Bijan Bar & Restaurant

Bijan Bar & Restaurant is one of the best-known places in Kuala Lumpur to eat Malay food in a comfortable, sit-down setting. It sits at 3 Jalan Ceylon in Bukit Ceylon, a quiet hillside pocket just above the Changkat Bukit Bintang bar strip, and it has built its reputation on taking traditional Malay recipes and serving them with care in a calm, elegant dining room. In 2021 it was included in the Essence of Asia collection compiled by The World's 50 Best Restaurants, and it won Time Out Kuala Lumpur's Best Malay award several years running.

The menu draws on dishes from across the Malay peninsula. Over the years it has featured specialities such as daging bungkus kukus, steamed parcels of spiced meat wrapped in a thin crepe, sup ekor, a fragrant oxtail soup, and pucuk paku goreng tahi minyak, wild fern shoots fried with caramelised coconut. Grilled seafood such as flame-grilled fresh squid also appears. Leave room for dessert: the chocolate durian cake has long been a talking point, and there are gentler choices built around pandan and gula Melaka palm sugar. As the name suggests, Bijan also has a bar, so you can order a drink with your meal.

The interior is modern and minimal with warm, low lighting, which makes it suitable for a date, a relaxed dinner with friends or a business meal where you want to introduce guests to Malaysian food. During Ramadan the restaurant has offered Makan Berhidang sharing menus, set meals designed for four people combining wet, dry, spicy and fresh dishes in the traditional way, so it is worth asking whether similar sharing menus are available when you visit.

Bijan is primarily an evening restaurant, and booking ahead by phone is advisable, particularly at weekends and during festive periods. Malay food can be spicy, so ask your server for guidance if you prefer milder dishes. Allow around two hours for a relaxed dinner.

Jalan Ceylon is within walking distance of the Bukit Bintang shopping area and the bars of Changkat Bukit Bintang, so dinner here fits neatly into a night out in the centre. Raja Chulan monorail station is the nearest rail stop, though the final stretch is uphill, and taxis or ride-hailing cars can drop you at the door.