At Starling Mall in Damansara Uptown, there’s more to it than queuing for Village Park Nasi Lemak; I’ll indulge in shopping.
Yet, when hunger strikes, other reasons slip my mind.
I worked and lived there in early 2002 for several years.
One of our favorite places to hang out apart from the malls was Bangsar, Uptown, and for me, it’s a loud, resounding vote for Brickfields!
Sometimes, I’ll take a quick jaunt or two to check out some old favorites and to discover, with glee, a new place to eat and hang out.
Having friends who enjoy a day out with a Tasty Blogger (ahem) is great.
These friends will pack my day with a 2-hour feeding if they can.
Little fish has a very low resistance to coffee, anything chocolaty, ‘Lemak’ (creamy), and deep-fried bits of dough.
I know.
Worst still, everyone knows my soft spot for SPICE!
We headed to an old haunt.
Damansara Uptown.
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The Starling Mall
After a mega uplift, Petaling Jaya’s Damansara Uptown, this commercial square in SS21, continues to attract enormous traffic crawls, congestion, and a lack of parking space.
I think the number of eateries has probably reached over 100 in the past decade.
A quick check on Google shows 14 banks strategically in the hub.
With a growing working population, day and night dinners, and weekend shoppers, it’s easy to see how congested the commercial area can get.
In the 1990s, Damansara Uptown was a popular spot for Chinese Kopitiam, street hawkers, and many bicycle shops.
It was a popular watering hole with pubs and car workshops.
The landmark then was The Ship restaurant, which remains popular for its outstanding steaks.
The buildings were low-rise, and traffic jams were unheard of in Damansara Uptown.
Most foodies will remember the tasty nasi lemak and Chee Cheong Fun there.
Damansara Uptown Updated with the new Starling Mall
I remember the open-air food court in the middle of the main commercial center of Damansara Utama.
This is the location of the fresh new Starling Mall.
This new 5-story mall is a welcome change to an aging commercial neighborhood with plenty of eateries.
Damansara Uptown suffers from the bad parking habits of the people working around here. The roads are notoriously congested.
Everyone prefers to park on the roadside curbs rather than use the ample parking in Starling Mall, which has parking in the underground basement and upper levels.
When I look around, the area looks better and cleaner.
Starling Mall is quieter than the mega-malls in the city center.
It’s a new function with a nice “Taiwanese” feel.
The layout is good, and the designer has given much thought to the minute details. There is a popular supermarket for groceries.
The mall is convenient and brightly lit, with ample car parking.
Most of the malls have cookie-cutter branded retailers.
I shopped a little that day.
However, I wasn’t bored walking around.
The shops are in the mid-market range.
It feels just right for the predominately English-speaking neighborhood.
MBO @ The Starling Mall
Starling has a nice spanking new cinema with good sound effects and comfortable seats.
The size of the cinema is like that of TGV Cinemas.
The Starling Mall Herb Garden
There is a nice herb garden on the mall’s upper roof terrace, just outside the cinema, with superb views.
This open-air park has many edible herbs. We can purchase herbs easily online.
The park is shady, with a pleasant area for communal seating.
The only thing lacking is to refuse bins around the park.
However, as you enter the mall, you will see plenty of recycling bins.
Edible Malaysian herbs can look pretty and green in any garden. Look out for the “Misai Kucing” Cat’s Whiskers herb.
A view of the park.
Lots of trees are growing well at Rooftop Park.
the Starling Mall Eateries
There are lots of eateries to try.
We had two meals at the Starling, one in the Food Court and another at Go Noodle House.
The Food Court is spacious.
I like the spacious table arrangement.
You won’t feel hemmed in.
We enjoyed a nice little corner for a chat without disturbing other diners.
Neither were we distracted by any noise.
Steph shared that she could sit comfortably to check her email whenever she drops by.
Clean, Well Maintained Washrooms
Huge plus points to the management for clean, dry, and well-maintained washrooms in Malaysia. I smiled when I saw the tiny red Starling bird in the washroom mirror.
The Mall takes its name from the Starling bird, so the bird is a motif in the decor.
There was the decor of birds (Starling) on branches, hanging signs for lifts from tree trunks, and even branches.
Even “wooden” shelves hung from ropes in each toilet cubicle.
They stylize even something simple like the male and female toilet signage.
All these details take the cue from “The Starling. The Mall in a Park” slogan.
The overall feel of the mall is a beautiful and poetic place.
Very nice graphics.
Improvements for the Starling Mall
Starling Mall is relatively new. Perhaps other amenities are being bought and installed.
We look forward to more benches along the corridors and ATMs.
We note that there are no popular fast-food chains here, which may be a boon for the mall.
This will allow local brands and entrepreneurs to own independent eateries and bakeries.
Overall review
The Starling Mall is new and has a light feel. The herb garden is a nice green lung for residents and shoppers. Access to the mall is easy, and plenty of parking spaces exist.
With a good mix of F&B outlets and being linked to Somerset Suites, this is a great mall to spend a weekend chilling and shopping.
the Starling | Shopping Mall
6, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening hours are 10 AM to 10 PM.
Google: https://g.co/kgs/uDXaUWd
I like the icon in the washroom. And the spice and herb, do you smell anything when you passed by? What a great getaway in the city of Damansara.
Yes, I could smell the faint scent of pandan leaves (screw pines) which is used widely in Southeast Asian cooking for rice (Nasi Lemak) curries and desserts. That day, I was very pleased as I got to eat Village Park Famous Nasi Lemak which is located opposite the Starling! There are other herbs like serai which we can only smell when bruised. So we just admired beautiful garden. We applaud DBKL and the landscape architect for such a brilliant idea to incorporate local herbs in an urban EDIBLE garden!
Hey,
A really useful article, Doris .. will certainly put what you’ve put across into practice.
Have a great day!
Samo
Hey Samo
Glad you enjoyed the read. Happy travels.
Dory