Ok, so here I am. Midnight. Pissed. Probably the best placed to do this post, given it was going to be about drinking!
If you have any idea how hard it was to get that first sentence done then you know where I'm at.
Addendum. Ok, actually the main post. I did well to get a coherent sentence out the other night. But wisely I left it at that. Funnily enough I was doing a bit of KL reminiscing at the time too; with my old workmates and drinking partners: Dean, Russ and JR.
So back to business. And apologies to anyone who has found these posts thinking they might get some tourist insights into what to do in KL - believe me what I am proposing would be fun, but it is very personal in nature, and not written from the point of view of a visitor looking for a fun-filled first trip to KL. Anyhow, that said, onto my musings...
I figure there are two nights out to be had on the three day trip as the last one would best be a quiet one, given a likely early morning flight the next day. I am trying not to be too cliched in my approach, but frankly there is only one place that is a standout must visit for an evening out to me, especially within a restricted timeframe. That place is Changkat Bukit Bintang!
I posted about Changkat as we call it during my series of KL Bucket List items last year. I reckon if I were to go this time I'd probably start much the same way - find someone that's open early to chill, muck around on my phone, people watch and have a bite to eat with a few beers while figuring out my next move. One place I tried a couple of times and enjoyed as a one off place was Black Forest.
They have a nice porky snack menu, good beer selection, and a nice spot on the strip to people watch. I sometimes came to town early when meeting friends to avoid the traffic jam, and spent the hour or so here, or a similar place, chilling out and getting in the swing of things.
We had a few staples in Changkat, one of which has improved markedly in recent years since the old grumpy alcoholic owner buggered off, and that is Green Man.
Green Man is fabulous if you are a cricket fan, as it is one of the few places that will show it all day. Given that they open for breakfast, as an Aussie in KL it was simply wonderful to come down on a morning off, settle in for the first session of a test, and enjoy the day. As a drinking bar it is probably not one of the best, but for sports, decent snacks, and daytime boozing, you can't really go wrong.
My next option is actually next door to it and also shown in the photo above, and that is Healy Macs. This place is commonly regarded as the best pub in KL, and it has good reason to deserve this accolade. It is not cheap, but the variety of televised sport, the live music, the food and the drinks are just superb, as are the staff.
This dish is one of their signatures, the pork knuckle. We are talking superb here, and definitely a two person order!
So there are a few other places on the strip, some of which are worth a shot once in a while, and others - such as Front Page, while enjoyable, are suffering from lack of maintenance and cleanliness and have lost their lustre. My mate JR used to favour Locos because of its price, and while not bad, I have to say it wasn't my choice. He also loved the Whisky Bar, which is high end, but not the sort of comfortable place for chilling and sport watching that I tend towards.
I couldn't finish this without an honourable mention to Gypsy. This place was my first intoduction to CBB, back in 2009 when I started coming here both with friends and on my own. It was at Gypsy that I met JR the very first night he came to KL prior to starting at Penjom. It has reinvented itself over the years and it looking a lot nicer than it used to. But it still had the same core, and is still a fun place for late night drinks, or perhaps even to hook up, as I did on a couple of occasions back in those days.
So a night out for me in Changkat now would likely be a combination of all these places, for a bit of a trip down memory lane, perhaps the chance to spot a familiar face, watch a bit of sport, enjoy a bite to eat, and consume some icy Tigers while watching the world go by!
To finish off, I don't suggest hailing a cab in the street, as these are often the guys who will rip you off, not use the meter, and not be very helpful. I use either the grabcab app, which is superb, or walk up the hill at the non-Bukit Bintang end of the street, and hail a cab there.
I've had some wonderful nights on this street, and love the idea of going back for another go at some point!
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