The pasar malam in Taman Connaught, Cheras is well known for being ‘the longest night market in Malaysia’. Well, not anymore since the title has been stolen by Setia Alam’s night market. But they still have seemingly endless choices of food for you to stuff yourself with, from snacks to desserts to drinks to full-on meals.
And they have also started to gain a reputation for having all sorts of unique and quirky food options for you to choose from, brought in from all corners of the globe to our humble abode of KL. Always wanted to join the throng of market-goers but unsure about what you’re gonna eat there? Read on to find out the most unique dishes available at Taman Connaught’s pasar malam:
Bubble Egg Waffles
Popular as a Hong Kong street food, these waffles from Pok Pok (that look a lot like bubble wrap) are filled with gooey cheese and soft egg batter, and topped with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and sprinkles. They’re then folded and eaten like a taco. Everybody loves that classic combination of warm, crispy waffles and soft ice cream, and these don’t disappoint! They also have a newly introduced flat pancake version of the waffles, using the same unique batter, with a golden molten centre. They’re mouthwatering to say the least!
Cola Chicken
The name might throw you off, but no, the chicken isn’t actually infused with cola (though that would be awesome). This Korean-inspired offering brings us the timeless pairing of piping hot deep-fried chicken with ice-cold cola, and they do it with unique presentation to boot. A tall paper cup is filled with Coca Cola on the bottom, then a layer of fried chicken is placed at the top. To complete your chicken, you can choose from all kinds of toppings and six different sauces, including wasabi, cheese, seaweed, and sweet and spicy Thai sauce. Now you can both eat and drink at the same time (though I don’t know why you’d do that!).
Home-Made Cocktails
Who would’ve thought that you can now get cocktails at a pasar malam? This stall opposite Hong Leong bank serves up colourful layered drinks in mason jars, and you can choose whether to pour some booze in or leave it alcohol-free. Each drink has its own distinct flavor combinations and colours, most of which incorporate some sort of fruit. Included in their menu are Romantic Cherry Blossoms (mango), Fielde Of Gold (soursop), and Bright Blue Rose (blackcurrant). Perfect for cooling down on these hot Malaysian nights!
Fresh Meat Milk Tea
Yes, I too did a double take upon reading the name of this stall, but seeing how their drinks are served, it all makes sense (sort of). Fresh Meat Milk Tea serves various kinds of drinks including milk tea (obviously), pandan, honey milk, and chocolate milk. But what makes them unique is that they serve their drinks in bottles shaped like naked human torsos. I don’t know why they made that choice, but their drinks seem to be a big hit with market-goers who’ll have a little giggle at the cheekily-shaped bottles. Try it out for yourself, and make sure to save the bottles as a keepsake!
Cartoon Cakes
Taiwan Cartoon Cakes stall has been around for years, and they make adorable little cakes in the shape of popular cartoon characters! They pour the batter into cartoon-shaped molds, reminiscent of a waffle iron, and make the cakes fresh before your eyes. Choose from famous characters like Pikachu, Hello Kitty, and Doraemon and munch on these cute snacks while making your way down the market!
Fried Salted Egg Dishes
If you’re part of the salted egg bandwagon, definitely seek out the Ultraman Salted Egg stall. They make fried salted egg chicken, squid, and pumpkin, and you’ll know when you’re nearing this stall by the heavenly smell wafting around the area. They also have an Ultraman theme going on (if you couldn’t already tell), with the mascot proudly displayed on the stall front and an Ultraman stamp on every paper bag.
Lots and lots of cakes
Cakes, cakes galore! UCO Pastry has so many different kinds of cake it gets hard to count them all! From fruit-infused cakes like strawberry, cranberry, and passion fruit, to richer flavours like tiramisu, caramel white coffee, chocolate oreo, and green tea with red bean, and their crowd-pleasing Japanese cheese cake, you’ll definitely find something to like at this stall. They aren’t the ‘best-selling cheese cake in Malaysian night markets’ for nothing!
Korean Bingsu
If you don’t know what bingsu is, it’s basically the Korean version of our local ABC. A mound of shaved ice is topped with an assortment of toppings that you can choose from, and this stall at the pasar malam serves it all up in interesting containers to boot. Top your shaved ice with fruits, marshmallows, chocolate, cereal, even green tea or brownies! The bingsu will be served in either a beaker-shaped container or one that looks like a trash can (???). Try not to get too overwhelmed with your choices to cool down with!
Japanese Pizza (Okonomiyaki)
If Japanese fare is more up your alley, go for the Okonomiyaki at one of the stalls here. Even though it isn’t 100% authentic to Japanese okonomiyaki, the local twists to the dish work well in its pasar malam setting! The ‘pizzas’ (they’re more like loaded, savoury pancake to me) will be fried freshly in front of you, and you can choose to add in cheese, sausages, or seafood to suit your tastes better. They look a lot like murtabak! Definitely a unique option if you want to try out something new.
Gold Leaf Ice Cream
This ice cream looks so cool, we even wrote a whole article about it here. It’s essentially just your regular old soft serve ice cream (choose between vanilla, chocolate, or a swirl of both) that’s coated in shiny gold leaf. Don’t ask why, but yes, it’s a thing. It seems to be quite popular with the crowd though, with many pictures of it popping up on Instagram in recent weeks! Now you can make yourself feel a little luxurious by actually eating gold (spoiler alert: they’re actually tasteless).
Creative Cotton Candy
Cotton candy is always a people-magnet, because the sweet, sugary taste, coupled with its cloud-like appearance, can always bring a smile to anyone’s face. This stall brings it up a notch, by creating all kinds of cool shapes and characters using cotton candy! After creating the cotton candy itself, they will shape it into flowers, animals, and even popular characters like Baymax from Big Hero 6! Not to mention the fact that the finished pieces are humongous, around the same size as a baby. You definitely won’t be able to finish a whole one by yourself, so make sure to bring someone to share it with.
Foggy Ice Cream
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG9gf4lM0tr/?taken-at=1024862690
If you want your desserts served to you shrouded in a fog of mystery, Wondersnow is definitely the place for you. Wondersnow serves up ice cream veiled in a heavy white mist, so it totally looks cool in pictures (and in real life too). There are several flavours to choose from, like cappuccino, rainbow, vanilla chocolate chip, and chocolate, and your ice creams can be topped with wafer sticks, marshmallows, the works. Make sure to whip out your phones and snap your pictures quick, before the fog dissipates!
If you do want to check out the incredibly well-known Taman Connaught pasar malam, make sure to come early because it gets packed, and I mean PACKED, later on in the night. Parking will be super hard to find, so you’re better off parking some ways away and walking to the market. Also, be prepared for long queues for the more popular stalls!
Have you tried any of these dishes before? Or do you have more recommendations of what to try out at this pasar malam? We (and other readers) would love to know!
Wednesdays, 5pm-1am
Taman Connaught (Jalan Cerdas), 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
