Enter the world of Suzie Wong: One of KL's most ambitious & atmospheric bars is swathed in sultry, scarlet shadows, seeking to hark back to a hedonistic Hong Kong that's now more than six decades in the past.
Named for the 1950s novel that chronicles the romance between a young Chinese woman & a British artist, Suzie Wong operates in stealth (divining the entrance - stowed on a back-alley - may demand a treasure hunter's patience) in a cavernous space with East-meets-West split identities; on one side, the flamboyance of a Cando cabaret lounge seems to fire on all cylinders, as customers recline on ornate sofas beside ornamental peacocks under a veritable canopy of birdcages.
A separate section skews British & masculine (a nod to the literary Suzie's paramour, Robert Lomax), its walls fringed by imposingly knightly armoured figures. Cheongsam-clad staffers nicknamed 'Suzie Wong Girls' flit between both realms, sometimes surreally perched on swings before a cast of performers sweeps to the stage nearly every night. This will eventually be a members-only bar, so if you're curious for a no-strings-attached glimpse behind the crimson curtains, head here soon while walk-ins remain possible.
Cocktails prove as seductive as the setting: Some might surface in swirling mists of luminous mystique at the main bar beneath a soaring glass ceiling, while others come composed in striking tableware with flourishes suitable for a venue that means to leave an impression. Suzie Wong's imaginative mixologist has some 30 concoctions available - temptations include the Smoked Old Fashion (with hickory smoke) & The Erik (vodka, cili padi, kaffir lime leaves, passion fruit), & others with Asian-inflected ingredients like pandan-&-lemongrass-infused vodka & assam boi-infused tequila - potions that harness expertly balanced, easy-to-enjoy flavours.
There's one more piece to the Suzie Wong puzzle: No food is served within the bar, but patrons can step outside to the main entrance's passageway that's meant to transport you to steamy, seamy Hong Kong, with a stall that serves up bowls of wantan or chicken char siew noodles (RM8) & baskets of dim sum (no-pork siew mai, har gao, bao & loh mai kai, RM6 each). All in all, Suzie may cast quite a spell on some patrons, providing a potential antidote for jaded bar-hoppers seeking a fun night out. Thanks to the Suzie Wong Team for having us here.
Suzie Wong
Behind Wisma Lim Foo Yong, Jalan Tengah, Kuala Lumpur. Mon-Fri, 4pm-3am; Sat, 6pm-3am. Tel: 012-842-8280
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