La Bodega Pavilion KL
C3.06 Pavilion KL
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2148 8018
www.bodega.com.my
www.facebook.com/labodega.my

Sangria in the city….
Before the arrival of La Bodega in 1999, the word “tapas” was unheard of in local venacular. Today La Bodega is the byword for Spanish cuisine. Descended upon by the post-work CBD crowd, the Pavilion KL outpost located on the corner of the mall’s F & B area is the place to people watch while caressing a glass of sangria and nibbling on a host of Spanish bites. With Happy Hours running from 4pm to 8pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and from 4pm till the last person gets turfed out on Sundays, plus live Latin jazz, salsa and samba artist performances held here on weekends, La Bodega Pavilion rumbles with excitement any day of the week.

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Havana KL
2 & 4 Lorong Sahabat
Changkat Bukit Bintang
50200 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2142 7170
FB Search: Havana KL

A slice of Havana with a dash of Cajun….
Formerly known as Little Havana, the truncated Havana was named JUICE’s Best Bar for Chilling Out in 2009. With a cool breezy atmosphere in which to while away the hours at the courtyard bar imagining you’re Tony Montana, regulars swear by the Mojito and Havana Colada to take the heat off. The Cuban cigars remain but you can also spark up like a midnight cowboy and order you flame grilled steaks. With the vast upstairs having played host to some interesting parties including This Feeling’s bashes with The Happy Monday’s Bez and Mani of The Stone Roses, you never quite know what to expect hanging out the balcony unless you pull up a chair.

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Sino: The Bar Upstairs
29A Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2284 2880
www.alexis.com.my

Private club chic for the bookish…
The sexy oriental theme designed by Wondermilk has been swept aside. Sino, the bar to Alexis’s all day dining restaurant, now resembles a cross between a sexy modern gentleman’s club and the chic private library of a designer. The inclusion of a skylight lifts the ambience and prevents the rich, dark coloured interior from descending into the realms of stiff. Like its Alexis Great Eastern Mall compatriot, come here for the wine and jazz music, which is live every first Monday of the month. Just forget about curling up with a drink and a good book though, despite the rows of tomes, they’re designed not to be read.

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Bedroom KL
6.01.03-04 Level 6
Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2141 9620
www.bedroomkl.my
www.facebook.com/bedroomkl

Far from sleepy….
Unlike Asian cities like the jumping Hong Kong and Shanghai, and buzzing Bangkok and Jakarta, KL is pretty horizontal in its approach.  Our pace is so steadfastly unhurried, why fight it? Bedroom hasn’t, instead choosing to embrace KL’s louche ways by taking it to a whole other level – Pavilion’s 6th level. Nestled behind adjoining resaurant Markethall, Bedroom is a where the city’s beautiful come to unravel after work/ shopping and watch the sun set on the business district through its floor-to-ceiling windows. For such a chic place – midway between Laundry and Rootz – Bedroom is surprisingly unpretentious, and its music policy as eclectic, experimental and exquisitely mixed as its cocktails.

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Hard Rock Café KL
Ground Floor, Wisma Concorde
2 Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2715 5555
www.hardrock.com
www.facebook.com/hardrockcafekualalumpur

Rockin, rollin and rowdy….
Planet Hollywood imploded, Fashion Café never made it here, but Hard Rock Café rocks on. The American-born music themed restaurant and bar continues to pull in everyone from tourists to locals, big bikers to live music fans. Friendly staff serves up Tex-Mex dishes of ridiculous proportions; then at night when the tourists have taken their HRC KL tees back to their hotel room, the joint rolls off its hinges as denizens of every age, colour and creed take for the floor or make a play. It ain’t Cleveland but it’s home.
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The Library
B-GF-01, IOI Boulevard (opposite IOI Mall)
Jalan Kenari 5
Bandar Puchong Jaya
Puchong
47170 Selangor
T: 03 8070 8077
www.thelibrary.my
www.facebook.com/thelibrary.ioiboulevard

Beers and books and ‘burbs….
In an area more known for its claypot chicken rice, The Library is a sight for sore eyes. Beautifully designed with a more relaxed vibe – you are in the suburbs, after all – the latest instalment of Library, offers live music and the same great beer promos and the largest selection of draught beer you’ve come to love at The Library’s Mid Valley and Curve branches, including their notorious beer tower. Find a quiet corner inside or brave the elements on the terrace or sidewalk seating, and say hello to Puchong!

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Albion
31 Jalan Berangan
50200 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2141 9282
www.albionkl.com
FB Search: Albion KL

Rule Britannia….
Opened in January 2010, and located just behind Changkat Bukit Bintang, Albion is the perfect place to start your night off before you saunter to the next street to wear out your dancing shoes. While its name may be ye old ancient moniker for Great Britain, England in particular, Albion’s modern British bistro is bang-up-to-date in its approach, serving imaginative food that reflects current trends in British kitchens and innovative cocktails inspired by London style bars.

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WIP
Lot G111, Bangsar Shopping Centre
285 Jalan Maarof
Bukit Bandarraya
50490 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2094 1789 / 2789
www.wip.com.my
www.facebook.com/wip.kl

Seaside in the city….
Once a “Work In Progress” now “Whipped Into Place”, WIP’s sprawling corner lot lends itself to this bar-restaurant’s resort ambience. Inspired by white washed seaside escapes like Nice and Santorini and designed by Ed Poole & Associates, WIP is part of the same F & B group as Souled Out and 7atenine. Loosely divided into dining area, bar area and partially covered alfresco area, with ample room to spare for burbling water features, fountains and lots of inviting white sofas, it can accommodate over 200 people including 20 at its clam bar, which is designed to start conversations, and not just because of the way it looks. From here mixologists bar flare up some mighty mean cocktails like the house’s signature mojitos and sangria – arguably the best in KL,  and the food, inspired by the sea makes for a suitable companion. With the languid rhythms of bossa, Latin jazz and house music filling the air, WIP has become an oasis of escape for Bangsar barflies.

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Casbah
Mandarin Oriental
50088 Kuala Lumpur
T: 03 2380 8888
www.mandarinoriental.com

Moor luxury lounging….
Perhaps there’s something about modern Moorish design concepts that means money, as Mandarin Oriental extends the success of Sultan Lounge to Casbah. Designed by SWOT Design Group and opened in December 2010, this opulent Arabian-style lounge replaces Pacifica at Mandarin Oriental. It dishes out inventive mezze, lipsmackingly wicked cocktails and exotic Arabian rhythms that will make your belly dance in more ways than one from within a dramatic setting befitting its futuristic Orient theme.

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