20 Leith Street | The blue mansion Penang
20 Leith Street | The blue mansion Penang | ||||
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"Penang's only pub, wine bar and Japanese bistro with a totally antique setting" is a place of great character and a reflection of the pub-proud proprietor's eclectic taste and personality. A corner is devoted to portraits of celluloid and Rock 'n' Roll stars, with an atmosphere reminiscent of Hard Rock Cafe. A hall upstairs is devoted to billiards. Other personal touches recall Ah Keat's involvement with pubs and discos for the last fifteen years. But the overwhelming ambience is part-1930s colonial and part-Straits Chinese. The waiting area is a traditional reception hall with a blackwood altar table against a gilded screen. The piece de resistance is the bar decorated with gilded Chinese bridal bed carvings. The restaurant offers a range of Japanese food such as gyu tataki, sushi, sashimi, deep-friend tempura seafood, teppanyaki, shabu-shabu (Japanese steamboat) and bento. Stepping outside from the polished interiors, it is especially pleasant to sit out in the open forecourt at night (next to a red London telephone booth), illuminated by the lights of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion opposite. The premises were formerly the domestic annex of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. By turning these three shophouses into a showpiece for Penang's heritage, Ah Keat, the proprietor, hopes others will follow his lead. The success of his efforts, as an impressive eating place for the business community, a comfortable hangout for the young, and a rendezvous for the fashionable, should encourage other Penang entrepreneurs to do just that. | ||||
