On a previous visit to Malaysia in 2008 I asked a local blogger (boo_licious of masak-masak – I can highly recommend her site) for some restaurant suggestions for a celebratory family meal, and one place that came up was Precious Old China in the Central Market.

We went there and had a very enjoyable time, so much so that we returned there on our recent trip just to have a drink.

The restaurant is very beautifully decorated with dark-wood furniture and a selection of intriguing cabinets.

Although all the food sounded delicious (and on our previous visit had tasted that way too) it had not been long since breakfast. As a result, H opted for a coffee (which he may write a guest post about as…bleurgh, coffee) and I chose to have a roselle drink.

I had no idea what this would be, but it sounded pretty and as you can see from the picture, it was.  Wikipedia (my go-to site for all these issues) informs me that it is a species of Hibiscus, and that certainly fits with what I tasted (having had Flor de Jamaica before from places like the Taqueria in London).

The drink was beautiful; a rich glowing red with two large calyces (NOT flowers according to Wikipedia) bobbing demurely amongst the ice. The taste was sweet and syrupy, with a slight thirst-quenching tartness. I can’t say it was packed with amazing flavour, but have another look at the photo and I’m sure you’ll want to have one.

From a food perspective, I recommend having a little read of their website and reviews of the place and then heading over for dinner if you’re ever in the vicinity.