Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang (Malay [ˈbu.ket̚ ˈbi.ntaŋ]; stylized as Bintang Walk or Starhill, the latter being a translation of the Malay name) is the name of the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It encompasses Jalan Bukit Bintang and its immediate surrounding areas. The area has long been Kuala Lumpur's most prominent retail belt that is home to many landmark shopping centres, al-fresco cafés, swanky bars, night markets, as well as hawker-type eateries. This area is popular among tourists and locals, especially among the youths. A part of Bintang Walk is designated as an "Arab Street".

Location

Nestled within Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, the Bukit Bintang district begins with Jalan Bukit Bintang which starts at Jalan Raja Chulan and ends at Pudu Road. The two other roads that border the Bukit Bintang district are Jalan Sultan Ismail which intersects it and Imbi Road at the south. Jalan Walter Grenier, Jalan Bulan, Changkat Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor are considered part of the entertainment district.

History

Lower-section Bukit Bintang Road circa. 1960's. The Federal Hotel remains open to this day.

Jalan Tong Shin in Bukit Bintang was the focal point of the Malaysia's deadly May 13 race riots. Back in the late 1980s, corporate magnate Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay proposed a rejuvenated retail cluster in Kuala Lumpur. He started retail developments in this area through a conglomerate YTL Corporation and branded the area as Bintang Walk. The district has since undergone a transformation to become one of the hippest destinations in the city, though the decentralisation of malls in Kuala Lumpur of late has seen more sophisticated malls sprouting around the fringes of the city proper at an unprecedented rate.

Overview

2009 Malaysia International Fashion Week

Bintang Walk refers to the more developed stretch along the main Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail roads, with the intersection of these two roads as its axis. This place has been transformed over the last 5 years to become one of the most trendy and busiest shopping clusters in the city. ^{[citation needed]}Street furniture lines the pavements here. Upscale cafes, restaurants and clubs continue to make their presence felt here. On weekends, thousands of locals as well as tourists throng Bintang Walk and its shopping centres. Many major nightlife events take place here such as the New Year's countdown, Merdeka eve celebrations, street concerts and parties. The annual Malaysian F1 Grand Prix pit stop and Guinness St Patrick's Day Celebrations are held here too.

There are two major annual fashion events held here annually. The STYLO Fashion week as well as the annual glitzy Malaysia International Fashion Week (M-IFW).^[1]

Shopping

Bukit Bintang is one of the city's shopping districts. Many of the city's major retail malls are located in this area, including Berjaya Times Square, Bukit Bintang Plaza, Imbi Plaza, Fahrenheit 88 (refurbished, previously known as KL Plaza) Low Yat Plaza, Starhill Gallery, Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10 and Pavilion KL.

Imbi is a commercial area located near Bukit Bintang and being a popular tourist spot, the district is especially crowded during public holidays and peak hours. The Berjaya Times Square shopping complex and hotel is located in Imbi. Jalan Imbi is the main road running through this area.

List of shopping malls

Entrance of Pavilion KL

Sephora Duplex Flagship Store at Starhill Gallery

• Berjaya Times Square It is currently the 13th biggest shopping mall in the world boasting 12 levels of retail with a total of 3,500,000 square feet (330,000 m²). Although it was initially aimed at the upper-echelon of society, it is currently positioned as a middle-class shopping mall offering youth fashion targeted at the younger crowds. For entertainment, it has the largest indoor theme park in Malaysia located on the 7th floor of the building, it also offers a 3D-Imax theater located on the top floor of the retail podium.
• Starhill Gallery is probably the ritziest and luxurious mall in the whole of Kuala Lumpur alongside Suria KLCC.^{[citation needed]} A Louis Vuitton flagship outlet flank the exterior facade of this grand structure. Fashion houses whether Gucci, Fendi, Valentino can all be found here.
• Pavilion KL Built in late 2007, it is targeted at the middle-upper segment of society. It offers a diverse tenant mix which makes it one of the most successful malls in KL.^{[citation needed]} Tangs and Parkson are the anchor tenants of this mammoth 7-storey retail podium, first-times in Malaysia like Mandarina Duck and Juicy Couture have settled here. You'll also find a plethora of luxury boutiques ranging from YSL, Celine, Zegna, Diane von Fürstenberg to Italian fashion doyens like Furla and Prada. Malaysia's previous prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad opened his very own bakery here, known as The Loaf, located strategically next to the entrance.
• Fahrenheit 88 Renamed and refurbished, opened in September 2010, the area previously housed the deteriorating KL Plaza. It consists of 300,000 square feet (28,000 m²) of lettable space spread over 5 levels of zoned shopping space. There is a designated zone for IT gadgets similar to that of Low Yat Plaza, named Signature@IT. This mall caters largely to homegrown, middle-priced retallers despite anchored by Japanese retailer Uniqlo.
• Lot 10 When it was opened in 1991, it was considered the Harrods-equivalent of Malaysia housing designer outlets like Aigner and Versace.^[2] Nowadays it is widely-reckoned^{[citation needed]} as a middle-class retail destination as most outlets have shifted as a result of competition and degradation. Widespread refurbishment to the mall was done at a cost of RM20 million. Existing anchor Isetan has undergone a facelift. The entrance of this monumental landmark is flanked by British retailer Debenhams and Zara as well as H&M, popular Swedish multinational retail-clothing outlet.
• Low Yat Plaza The ultimate one-stop center for KL-ites when shopping for electronic gadgets. The ratio between IT outlets and F&B outlets are 70:30.
• Sungei Wang Plaza (Chinese: 金河广场)— Despite being 36 years old, it remains a 100%-occupancy mall with the highest visiting traffic in Malaysia, though visitors more towards the younger crowd. It features mainly trendy Asian-inspired fast-retail fashion at bargain prices.
• BB Plaza (Chinese: 武吉免登购物中心)— Bukit Bintang Plaza is adjoined to Sungei Wang Plaza. It is anchored by homegrown Metrojaya.
• Imbi Plaza

