In the first ever beer chronicle published on this site in November 2021, I briefly related that nine years of my life ˗ spread out over three separate phases ˗ have been spent in Malaysia. I then go on to state that it is highly likely I will be back for more at some point.
On the last weekend of September 2024 I set foot on Malaysian soil for the first time since 2017. It instantaneously felt as if I had never left. Stepping out of KLIA Terminal 1, I was embraced by the heavy tropical heat. It was the warmest welcome I could have hoped for. On the taxi ride to the little studio I had booked for the first four nights of my stay, I marvelled at the sheer number of high-rise buildings that had been erected during my lengthy absence ˗ not to mention the amount still under construction. Other than that, nothing much appeared to have changed.
The Old Neighbourhood
Throughout the five years I called Kuala Lumpur home, divided into two phases, I resided in various parts of the metropolis. During my first stint, between late 2007 and late 2009, I lived in Kelana Jaya for a good 6 months ˗ near the LRT station, on a street of terraced bungalows which have since been replaced ˗ and then moved into a shared apartment in Pantai Panorama, at a time when sections of the nearby Kampung Kerinchi of yesteryear still stood. Nowadays the area is known as Bangsar South, in a bid to capitalise on a non-existent bond with the adjacent, historically swanky neighbourhood of Bangsar. Personally, I refuse to call the area anything other than Pantai ˗ or Kerinchi!
Between early 2014 and late 2016, my second spell in the muddy estuary, I spent several months bunking with a dear friend at his family home in Subang. After that, I was granted a room in company housing in Taman Sri Hartamas for a year. Eventually, I found myself a studio just up the road, in one of the condos at Plaza Damas. I have such fond memories of my time there, on those 50 m² (including balcony) with a view of KLCC, that I looked into the option of renting a unit in the very same building prior to my most recent visit. Unfortunately, there were none available during the dates I had in mind but I did succeed in arranging short-stay accommodation across the road.
Homecoming Tasters
After encountering some resistance from the smart lock on the front door of my unit, I had just about enough time to freshen up before being collected for a dinner appointment. Once my belly had been filled with a generous portion of nasi goreng kampung and a couple of pints of Tiger, my chaperones guided me to Kura’s Krafts in Plaza Batai. I was enthused to find that this pet-friendly craft beer bar had included Chill Bill’s succulent Mosaic IPA in their rotating tap selection. Chill Bill is a local nano brewery of which the founder is a former colleague who became a good friend during my second phase in KL. In awe of my buddy’s achievement, I had myself another moment of profound appreciation – one comparable to that of returning home after a long journey.
We opted to limit ourselves to a single round on the spot and headed to my friends’ lodgings with a small collection of cans and bottles from Kura’s fridges. The most memorable of the lot ˗ for me, at least ˗ was the Surfing Whale Golden Ale courtesy of Tsai’s Actual Brewing from Taiwan. Part of the Literary Beer Series, this tasty number was brewed and bottled for the Taiwan National Museum of Literature in Tainan. By the time our takeaway order had been ingested to the very last drop, it was coming up to 2 a.m. and we were feeling peckish again. After gobbling up some nasi kandar, I made my way back to Damas for a much-needed snooze.
The Old Workplace
The following afternoon, I met up with my friends at DC Mall in Pusat Bandar Damansara ˗ on the site where the old offices of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government once stood. During my first phase in KL, this had been the location of the project office where I spent the vast majority of my working days.
Walking around the premises, which had become completely unrecognisable to me, I was treated to a flurry of flashbacks that my memory had withheld from me for years. Even the less pleasant ones put a nostalgic smile on my face. For instance, I recalled the daily struggle of finding a cab driver willing to take me there from Kelana Jaya amidst the chaos of morning rush hour. Back then, it had seemed like the universe was teasing me; nowadays, with all that has come to pass since then, I am fully aware that she has far more savage tricks up her sleeve.
Fortunately, the universe ˗ and life itself ˗ also possesses a long list of redeeming qualities. For the first time in years I was compelled to think of a rather stressful period in my life when, after being dumped by an older woman, I barely slept for weeks on end and was popping out of the office at least once an hour to smoke a cigarette. At the time, I had convinced myself that it would all be downhill from there; almost 20 years and countless rejections later, I can confidently say that I know better.
Connor’s Stout Porter
On the ground floor of DC Mall there is a sports bar called Locker Room. As I waited for my friends to arrive I took a seat in the outdoor section ˗ inside the mall ˗ and ordered a glass of Connor’s Stout Porter. It really was the perfect nitro pour. The reinforcements arrived just in time to enjoy the last of the cascading effect in my glass with me. While the better half of the couple went off on a mission to purchase some odds and ends for their new apartment, the boys had a couple of beers. Each.
Inspired by a British stout recipe dating back to the 1700s, Connor’s Stout Porter is a nitrogenated draught stout created and brewed ˗ not blended! ˗ in Malaysia under the Carlsberg banner. Black with a creamy head and mild coffee aroma, Connor’s has a light to medium body and a clean, rounded mouthfeel. Thin, toasty notes of coffee and chocolate are perceptible through the brew’s low bitterness, resulting in a smooth and balanced taste. While it cannot really be classified as craft, the brew is easy to drink for a stout and certainly worth a mention due to its Malaysian origin.
The Dorsett Hartamas
Across the road from Plaza Damas, a massive 27-storey condominium cum hotel towers above the surrounding shop lots and low-rise apartment blocks of Damas 3. While I resided in the old neighbourhood, the Dorsett was still being built.
The studio I had booked for four nights was on the 5th floor; the rooftop section consists of a pool area, a gym, and a restaurant with spectacular views of the KL skyline. This restaurant also has Connor’s on tap. Unfortunately, the beer is not on nitro, which means it comes out a bit thin and watery. The scenery, however, was marvellous enough to captivate me for far longer than it usually takes to finish a pint. In many respects, it resembled the view from the little studio across the road that I used to call home. It was another one of those moments of sincere gratitude for being gifted the opportunity to return to a city I had long considered my own ˗ and still do.
The next day, my friend and I flew down to Singapore to attend Brew Asia 2024. In the planning stages of my trip, he had suggested that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to determine whether I could see myself spending more time in KL again at some point. Within the space of four days, it had become clear that the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. The timeline: ASAP!
