corner of it tonight”, I decided.

From the front yard of the Central Market, I shifted to the east side of the building. This was the Kasturi Walk, a 75-meter-long path filled with shops selling clothes, fruits, local food (one of them is Ipoh white bean), children’s toys, handicrafts, and other souvenirs.

Kasturi Walk is a part of the Central Market which is unique because along the way it is covered with a roof where at the base of the roof a typical Malaysian kite design is pinned. Kasturi Walk itself only takes a small part of Hang Kasturi Street which stretches for nearly half a kilometer.

Malaysian food and beverage stall at Kasturi Walk.

Please note, if the Central Market was the king of wet markets in the past then Hang Kasturi Street was famous as the dry market.

I was amazed enjoying the crowd along that path even though none of the items were purchased. Nothing else, because my intention was only to complete the exploration of the Central Market.

After exploring each end of Kasturi Walk, I immediately entered the Central Market building. I also entered it in 2014 when I was shopping for t-shirts and key chains for some colleagues in Jakarta. But now, I would just walk through its corner by corner, floor by floor then found out more about its contents.

Entering through the east door, I was faced with a row of stalls divided by a long corridor. Rows of stalls offered souvenir knick-knacks, sparkling gemstones, dry fruits, various kinds of aromatherapy, batik, communication tools, and other merchandise.

Located in the center of the room, a welcome sign in various languages hangs from the market ceiling to welcome all visitors. Meanwhile, the favorite place for visitors on the first floor is the well-known outlet….Old Town White Coffee.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor after finishing my exploration on the first floor. Seen on the second floor, there were corners for the promotion of tourism and the culture of Malaysia. This was an important advantage of the Central Market, besides being a shopping center, it also functioned as the face of tourism and Malaysian culture.

After visiting the cultural corner, at least I understood that the Central Market regularly holds Cultural Dances which were held on the outdoor stage (Central Market courtyard). From that cultural point of view, I also received information that in the Sarawak area, Malaysia had a part of the Dayak ethnic group called the Laki Iban. In that corner, they also introduced their typical clothes, nicknamed Kelambi and Sirat.

The rest of the second floor looked crowded with the existence of the Central Market Food Court. The food court was inhabited by all kinds of stalls. Apart from various typical Malaysian soups and special dishes from Penang or Ipoh didn’t miss the typical Thai taste. Meanwhile, Kopitiam would facilitate the enjoyment of coffee in other ways.

As an illustration, food prices at the Central Market Food Court also vary and could accommodate visitors with various wallet thicknesses. Starting from 1.9 Ringgit for the price of a piece of Sunny Side Up to 24.9 Ringgit to make up for a portion of Grilled Lamb Chop.

Apart from being a food court, part of the second floor is also enlivened by rows of clothing shops, with batik being an idol on this floor. I continued my steps by enjoying the typical patterns of Malaysian batik.

Central Market Floor 1 (photo taken from Floor 2).

Food stalls at the Central Market Food Court Level 2.

Clothing stall at Central Market Floor 2.

Finally, even one hour I went around and observed the activities of visitors at the Central Market until the shopping center began to quiet because it was late at night. I slowly started to go down the stairs to arrive downstairs and got ready to go back to the inn.

I had to wash and rest because tomorrow I would explore several tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur until noon.

Thank you, Central Market.

Next Story—->

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Usai menyesap serbuk oat, aku beranjak pergi dari tepian Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Menyeberanginya untuk mencapai pelataran Central Market.

Di pelatarannya, aku berdiri mematung, menatap segenap bangunan pasar yang gemerlap dengan pelita. Inilah salah satu landmark di Kuala Lumpur yang telah berusia lebih dari 130 tahun.

“Hhmmhhh….Central Market, harus bertindak bagaimana di kunjungan keempat kali ini?”, aku membatin.

“Ohh…Lebih baik membedah hingga ke setiap sudutnya malam ini”, aku memutuskan.

Dari depan halaman Central Market aku bergeser ke sisi timur bangunan. Adalah Kasturi Walk, jalur sepanjang 75 meter yang dipenuhi kedai perniagaan pakaian, buah-buahan, makanan lokal (kacang putih Ipoh salah satunya), mainan anak-anak, kerajinan tangan dan souvenir lainnya.

