It’s not every night that I find myself driving past the KL Police Contingent’s headquarters to get to a bar, but that’s exactly what I did as I looked for Barlai, KL’s latest watering hole and the latest project by The BIG Group‘s BIG Night Out bar and pub division.
I have to say, the brush with authority was well worth it. Barlai is, at the moment, the only bar situated along Jalan Sin Chew Kee, having taken over what used to be one of architect Seksan’s Sekeping boutique hotels and retaining most of the converted colonial brownstone’s undeniable charm. It’s a far cry from the madding crowd that greets you even two streets away if you’re headed for a bar in nearby Changkat Bukit Bintang; this is, as far as nightspots go, uncharted territory, where even the surrounding neighbourhood feels like a treasure unlocked by a password and a secret handshake.
Barlai wears its geography on its sleeve. Where other bars might fill out their bigger courtyards with cement flooring and as many tables as would fit, Barlai has lit trees, one table, and swing. the ground floor interior looks akin to an old school police barracks mess hall – although the spirits and food on the menu are worlds apart – and the walls are decked with street signs collected from around the city, given pride of place in all their light-reflective glory. The largest sign accurately points to the KL police headquarters.
Guests, besotted on Barlai’s cocktail signatures the Siam Mojito, Milo Kaw and the Barlai Pina Colada – and the all-night freeflow Carlsberg on tap – made their way to the bar’s first floor, a balconied hybrid of small, intimate art gallery and cozy tavern common room, where the entertainment for the evening, Faiq and The Manja Mob, were set to perform. I walked up the stairs to check out what was on top of this split level floor, to find the beds from the venue’s previous incarnation as a boutique hotel still in place with sheets tucked and pillows all fluffed up. Pretty charming, but I was on the job, so I resisted lying down.
If you’re familiar with Faiq Syazwan’s biting satirical performances on web series That Effing Show, you’ll be pleased to know his showmanship extends to the musical stage as well. He and the Manja Mob quartet put on a 45 minute set that cemented Barlai’s first floor as a slightly large living room playing host to a house party with top shelf refreshments. The tiny balcony was abuzz with conversation and good cheer.
I was out by the entrance, ready to head home, when two elderly gentlemen stopped me and asked what all the commotion inside was about. I told them of Barlai being the new kid on the block, as it were. Turned out they were long-time residents of Jalan Sin Chew Kee, not accustomed to having a bar within walking distance of their front doors. They seemed pleased that Barlai was the venue that it was, and told me they were heading in to welcome the new neighbours. It just felt like that kind of place. Not so much a bar, as it was a welcome new tenant on a downtown KL street that’s far removed, but never far away, from the madding crowd.
Barlai launched on February 27, and is located at:
3, Jalan Sin Chew Kee
Bukit Bintang
50150 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 12pm to Midnight
T +603 2141 7850
