Following months of fanfare, The Exchange at TRX finally opened its doors to the public on 29 November 2023, with over 400 shops spanning unique retail, F&B, and entertainment options. The experiential mall is part of Tun Razak Exchange – an ambitious 70-acre government-backed financial district project nestled within the heart of KL – and is poised to be the city’s hottest social hub.
I had the day free, so the Hubs and I decided to kaypoh and see what the hype was all about. The MRT ride from Cyberjaya took about 35 minutes, and took us right to the mall’s doorstep.
Video if you’re lazy to read:
We arrived around lunch time, and thought the crowd didn’t look too bad. But then we got to the main area, and it was swarming with people. The lower level where most of the restaurants are located was especially congested, with long queues snaking out from each establishment as diners waited for free tables. My first thought was “Wow, everyone doesn’t need to work on a Wednesday is it” and then realised I was one of them lol.
The Exchange spans four floors. First impressions: the interiors sport beautiful architecture and is well designed, with lots of wide open spaces and walkways, plus high ceilings and skylights that allow for natural lighting. Not all the stores are open, but there are a good amount of shops operating already, so there’s plenty to see. Aside from high-end brands like Saint Laurent, Gucci, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, and Giorgio Armani, the mall also carries some unique, first-in-Malaysia brands like Houston-based skincare experts Drunk Elephant and Korean eyewear company Gentle Monster.
The Gentle Monster store features quirky art pieces, including life-sized animatronic bisons (I keep seeing influencers on TikTok/Insta calling them cows, which annoys me) welcoming visitors at the store entrance.
The mall’s Christmas decorations are also in full swing. The central foyer has a Chanel counter surrounded by white pine trees that give off the illusion of snow.
Similar to Pavilion KL’s famous Spanish Steps, The Exchange also has an area with steps leading down to a foyer area, flanked by pillars covered in faux ivy and trees festooned in silver and golden baubles.
Giant crystal chandeliers with dangling pieces that remind me of windchimes.
Another unique light installation, which was reminiscent of the different stages of a ring falling in slow-mo. Each piece was supported by wires hanging from the ceiling.
The mall has plenty of restaurants with options to suit different budgets. There’s Cafe Kitsune, a Parisian-themed cafe under Japanese lifestyle brand Maison Kitsune; Yakiniku Kuro, which specialises in grilled beef; and homegrown artisanal cafe/bakery Kenny Hills Bakers. More affordable options include Korean fried chicken chain NakNak, Nanyang Cafe, and Oriental Kopi. There are several kiosks too selling light bites such as Jipinhe Scones and Empire Sushi. We ended up getting Empire Sushi to go because everywhere else was completely packed.
For dessert, we got matcha ice cream from Matcha Eight. They had an opening promo so each scoop was just RM8 instead of the usual RM13. My choice was Soulmate (Medium Sencha), which has a more prominent sweetness, whereas the Hubs went for the Hojilicious (Light Roasted Sencha), which boasted a deep, robust flavour and slightly savoury notes.
The highlight of our trip has to be the beautifully landscaped rooftop park, or TRX City Park.
Spanning 10 acres, the park is divided into several sections and is populated with over 150,000 plants from 150 species. Exiting the mall, we were greeted by the jaw-dropping sight of The Exchange 106, which at 453.6 metres tall, is the third tallest building in Southeast Asia. At the base sits the pyramid-shaped Apple flagship store, which will be opening soon. Surrounded by skyscrapers, the park’s open design and lush greenery gives it a feeling of an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle.
Do note that because of the open layout, it tends to get very hot during the afternoon as there isn’t much shade. Mid-mornings/ late evenings would be best for a visit.
Families with young ones will enjoy the Play Zone, which has a large playground and an interactive water fountain. Just next to it is a Play Cave, where kids can climb up ladders and bouldering handholds or balance themselves across elevated nets.
Laman Sinaran affords the best views of the city imo.
The Inspiration Corner, which has a pond with crystal clear water and gentle waves rippling across its surface. There were even dragonflies dancing on the water – very Zen, if you can ignore the sounds of construction going on in the background. The rest of the buildlings are expected to be completed in phases, and will include some major conglomerates such as HSBC and Prudential.
Despite the sweltering mid-day heat, I loved exploring the TRX City Park. I don’t believe there is anything else like it in KL (maybe the 1Utama rooftop garden, but it’s not on the same scale) and it’s nice to have something on par with other major, developed metropolises around the world. It’s a great step forward in greener, more sustainable urban development, and I hope other developments in the future will adopt this concept as well.
I enjoyed my trip to The Exchange at TRX. In my honest opinion, it offers something that other malls in KL currently do not have : a beautifully curated green space that is free to the public, experiential stores, unique brands, and a great selection of F&B (such as Shake Shack, which will be opening its first outlet in Malaysia soon). There are areas of improvement – I heard the parking situation is pretty unorganized at the moment – so maybe put off driving and hop on public transport to get here instead.
Getting There
By MRT : Take the Kajang / Putrajaya MRT line to the Tun Razak Exchange station and exit through the pedestrian link to reach the mall’s Concourse level.
By Car: Accessible via Jalan Tun Razak. From the Bulatan Kampung Pandan direction, keep left and take the slip road that leads straight to the TRX Tunnel. From the Mont Kiara/Damansara direction, as you come along Jalan Tun Razak, keep left and take a slip road on your right and look out for the ‘TRX’ tunnel entrance. The mall is also accessible from the SMART Tunnel by taking the exit marked ‘TRX’.
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