Besides music, film and arts, food is also playing a big role in the festival. It is Malaysia, after all, and we pay a lot of attention to good food.
So this year, Urbanscapes is taking Malaysia’s love for food and putting together the Good Food Alliance.
Let’s take a look at all the food you’ll be savouring at the festival! (Warning: drool-worthy content ahead. Please proceed with caution.)
myBurgerLab: The Rojak Burger
Because Malaysia is a rojak mix of cultures, the good people behind one of the city’s most well-loved burger joints in recent years has created the ultimate burger – The Rojak Burger.
To go hand-in-hand with Urbanscapes’ ‘Kuala Lumpur’ theme, myBurgerLab decided to create a burger that represents the spirit of Kuala Lumpur. This urban city is filled with people that come from different backgrounds, religions, states, and even countries. But when combined, it is exactly like a rojak – so much contrast, yet so good together.
The Rojak Burger brings together all the flabours of a fruit rojak, with a touch of myBurgerLab’s signature burger madness. The dish consists of a juicy piece of fried chicken, slices of pickled guava, pineapple, some creamy lime sauce, homemade mango mayonnaise, rojak sauce, and sesame seeds to top it off.
Now, will this burger be on myBurgerLab’s permanent menu? Well, unfortunately, as per the franchise’s tradition, this is a monthly burger special that will be discontinued as soon as November ends. But if there is popular demand, The Rojak Burger could make a comeback next year!
Grub by Ahong: Urbanscapes Sizzling Steak
Over the years, Grub by Ahong has been serving the people meat delicacies at affordable prices. They could not resist the opportunity to reconnect with the city alongside Urbanscapes festival this year. Presenting, the Sizzling Steak.
Served on a hot plate with the chef’s special green pepper sauce, patrons can choose between tomahawk or wagyu cuts. The creator was inspired to make this from memories of visiting old steakhouses in Kuala Lumpur with his family.
One of the most popular items he remember having was steak on a hot plate served with black pepper sauce. The smell and sizzle became synonymous with the city’s steak experience, trickled down to the street food and steak cuts served in a similar manner.
So Grub by Ahong recreated this nostalgic dish with a twist for the oldies and something new for the Millennials.
Just hearing the story behind the Sizzling Steak is enough to get our mouths watering. And due to the insanely positive response they’ve been receiving, we have some good news to share – this will be included in the restaurant’s regular menu!
Inside Scoop: Urbanscapes KL Jam
When it comes to ice cream, Inside Scoop has become a household name among the city folk. What began as homemade ice cream infused with popular Malaysian flavours like Salted Gula Melaka and Teh Tarik, has grown into an ice cream joint that KL-ites love introducing to foreigners.
So it is only natural to include Inside Scoop into Urbanscapes. And for the festival, they created something known as the KL Jam – a white chocolate ice cream with layers of passionfruit, blueberry and raspberry jam.
The words “KL” and “jam” alone, you know what we’re talking about. This flavour was no doubt created as a tongue-in-cheek item. One of the beautiful things those of us living and working in Kuala Lumpur has to experience every single day is, let’s say it together, the traffic jam.
So what better way to commemorate the daily struggle of a KL-ite than celebrating it with the sweetness of ice cream?
The KL Jam is already available at all Inside Scoop outlets. Nobody knows what they’ll will take it off the menu. But if you love it, tell ‘em that because they will consider making it permanent!
Glow Smoothie Bar by Amazin’ Graze: #reconnectKL Coco-Scapes and Dreamy Blue
For those of you who are health-conscious, you must have heard of Amazin’ Graze by now. A local health-focused brand specialising in healthy snacks and breakfast food that incorporates Malaysian delights.
Excited to promote healthy food at the festival, they created not just one, but two exclusive items for Urbanscapes – the Coco-Scapes and Dreamy Blue smoothie bowls.
Now, crafting a smoothie bowl inspired by Kuala Lumpur was not easy. So the people behind Amazin’ Graze put their heads together and came up with something that was motivated by the diversity, vibrant colours and great ingredients we can find here in the city to give folks an option to eat healthier, while having familiar flavours.
Since coconut is a big part of Malaysian food, this tropical goodness is the main ingredient in the smoothie base. They also partnered with a local supplier to get fresh coconut bowls to serve them in! And of course, the colours of this smoothie bowl were inspired by the flag of Kuala Lumpur – red, blue and yellow.
You can already find the Coco-spaces and Dreamy Blue smoothie bowls as part of Amazin’ Graze’s lineup, so dig in!
Strangers at 47: Krep Lumpur Pisang
This local café tucked along the street of Petaling Jaya is no stranger to crepe lovers. The experts behind your favourite savoury and sweet crepes at Strangers at 47 created the Krep Lumpur Pisang just for Urbanscapes.
When the festival organisers first approached the café to create a dish that represents Kuala Lumpur, they couldn’t think of a better tropical fruit to feature than the banana. We all grew up eating banana, so it was a no-brainer. It is basically part of most local desserts we know and love!
So the team came up with a delicious creamy banana filling tucked in a crepe, paired with some crowd-favourite toppings, including Nutella, Bischof spread and biscuits.
Not only did they enjoy creating this special edition Krep Lumpur Pisang, it was also well-received by their regular customers! So wait no longer, this could be included in the regular menu even after Urbanscapes!
Besides the exclusive items we talked about, there are also plenty of special dishes for you to sample at the festival in the coming days!
Here’s the complete list, so feast your eyes:
Mei by Fat Spoon
Urbanscapes x Mei: Croissant Bakar with Mei’s Half Boiled Eggs and Matcha Tarik
Yellow Brick Road
Urbanscapes Special: The Trader's Treasure
Wizards of Tribeca
Flavours of Home (Urbanscapes Special)
Red Bean Bag
Sarapan Gemilang
Universal Bakehouse
Urbanscapes Curried Potato Pastry 7
Chocolate Concierge
Cendol Urbanscapes, Onde-Onde Urbanscapes and Teh Tarik Urbanscapes
Now you know where to be because you can never leave a good festival on an empty stomach! Visit the Urbanscapes website,Facebook and Instagram for more details and updates on everything that’s happening from now until 24 November, all over Kuala Lumpur!
If there is one thing that bring all Malaysians together, it is definitely food. So Bon Appétit!