I missed home so much that I found I was dreaming about it more and more. I didn’t really want to leave Subang Jaya but I felt it was time. Because I was leaving during the height of the holiday season, I really had to compare any flights to Orlando from one travel agency to another.
I had been scammed before and wasn’t going to fall prey to another. After returning home from travelling back and forth between Kuala Lumpur, Padang and Thailand, I found it difficult to find good Malaysian food in Florida.
I’m not sure if it’s because there isn’t such a huge population of Malaysian or Indonesian people located in Florida that has made the food almost scarce, but finding good Thai or Malay food was harder than I thought.
After getting settled in after my flights to Orlando, I like to experience local foods but when it comes to American cuisine (unless it’s pork ribs from Dallas or Texas) …I’ll rather stick to the food I know when in Florida.
Hawkers Asian Street Fare
I always suggest people go in groups when dining at Eastern or Asian restaurants as they tend to serve you ‘family style’. You get small plates and you can order a variety of dishes that everyone can try and see if they like it. I thought maybe that the food would be sort of ‘westernised’ or have a mass processed feel but it didn’t. I enjoyed their Roti’s and curries, which go well with a beer (I think I had an ale)
Vegetarians will also be super happy because this restaurant knows how to make bland food bang with flavour. They cook their Tofu with a mix of spices, which makes it warm and tangy. Served with some friend green beans, which I wasn’t a huge fan of but I’m not big on beans.
You will find a couple of these restaurants around Florida, I went to the one on Mills Avenue (North I think) and I always recommend it when someone asks. It’s got a great atmosphere, the staff are friendly (most of the time) and they have a huge menu to choose from.
Durian Durian
This restaurant has more of a Thai flavour to it with a mix of other Asian cuisines. If you don’t like spicy food, don’t tell them, “only a little spicy” because it’ll be hot. Just say no spice or order their corn chowder with chicken.
They add a little bit of coconut which lifts the flavour to something out of this world. It seems quite popular, it wasn’t super full but there was a fair amount of noise coming from the tables that were occupied (most likely talking about the food)
Make sure to go there with patience, sometimes the food and drinks are a late or you’re getting your main dish while you’re still eating your starter. But everything you eat (no matter in what order) is delicious. I had really thick spring rolls with a fiery peanut sauce, some friend calamari and to make a comparison, I ordered some noodles with spicy chicken.
Compared to ‘Asian hawkers’, the prices seemed higher. They did have good food, so for a night out, you don’t usually mind. They also have a selection of other Asian foods and drinks such as sake, wonton soup and a selection of teas.
No matter your food favorites, you will find something to obsess about on either of these restaurants menus. Journey and broaden your taste spectrum with the oriental flavors of Malaysia.