Food

Chulan Square

Chulan Square is located at the intersection of the upper-end of bustling Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Bukit Bintang. Outlets available:

• Nawab Authentic Moghul Restaurant (Northern Indian)
• KL Rakuzen Japanese Restaurant (Japanese)
• Gu Yue Tien Chinese Cuisine (Chinese)
• Gaucho Grill (Argentinean)
• Hadramawt Authentic Middle Eastern (Middle Eastern)
• Yemen Cuisine (Yemeni)
• Kampung Laksa (Malay)
• First Kayu Nasi Kandar Seafood Paradise Restoran (Fusion;Malay;Western)

Bintang Walk

Restaurants dedicated to Arabian gastronomy have been sprouting along the core of the Bintang Walk of late as a result of a recent general initiative to lure Arab tourists to this region. Popular Maghreb and Lebanese alongside Iranian delicacies are increasingly served by restaurants. However, there are still plenty of trendy and chic restaurants catering to international fare, especially in the BB park area.

"Hutong" on Lot 10

Hutong (Chinese: 胡同) is referred to as Malaysia's first gourmet heritage village, a food court inspired by the Old China influences. The term Hutong is commonly associated with narrow alleys in Beijing's oldest neighborhoods. Located on the lower ground floor of Lot 10, this newly revamped food court features 25 street food stalls selling locally-renowned and established Chinese eateries scoured across Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It is directly connected to Bintang Walk via an escalator.^[3][4]

Pre-war houses along Tengkat Tong Shin near Changkat Bukit Bintang refurbished into trendy eateries.

BB Park

Previously an entertainment park owned by Low Yat and Sons Realty, BB Park has been extensively revamped to keep abreast with changing times. Its axis is located along the lower section of Bintang Walk, its concept revolves around social dining and cultural themes. It hosts themed-restaurants in a semi-open air setting which serves up mainly foreign foods including French and German cuisines. The park features Live entertainment in the form of Live bands and cultural shows, and are held during some weekdays alongside during weekends. Besides food joints, some of BB Park's tenants include local art galleries.^[5]

Changkat Bukit Bintang

Chinese hawker stalls along Alor Street

Changkat Bukit Bintang is located perpendicular to Bintang Walk and Jalan Alor. This is the upmarket gastronomy district of Bukit Bintang. Fine dining joints line the street. It boasts pre-war, colonial buildings which have been refurbished into upmarket restaurants and pubs, serving up Western dining. Changkat Bukit Bintang is also home to one of Kuala Lumpur's hippest and happening party venues.

Jalan Alor

Jalan Alor is an entire street dedicated to cheap hawker food of mainly local Chinese cuisines. Located within walking proximity of Bintang Walk, it is popular among the locals for offering food served in a traditional open-air atmosphere, with chairs and tables dotting the curbs and road-sides. This is a place burgeoning with activity both during night and day. While some hawkers erect stalls along curbs, others operate food stalls from utilitarian restaurants. The food served in local hawker stalls is generally cleaner than their counterparts in Malaysia's less-developed neighbouring countries.^{[citation needed]}

Indoor theme park

Cosmo's World Indoor theme park is located between level 5 and 7 of Berjaya Times Square. It is Malaysia's largest indoor theme park, measuring 133,000 square feet (12,400 m²). It features both children rides and thrill rides. The grueling Supersonic Odyssey is Asia-Pacific's longest multiple-inverted 800 metres long indoor roller coaster.^[6]

Spa and foot reflexology

The Bintang Walk district is famous for its specialist foot/body massages and spas-related services. There are numerous shops along the district offering different types of massages inspired by Chinese traditions. These stores also offer exotic foot treatments. These incorporate reflexology, which stimulates acupressure points on the foot. Among the claimed benefits of foot massages are better blood circulation, cures to certain ailments and a balanced, detoxified body. In these shops, patrons sit on reclining long chairs and spend up to an hour or more getting their feet treated to a thorough massage. Charges are measured by duration and types of the massages. The shops are usually open till the wee hours of the morning, which is when the bulk of the business comes.

Transport

Bukit Bintang Station (Kuala Lumpur Monorail)

SMART Tunnel Maju Expressway

KL Monorail

Bintang Walk is accessible via Bukit Bintang Monorail station, which is located at the intersection of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Bukit Bintang.

MRT

Under the upcoming My Rapid Transit, one station has been designated for Bintang Walk under the finalised Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, namely Bukit Bintang Central. The previous proposal to have two stations- Bukit Bintang East and Bukit Bintang West -have been etched and consolidated into one. Operations will begin in January 2016.

See also

• Bukit Bintang Girls' School, a previously colonial school, the site of the present Pavilion KL.
• Orchard Road, Singapore's premier shopping haven.
• Fifth Avenue, New York's retail strip.

References

External links

• Tourism Malaysia: Bintang Walk
• Bukit Bintang travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Cosmo's World Indoor Theme Park