While some have worn down and decayed to an abysmal state, others have been given a new, reinvigorated life as innovative businesses set up shop within them and retain the buildings’ original look.
Old-school can indeed be cool and many a restaurant and boutique hotel have become haunts of shutterbugs looking for an opportunity to capture the aesthetics of years long past.
Located along Jalan Kamunting is a pre-war shophouse that has indeed been subjected to this treatment, and it is all the better for it.
Getting to 45 Speak Vezy Bar is easy, finding parking is not; so consider taking the LRT and disembarking at the Dang Wangi station before taking a short walk.
Once you enter the premises, you will be teleported back to the last century when your grandparents were kids themselves.
With a traditional Chinese signboard greeting customers and furniture that has long ceased to be sold in modern shops, there will be no shortage of photos to post on your Instagram.
But coming here solely to take pictures is a mistake, for 45 Speak Vezy has lots more to offer than just photo opportunities.
A dual-restaurant concept, by day it operates as Woo Pin 45 Kamunting, selling delicious fish head noodles; at night 45 Speak Vezy Bar is open for business.
Catering to fans of street food, 45 Speak Vezy has an entire menu of skewers, with multiple choices of meatballs and vegetables.
These are boiled in pots of soup laid on the table, attached to portable gas stoves.
The broth itself can be savoured in its authentic state, or you can opt to add condensed milk for a milky taste.
If you would like to have both soups, the pots come with a middle partition letting you enjoy the best of both worlds.
Of special note is the fried fish skin which can be eaten dry but is best after being briefly dunked in the soup.
The difference in taste is noticeable immediately, and it is almost certain that after you munch through an entire plate of the crispy snack, you will be putting in an order for another. It is just that addictive!
If you are lost for choice with the various skewers available, give the meatballs with fillings a try.
The best way to eat these tasty morsels is to pop them whole in your mouth before biting them to let the filling spill out.
Just be warned that leaving them in the soup for too long may cause them to be boiling hot, so be careful not to burn your tongue!
If you enjoy a spot of alcohol with your meal, do take a look at 45 Speak Vezy’s Lok-lok Hotpot Sets.
Set A is very reasonably priced at RM88 and you get 10 skewers plus a bucket of five chilled beer bottles.
If you prefer wine, Set B at RM118 is more your taste with its option of a bottle of red or white wine.
Set C is better suited for a dining party with 20 skewers and 2 beer buckets at a price of RM168.
Besides beer and wine, the bar also has a selection of cocktails to choose from.
Alan Yun, model, actor and founder of 45 Speak Vezy, decided to open a restaurant in this quintessentially charming pre-war shophouse after the elderly owner offered to rent him the place.
His desire to preserve street food culture unique to Malaysia drove him to come up with the idea of serving noodles and “lok-lok”.
Explaining his love for old buildings, Yun says, “I used to stay in a similar shop lot in Chow Kit. I didn’t want another pub or club which would destroy the originality of the place.”
With the old-world charm of 45 Kamunting, it is safe to say that Yun has certainly succeeded in preserving the historical heritage of the place.
So, the next time you are in the Chow Kit area, pop down to this old part of Kuala Lumpur and crack a cold one with one hand and grab a few skewers for your next meal with the other.