A Foodie’s Guide: 8 Must-Try Rawang Food
If you fancy an authentic culinary experience, then a trip to Rawang should be on your itinerary in Malaysia! Featuring hidden restaurants, cafes and humble hawker stalls, this small town will open your eyes to some of Malaysia’s best dishes, and we’re here to talk about them!
Whether you’re looking for quick bites, sweet treats, savoury meals and anything in between, you’re bound to find something to your liking here. Furthermore, we’ve also included the best restaurants you can check out to try them out!
Steamed Tilapia at Restoran Lan Je
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Address: 45, Jln Setia Rawang 1, Taman Setia Rawang, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 17-619 1599
Operating hours: Wednesday to Monday: 11:30 AM to 8:00 PM
Cost: $
If you’re looking for something halal-friendly while you’re here you should set your sights on the famous steamed tilapia served at Restoran Lan Je! It’s not uncommon to see customers feasting on this dish with no sides, as the restaurant follows a saying: “one person, one fish”.
We can’t blame these customers though, as this simple yet delicious piece of steamed fish is more than enough to satisfy both your tastebuds and hunger. The meat itself is perfectly tender, and it’s complemented by the flavourful concoction that it’s drenched in.
This sauce is made up of various spices and condiments like soy sauce, garlic, ginger, spring onion and red chilli peppers—a whole bunch of them. The result is a slightly spicy flavour that has a smooth overall texture—delicious!
Pro tip:
If the steamed tilapia wasn’t enough to satisfy your hunger or you simply want to try something else from their menu, we recommend ordering their kung pao chicken and minced meat tofu.
Fish Head Curry at Tasik Puteri Golf and Country Club
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Website: https://www.tasikputerigolf.com
Address: Jalan Tasik Puteri Golf, Persiaran Tan Sri Low Yow Chuan, Bandar Tasik Puteri, 48020 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 3-6034 4721
Operating hours: Daily from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Cost: $$-$$$
If you’re looking for something more unique, you should try eating fish head curry at least once during your visit to Rawang. This delicacy may not sound too appetizing on paper, but what makes it special is the way it’s prepared.
Sure, it’s easy to grimace over a fish head, but once you see it marinating in mouth-watering curry sauces inside a clay pot, it’s a whole different story! The meat in the fish head isn’t too bad as well, especially when it’s soaked in the sauce’s coconut milk, curry leaves and onions.
You can easily find this dish in various restaurants across Rawang, but we especially recommend it in the country club. Their version of this dish is a bit more elevated, being served in a clay pot and all—plus, nothing beats the view!
Pro tip:
If you can’t wrap your head around eating fish head but still want to dine inside the country club’s restaurant, you can try ordering their chicken rice! It’s an all-time classic that you can’t go wrong with.
Satay at Satay Pak Wan
Website: https://www.facebook.com/SatayPakWan/
Address: 97, Jalan 7/A3, Bandar Tasik Puteri, 48020 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 13-340 1433
Operating hours: Daily from 3:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Cost: $
For those times when you don’t know what to eat, you can’t go wrong with one of Malaysia’s most popular street foods, satay! It’s an all-time classic delicacy that consists of skewered meat (chicken, beef, lamb, beef tripe) grilled over charcoal.
The finishing touch of this relatively simple dish is the peanut-y marinating sauce that’s brushed on the meat while they’re being grilled. This dish is a great way to enter the bustling street food scene in the country, as it’s not exotic—plus, who doesn’t love grilled meat?
You can find it in various hawker stalls and restaurants across the country, but one of the best places to try them is Satay Pak Wan. It features several branches across the country, and it’s one of the go-to spots for tourists and locals alike when they’re craving this comfort food.
Pro tip:
Since this restaurant is popular among locals and tourists, we recommend visiting it before dinnertime if you don’t want to wait in long queues. If you can, the best time to visit it is from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.
Chicken Rice at Rawang Beansprouts
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Website: https://www.facebook.com/rawangnewtownchickenrice/?locale=ms_MY
Address: 13, Jalan Bersatu 10, Taman Bersatu, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Operating hours: Daily from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Cost: $
Chicken Rice is a staple Malay dish, and no food crawl in Rawang would be complete without trying it out! The name of the dish may perfectly describe what you’ll get when you order this dish, but it doesn’t do it justice, as it’s more special than just a pairing between chicken and rice.
For starters, the chicken itself is steamed to perfection to the point where you can easily shred it with your utensils without exerting much effort. It’s also bathed in a gingery soy sauce that you can also use to flavour the soft and fluffy rice that comes with this meal.
The main reason we recommend this restaurant for this dish, however, is its deliciously fresh bean sprouts and meatball soup. These two dishes prove to be great accompaniments to the otherwise simple combination of chicken and rice.
