That Chow Kit
During my last photo walk in January around Chow Kit, I passed by The Chow Kit Hotel and its neighbour Momo’s. Unfortunately, we were too early and decided against stopping by. Then came the MCO, and the place was close in line with the order.
In the last couple of weeks, Anita and I passed the hotel regularly and last Sunday, we decided to give it a visit.
The elegant lobby
The understated main entrance
The lobby looked really simple
The bar at the central of the cafe
Looking down from the mezzanine
Settling down for our coffee
It was certainly what we expected. And more. A boutique hotel at the heart of Kuala Lumpur, with a mix of the traditional and the elegance of modern times. It was a hotel, not like others in town.
The place was quiet when we visited. And we had already had lunch when we stopped. The search was for afternoon tea. And the warmth of the hotel staff got us straight away when we entered. Before long, they were showing us the lobby and dining area, as well as the bar next door at the ground floor of Momo’s KL. The place also has a private room for a small party as well as a snug conference area on the mezzanine floor.
Plenty of sitting area
The purple chairs at the library
A private room for a party of ten
Books by the ‘library”
The Chow Kit had 113 rooms, and as the staffs were clearing the Sunday check-outs, it seemed that business was returning after the lull of the MCO. Another great thing was the crews were all Malaysian. That made the place even more special. Nothing beats conversing with the locals when you visit a boutique hotel. Employing foreigners just defeated the purpose.
The lobby reminded me of Cafe Batavia I visited in Jakarta last year. Although a bit on the quiet side, it was able to convey the heritage of the place. It has character. The staff mentioned that there are guided walks during weekends for guests to sample the surrounding area.
Charming seats
Back to the food
The open kitchen
Tea. And mocha.
Then came the cucur udang
The food was lovely although all we had was just “cucur udang”. My ice mocha was nice in the hot weather, and Anita was happy with her English Breakfast Tea. We stayed there for an hour before leaving, contemplating staying there overnight one of these weekends.
A quick stop like this will never be able to do justice to what’s on offer. I can see myself enjoying a Sunday lunch here, and then staying for tea. Maybe, that is what I am going to do next time. A place certainly worth a visit.