Chunburi Seafood Corner Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A tradition that’s soon to fade?

The bustling market is gone, but a traditional nasi campur feast can still be had at Kampung Baru. Noodlies, Sydney food blog sits down for a feed.

Kampung Baru is a little gem of a traditional town in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, a few stops from KL Sentral and one stop before KLCC. It used to be the home of a vibrant Saturday night market, attracting folks from far a wide, with a fair sprinkling of tourists too.

Sadly, with progress, the markets are now no longer. From the outer signage, a brand new retail and housing complex is coming.

Until then, the charming, village atmosphere continues for as long as it can and a highlight is the food. Most of the restaurants can be found along a weaving one way street to the right of the train station. I have my eye on the colourful food on display at Chunburi Seafood Corner, which is, literally on the corner.

My eyes are instantly attracted to the endless choice of food along both sides of the restaurant, luring me to come in. Nasi campur is one devilish invention; it’s an irresistible buffet combination that stretches on and on. Huge pots of curries of all colours and varieties, fried and charcoal fish some with thick, rich sauces and mountains of vegetables abound.

They’re all presented simply, but this as-you-come display makes every dish even more alluring, the colour and texture contrast begs you to try them all. It’s like beautiful people who don’t know they’re beautiful, making them even more desirable. There is no escaping the relentless temptation of Kampung Baru.

I have a good reason for being restrained. The two week holidays have left a lasting legacy, an increasingly bulging belly, brought on by continuous snacking and many bottles of Chang beer. Today, I limit myself to a couple of different curries, fried fish covered in a mild tangy amber sauce, lots of vegetables and two salted egg halves on top of a decent serving of rice.

And it’s utterly delicious.

But, I’m restrained for, umm, not such virtuous reasons. My greedy eyes have already spied the smorgasbord of Malaysian sweets on the other side…

And then there was #malaysian #sweets OMG!!! #foodporn #kampumgbaru
A post shared by Thang Ngo (blogger) (@thangngo) on Jan 2, 2016 at 1:32am PST

Squares of kueh of all colours beckon, along with so many other sweets cooked in banana leaves, waiting for my eager hand to undress.

I am helpless before this kaleidoscope of flavour, helpless, I say!

Though I’m proud of myself, I take just a couple of kueh; red and green, some colourful balls covered in shredded coconut and banana leaf wrapped glutinous rice with a banana centre. All too delicious for words.

It always pays to be nice, the charging system is done by sight.. no weighing, the ladies size up your plate and tells you how much to pay. My meal comes to about A$7 – bargainous!