Words and photos by Amanda Chin
Think Post-War/Contemporary era in the heart of Chinatown, you walk down the street, this would be one of those bars you’d have to hear of beforehand as the entrance is hidden from plain sight.
The entrance to this bar looks like a small toy shop with no hint of having a whole drinking area inside, it basically portrays the looks of any store you would come across in Chinatown which makes it all the more interesting and definitely stands out from the rest of the bars in Kuala Lumpur.
As it is located in Chinatown, the bar takes its decor from an Oriental theme from the 50’s to the 70’s and takes the meaning of the word “prohibition” true to heart.
After going through the small entrance door, there are three areas this bar provides, so you get the feel of different vibes, which takes inspiration from the Post-War era. Apart from serving top-notch cocktails, this venue would be a delight to people who love to explore and discover, as it is also an emotional voyage that goes back to the Asian heritage before the war and after.
Tiki (Post-War era)
The first area, which is called ‘Vintage’, is the Pre-Prohibition era, it is dimly lit as you walk through or should you choose to start your first cocktail in the vintage single booths, it’s a nice place to have more of a private conversation and not have the hustling background noise of people in a bar.
Main bar – Contemporary (Revival era)
The next area is called ‘Tiki’ which is the Post-War era, and true to its name, it is a more open and bigger space where you are allowed to smoke. Since it is not covered, the very small amount of times KL is able to offer stars in the sky, you can enjoy them in this area when the rooftop is pulled open along with the beautiful hanging fairy lights that add a slightly magical touch to it.
The last area is the main bar, and it is called ‘Contemporary’ which is the Revival era. Picture a darkly lit speakeasy bar with an Oriental twist. With the AC blasting, this room is definitely a change from the others and brings you back to the modern world. The staff is friendly and very communicative; so do not hesitate to ask for recommendations on the variety of different cocktails available.
Angel & bottle of Matusalem Platinum Rum
Angel, one of creative directors of this venue lets us in on some of the interesting facts on PS150. As this bar has only been opened for a mere month and a week, it is only a cocktail bar at the moment.
However, Angel plans to bring in Oriental-based foods to suit the different type of eras as the bar is located in the heart of Chinatown and everything will be made by the staff.
Having talked to Angel about the interesting concept of her bar, we move on the second most important section which are the cocktails.
If you had to choose a bottle of alcohol, which one would it be?
That’s a tough question. Tequila – I can drink every single bottle, but if I had to choose, my prime bottle at the moment would be Matusalem Platinum Rum as it has a cocoa butter finishing and it’s very pleasant. Not many people are aware of this rum at the moment, and the bottle we have in this bar has not even been opened yet but it is a sweet discovery.
If you had to pick three cocktails, which ones would they be? And why?
I’ll go from light to heavy, as in which one you should start with, and finish with.
The first one is ‘Salty Chinaman’ – refreshing, sweet & sour. The inspiration for this drink came from my trip back in 2002 when I was a bartender in China during the Disco-era period. It’s quite a light cocktail to start with and being very citrusy, it allows the palate an easier cleanse to be able to try our other drinks.
Salty Chinaman
Then, I would recommend ‘Lychee No. 3’ – which contains much less of the sugar overload as most lychee martinis have, I changed three ingredients to make it less sugary: dry gin, ginger flower and lime.
I would then finish the voyage through this bar off with this drink which is quite a new invention in the cocktail world, ‘Asam Boi Margarita’ – it is what you imagine it to be, a sweet & sour drink with a strong finishing, perfect to end the night with.
Asam Boi Margarita
Although running bars is fun, Angel’s biggest goal for the future would be to have her own brewery.
However, the challenges in finding someone to run it properly are quite difficult to overcome. So running this bar and making sure it is a success is her main priority at the moment. Soon to come, will be the focus on music to add more flavors to the very unique bar; she plans to incorporate Oriental-style based music with a slight club beat at the back, think Buddha Bar.
If you have not yet stepped foot in this place, you definitely need to! PS150 – (150, Jalan Petaling)
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