Jalan Alor

Jalan Alor runs one block behind the shopping streets of Bukit Bintang, and in the evening it closes to traffic and becomes a corridor of tables. Stalls and shophouse kitchens grill satay and chicken wings over charcoal, fry noodles on high flame, steam fish and serve barbecued pork, while touts work the pavement with laminated menus. Its strengths are variety and hours: it runs from late afternoon until two or three in the morning, which makes it the default late meal in the city centre. Durian sellers occupy the top end and tropical fruit stands the middle. It is not where locals go for the best version of any single dish, but it is a fair introduction to the range.

What you actually see

• The grill stalls - chicken wings and satay over charcoal along the pavement.
• The wok line - fried noodles cooked over open flame to order.
• The durian stands - seasonal fruit sold by the kilo at the northern end.
• The seafood tanks - live crab and prawn picked from tanks outside the shophouses.

When to go

From about six in the evening, when the stalls set up, through to well after midnight; it is busiest between eight and ten. Rain drives everyone under the awnings and can end the evening early. Prices are posted unevenly, so confirm the cost of seafood and drinks before ordering, particularly at the pushier end of the street.

Honest expectations

This is a tourist street and prices are noticeably higher than in a neighbourhood hawker centre, with seafood and drinks the main culprits. Touts are persistent and some menus carry no prices, which is how bills get inflated. Quality is uneven and the best stalls are not the loudest ones. It is hot, crowded, very loud and the pavement is greasy.

Nearby

Bukit Bintang, Chinatown and Kampung Baru are all a short walk or ride away.