Kasturi Walk adalah bagian Central Market yang tersemat keunikan karena sepanjang jalurnya ternaungi atap dimana pada pangkal atap disematkan desain layang-layang khas Malaysia. Kasturi Walk sendiri, hanya mengambil sedikit bagian dari Jalan Hang Kasturi yang membentang sepanjang hampir setengah kilometer.

Kios minuman dan makanan khas Malaysia di *Kasturi Walk*.

Perlu diketahui, jika Central Market adalah raja pasar basah masa lalu maka Jalan Hang Kasturi terkenal sebagai pasar keringnya.

Aku sungguh terlena menikmati keramaian di sepanjang jalur itu walaupun tak ada satupun item yang terbeli. Tak lain, karena niatku hanya untuk menyempurnakan eksplorasi Central Market.

Purna menjelejah hingga ke tiap ujung Kasturi Walk, aku segera masuk ke dalam bangunan Central Market. Aku pernah pula memasukinya pada 2014 silam ketika berbelanja t-shirt dan gantungan kunci teruntuk beberapa kolega di Jakarta. Tapi kini, aku hanya akan melintasnya sudut demi sudut, lantai demi lantai, kemudian mengetahui isinya lebih mendalam.

Memasuki melalui pintu timur, aku dihadapkan pada deretan kios yang terbelah selasar panjang. Deretan kios itu menawarkan pernak-pernik souvenir, kilauan batu permata, dry fruits, berbagai macam aroma terapi, batik, alat-alat komunikasi dan dagangan lainnya.

Berada di pusat ruangan, papan ucapan selamat datang dalam berbagai bahasa bangsa tergantung di langit-langit pasar demi menyambut segenap pengunjung. Sedangkan tempat favorit para pengunjung di lantai satu adalah outlet kenamaan….Old Town White Coffee.

Aku menaiki tangga menuju lantai dua usai menuntaskan eksplorasi di lantai pertama. Tampak di lantai dua, tersedia pojok-pojok promosi pariwisata dan budaya Negeri Jiran. Inilah keunggulan penting dari Central Market, selain menjadi pusat perbelanjaan juga berfungsi sebagai muka pariwisata dan budaya Malaysia.

Usai mengunjungi pojok budaya, setidaknya aku memahami bahwa Central Market rutin menyelenggarakan Cultural Dance yang dihelat di outdoor stage (pelataran Central Market). Dari pojok budaya itu, aku juga mendapat informasi bahwa di daerah Serawak, Malaysia memiliki bagian dari etnis Dayak yang bernama Laki Iban. Di pojok itu diperkenalkan pula pakaian khas mereka yang berjuluk Kelambi dan Sirat.

Selebihnya lantai dua tampak ramai dengan keberadaan Central Market Food Court. Medan selera^*1) itu dihuni oleh berbagai macam kedai. Selain aneka sup khas Malaysia dan masakan khas dari Penang atau Ipoh, tak ketinggalan pula cita rasa khas Thailand. Sedangkan Kopitiam akan memfasilitasi penikmati kopi dengan cara lain.

Sebagai gambaran, harga makanan di Central Market Food Court pun bervariasi dan bisa mengakomodasi pengunjung dengan berbagai ketebalan dompet. Bermula dari 1,9 Ringgit untuk harga sepotong Telur Mata hingga 24,9 Ringgit untuk menebus seporsi Grilled Lamb Chop.

Selain medan selera, sebagian lantai dua juga dimeriahkan oleh deretan kedai pakaian, batik menjadi idola di lantai ini. Aku melanjutkan langkah dengan menikmati pola-pola khas batik Malaysia.

Central Market Lantai 1 (foto diambil dari Lantai 2).

Kedai-kedai makanan di *Central Market Food Court* Lantai 2.

Kios pakaian di Central Market Lantai 2.

Akhirnya genap satu jam aku berkeliling dan mengamati aktivitas pengunjung di Central Market hingga sentra perbelanjaan itu mulai sepi karena tertelan malam. Aku pun perlahan mulai menuruni anak tangga untuk tiba di lantai bawah dan bersiap pulang menuju penginapan.

Aku harus berbasuh dan beristirahat karena esok hari aku akan menelusuri beberapa spot wisata di Kuala Lumpur hingga tengah hari.

Thank you Central Market.

Keterangan:

Medan selera ^*1)= food court

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Tag: Old Town White Coffee

Repeating Again The Kasturi Walk at Central Market

Mengulang Lagi Kasturi Walk di Central Market