If you travel due south from KL for about 90 minutes you will end up at the beaches and resorts of Port Dickson, will you though find a Port Dickson street food scene?
The answer to this is that yeah you kinda will, but like many things in Malaysia, prepare to be very underwhelmed.
What the Port Dickson?
Port Dickson, a coastal town in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, has a long history as a military base and a popular beach destination. Its development began in the early 20th century when it was established as a port for British military and commercial ships. Today, Port Dickson is a well-known weekend getaway for Kuala Lumpur residents, located about 90 kilometers south of the capital.
Being so close means that is a quick and easy getaway for city dwellers with up to 2 million coming during the holidays. It should though be noted that these are mostly local people and you will not see too many barang hanging out here. There’s a bit of a town, but the nightlife is so dire even the Chinese have not invaded yet.
The Street Food Port Dickson scene and the Night Market!
Feeling peckish I decided to Google street food Port Dickson, Port Dickson street food, food markets in Port Dickson, night markets, street snacks, anything! And you know what showed up? Sweet FA, well except for one thing. Apparently there is a night market here too, which is open one night of the week.
Ah, the Port Dickson Saturday Night Market, because who wouldn’t want to cram all their shopping into one hectic, crowded night? Held at Pasar Malam Batu 4, this market is the kind of special experience that’s only available for a few hours every week. You’ll find everything from overpriced snacks (because what’s a market without a deep-fried mystery?) to questionable souvenirs that’ll make you wonder if your suitcase is ready for the extra clutter. But, hey, it’s a chance to buy stuff you didn’t know you needed before 10 PM, and once it’s over, it’s gone—until next week. Why shop on weekdays when you can have this exclusive, once-a-week adventure?
Alas I did not find out this was a once a week affair until I arrived, thankfully there was still some street food on offer.
Street Food Port Dickson at Pasar Malam Batu 4
I’d love to tell you what visiting Pasar Malam Batu 4 and indeed street food in Port Dickson and its market were great, but alas it only opens as mentioned on a Saturday. It looks great from the pictures, but hey I was here on a Tuesday. You truly do have o question the moxy of a tourist town that can only support a night market once a week. Move over Hua Hin!
There were though remnants of it which on the market side included crap being sold, but also BBQ and Satay. It is though on the other side of Pasar Malam Batu 4 that you get a food court of sorts, as well as something resembling a street food Port Dickson scene.
This consisted of about 10 different food trucks selling everything from cheesy Korean Chicken, to burgers, local stuff and even “coffee and garlic bread”. I did not know that was a thing, nor tortizza, which is a pizza and tortilla fusion, which we got and was pretty good.
And of course they had Malaysian food, but if I am honest its just too similar to Indonesian food in that it is not very good, unless of course you LOVE fried rice and bad fried noodles. The stay though did do the job.
There are also lots of other street food type restaurants around Port Dickson, but much of the ilk of the rest of Malaysia and Indonesia and indeed with the same dishes.
But what about 7-Eleven?
OK, so I said that 7-11 Malaysia was bad, but then went to 7-11 in KL and said it was good right? Well it seems it is all about the 7 Cafe that serves food and indeed everything out of KL is crap.
They did though at least have soda water, or rather one bottle which will make the Keto and Diabetes gods happy.
So, where is the street food in Port Dickson? The best place for street food is Pasar Malam Batu 4, but the best time to come is on Saturday when the night market is, well open…