Malt & Leaf
Inhale, Puff, and Sip
A stark contrast to what’s right in front of it, Malt & Leaf is located just opposite The Roof’s super club, Play. It’s not so much a Frost conundrum in that it’s a question of which road should be taken (and the existential angst that comes with choosing one over the other) as it is a status signifier: Made men opt for the highbrow lounge where one indulges in over 150 expensive cigars and international malts while boys go for the easy, beer-aided pleasure of the club.
Living in a region with a constant influx of the nouveau riche, it’s easy to get confused by all the buzz words used by bars and lounges looking to cater to that particular crowd. Luxurious, sophisticated, classy, affluent, and what not are all adjectives their PR would churn out to dupe the rich-but-not-necessarily-hoity toity, yet we have to admit that Malt & Leaf might just be one of the few that lives up to the hype. It helps that the venue is located on a rooftop that overlooks the city – we felt like a particularly malevolent capitalist as we inhaled our cigar, puffed, and sipped what might have been expensive whiskey while looking down on the cityscape.
Alas, that supervillain fantasy was shattered as we had no idea that the fresh coconut water served with the drink was supposed to augment the flavour of the single malt, turns out JUICE is one of the plebs. It didn’t help that we were astounded that there was a private space behind the bar’s humidified glass that contains 70 VIP lockers. Like an unnecessarily hedonistic bank for the rich and decadent, the lockers serve to store select guests’ cigars and malt whiskeys, the sort none of us commoners can afford we bet.
It’s not all bar-side Mad Men fantasy though, Malt & Leaf features a delectable menu of main courses as well as tapas. With an earthy tone, wooden flooring & tables, and leather-clad chairs, it can be the ideal dining spot for dates and private meetings.
THE ROOF
1 FIRST AVENUE, BANDAR UTAMA
47800 PETALING JAYA
SELANGOR
OPEN: 5PM – LATE
T: 017 908 5766 OR 018 287 0711
E: [email protected]