Pro tip:
If you’re visiting with a group or you just feel hungrier than normal, we recommend ordering their “full set”. This meal comes with fish, pork balls, chicken and of course, a plate of nice fluffy fragrant rice!
Nasi Kukus at Nasi Kukus Ulek Mayang Rawang
Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/亞華茶室-Kedai-Kopi-Ah-Wah-100063974326000/
Address: B27-G, Jln Reef 1/2, PUSAT PERNIAGAAN REEF, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 13-935 5594
Operating hours:
- Weekdays: 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- Weekends: 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Cost: $
Nasi Kukus is a specialty dish that originated from the East Coast of Malaysia, and fortunately, one of the best restaurants that serves it is located in Rawang. The main reason we say this is because they let their customers choose the main meat/ingredient of their nasi kuku.
Customers can choose whether they want catfish, ayam dara, ayam berempah, ayam cincang or quail. Regardless of which one you choose, however, you can still expect the same delicious flavour of this dish.
Lastly, the name pertains to the way the rice is cooked, as it’s meticulously cooked in aluminium bowls to achieve a fluffy texture.
Pro tip:
If you’re looking for a great place to chill after eating as many nasi kuku as you can, make your way across the street to ZUS Coffee.
This peaceful little coffee shop serves a variety of delicious coffee and non-coffee drinks and features an ambience that’s perfect for afternoon tea times.
Kam Heong Crabs at 828 Tks V River Forest Seafood Restaurant
Website: https://www.instagram.com/tksv_riverforestseafood
Address: Lot 1090, Mukim, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 11-7000 0303
Operating hours:
- Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11:30 AM to 11:30 PM
- Friday and Saturday: 11:30 AM to 1:00 AM
Cost: $-$$
If you love seafood or anything spicy, you have to stop by Tks V River Forest Seafood Restaurant and try their sweet and spicy crabs! Imagine this: succulent white crab meat drenched in a tangy sauce filled with herbs and spices—need we say more?
We specifically recommend this restaurant because the crabs they serve here are certified extra large! These are mud crabs and they pack tons of white sweet meat—yum!
Also, it’s worth noting that these crabs have been caught on the same day, so they’re at their freshest state! Lastly, if that’s not enough to entice you, their price point is quite reasonable for a seafood restaurant.
Pro tip:
You can also order their juicy prawns to add variety to your table. Don’t worry though, as their small size is entirely made up for by the same type of flavourful sauce found with their mud crabs.
Eight Treasures Duck at Bun Heng Restaurant
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Website: https://www.facebook.com/RawangBUNHENGRestaurant/
Address: 16, Jalan Maxwell, Pusat Bandar Rawang, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 12-619 0808
Operating hours: Thursday to Tuesday: 12:15–3:30 PM, 6:15–9:30 PM
Cost: $$
Eight Treasures Duck is a famous Cantonese dish that you should try while you’re in Rawang, more particularly at Bun Heng Restaurant. If you’re curious about its name, it’s because of the eight different ingredients that are stuffed inside the duck before being cooked.
The most notable of these ingredients are the rice, shrimp and mushrooms, as they play a huge part in making the distinct flavour and texture of the overall dish. You can also find other spices and herbs that make up the fragrance of the duck including dried chestnut and lotus seeds.
Aside from their impressive selection of Cantonese dishes, we highly recommend this restaurant because they’ve been around forever! Their recipe has been passed down from generation to generation, so you can expect the same authentic dishes from the old days.
Pro tip:
If you’re looking for something more meaty, you can also order their Zhejiang pork ribs. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something to sip on along with your duck and ribs, you can order their winter melon soup!
Ram’s Bamboo Briyani & Shell Out
Website: https://www.facebook.com/RamBambooBriyani/
Address: No.43, Jalan Bandar Rawang 7, Pusat Bandar Rawang, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
Contact details: +60 14-640 1914
Operating hours: Daily from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM
Cost: $
A unique way to enjoy an old Indian staple with a unique twist is by trying bamboo biryani. As you may have gleaned from its name, the special thing about this version of biryani is that it’s cooked inside bamboo.
To be honest, we’re not sure if this adds anything to the dish flavour-wise, but we’ve got to admit, it’s cool when the server starts to unveil the biryani by lifting the bamboo. It’s a classic Instaworthy moment that we highly recommend you capture.
Gimmicks aside, Ram’s Bamboo’s version of biryani is delightful, featuring a plethora of ingredients such as crabs, prawns and squid. All of these fresh seafood are marinated in a spicy lip-smacking sauce—yum!
Pro tip:
If you don’t know what to get or you’re not a big fan of seafood, in general, we advise getting the classic varuval mutton biryani. Their mutton is distinctly tender and it perfectly blends well with the spicy curry that they use to marinate the meat.