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Kuala Lumpur food court closures leave diners wondering where their next meal will come from

Two popular food courts were closed in October to make way for developments that will change the face of their neighbourhoods; weeks later, food lovers are still mourning their loss and hawkers weighing whether to set up elsewhere

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Stall owners have mixed feelings about the closure of the two sites. Photo: Alamy

Uncertainty gripped tenants and regular customers at Ming Tien Food Court and Asia Cafe – two popular cooked-food centres in Kuala Lumpur – after it was confirmed they were going to be shut down.

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The two-storey Asia Cafe housed about 60 hawker stalls and could seat up to 2,800 people at a time. Patrons didn’t mind that it was dim and dingy. They would go to drink beer and play table football, snooker, and darts on the upper floor.

Before its closure, there were only a few stragglers to be seen. Some stalls had already been vacated, with just abandoned stoves and the odd cooking utensil left behind. The remaining hawkers milled around, ducking into one another’s outlets.

The now-closed Asia Cafe. Photo: Kate Ng
The now-closed Asia Cafe. Photo: Kate Ng

The hawkers had known about the plans for Asia Cafe since 2014. But few believed it was really going to happen, until this year. The situation was similar at Ming Tien.

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When both food centres closed their doors at the end of October, their loss was bemoaned by the public. Local media reported that regular customers were “heartbroken” and “distraught”. Facebook pages dedicated to the food courts were created for people to share their memories.

Man selecting food at the Ming Tien Food Court. Photo: Alamy
Man selecting food at the Ming Tien Food Court. Photo: Alamy
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