26 AUGUST 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
FROM TOP: COURTESY OF MR.CHEW’S; COURTESY OF SHELLEY YU’S/ here&now/
AFTER DARKAsian Sensations
A trio of new bars in Kuala Lumpur pours
generous cocktails, with splash of
Oriental charm. BY MARK LEANFROM TOP: Bartender Rick Joore brings the heat at Mr. Chew’s;
Peranakan style with an irreverent twist at Shelley Yu’s.COCKTAILS FLAVORED by spices from a
Nyonya granny’s garden. A dance floor in a
neo-Japanese subterranean bar. A lounge
with Chino-Latino flare to spare. KL now
has a crop of Asian-themed bars on its
radar, encouraged by enthusiastic barmen
inspired by the spices, produce and art that
surround them.Shelley Yu’s
This Peranakan bar and restaurant is a
charmer, matching Straits Chinese culture
with a dash of irreverence. The gin-based
cocktails steal the show, peppered with
fruits and herbs that wouldn’t look out of
place in a Nyonya grandmother’s spice
cabinet: salted pineapples, dried sour
plums and jackfruit leaves. Try the Roselle
Spritz, squeezed from the roselle plant
typically grown in Malaysian gardens. The
drinks are creative, but when it comes to
cuisine, Shelley Yu’s sticks to classic
Malaccan Nyonya fare—still on-theme,
and equally delicious. shelleyyus.com;
drinks for two RM60.Mr. Chew’s Chino Latino Bar
At this crayola-colored penthouse atop
the WOLO Hotel, owner Eddie Chew has
forgone the practiced sophistication of his
other bars (Coppersmith, Claret) in favor
of a louche, anything-goes vibe. A blend of
Christian Lacroix fabric prints, imposing
murals above the bar, and a champagne
bathtub, the interiors are part Manhattan
loft, part Cuban residence, and anything
but dull. Bartender Rick Joore’s drink
creations—like the Chew’s Daiquiri, a
blend of rum, hanoho ziso flowers, lime,
grapefruit and a plum wine reduction—
evoke lazy Havana afternoons spent in the
sun. mr-chew.com; drinks for two RM80.Kyo
This nightclub in the Mandarin Oriental
has all the ingredients for a killer party:
beautiful people, oodles of champagne, a
strict door policy (a RM40 cover charge),
and a pedigree in Singapore, where the
original club had enough DJ-cred to
launch a record label. A subterranean
energy dominates Kyo (the dance room)
and Ren (the cocktail lounge), both decked
out in wood panels from tugboats in Port
Dickson. Art by emerging talent depict
tropes from Japanese anime and 90s
movies, which speak to the club’s affluent
millennial clientele. On the decks is a
roster of local and regional DJs spinning a
mix of blistering house, Afro, disco, hip-
hop, funk, R&B and lounge tunes.
clubkyokl.com; drinks for two RM100.