While you may prefer 'special' dining experiences while visiting foreign lands, sometimes you just need a quick meal, somewhere close to where you happen to be. Most of the international food chains are present in Malaysia, but there are locally developed casual dining concepts as well. These provide a reliable level of quality, Englil sh menus and a reasonable price. The major chains listed below have branches all over the country, mostly in major shopping malls.
Malaysia's own home-grown Thai-style 'steamboat' restaurant. If you're not familiar with steamboat - what the Thais call 'suki' - restaurants, they are a family style where each table has a hot pot of stock, which is used to cook whatever raw foods you order. These restaurants are popular with small groups, especially for family dinners or lunch with friends. You'll find Johnny's branches in many shopping malls around West Malaysia.
A chicken burger and fries at Marrybrown Marrybrown is a Malaysian fast food chain started in 1981. They are sort of a cross between McDonalds and KFC, serving chicken burgers, fried chicken and some seafood dishes like fish & chips as well. They also have branches in several Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. The burgers are okay, as fast food goes. Marrybrown has branches in several airports, so they can be a place to get a quick, cheap meal.
Coffee is quite a popular drink in Malaysia, and while all the big international chains have a significant presence in the country, the local favorite by far is Old Town, which sells a local specialty called "white coffee".
Coffee and toast: Two specialties of Old Town White Coffee For the uninitiated, white coffee does not refer to coffee with milk or cream, although it's often served that way. In Malaysia, it refers to the way the beans are roasted.
Fried Rice and Satay at Secret Recipe Secret Recipe is one of Malaysia's success stories. They now have more than 160 branches around the country and have expanded into several overseas markets, including Thailand and China. While they do have a full food menu, they are perhaps best known for their cakes and pastries. They have quite a range of brownies, cakes, cheesecakes and special occasion pastries. The food menu is good, if not anything special, so Secret Recipe can be a good place for a light lunch, or an afternoon coffee.
