Who says the sleepy city of Ipoh can't sustain the semblance of a cultural nightlife? El Negra Distro, recently launched in Ipoh's Old Town neighbourhood, is determined to prove otherwise.
El Negra rises only a few hours before sunset & stays open till midnight, enabling indie musicians to find their late-hours groove in casual, improvised performances that feel like an initiative to bring busking indoors.
Battle drowsiness with coffee: unfortunately, the latte is too weak & bland to recommend (truth be told, it's terrible), while the affogato could benefit from softer ice cream.
El Negra considers itself a 'distro,' a cross between a deli & a bistro; the menu's a mishmash of chicken-&-egg sandwiches, bread-&-butter puddings, roast chicken, meatball spaghetti & tiramisu. Service can be a mixed bag; there are several friendly staff members here, but a few behind the counter are smiles-free and bored-looking.
Still, this venue is blessed with potential; the first-floor, shop-house ambiance is winsome. With some fine-tuning of everything else, El Negra could someday become an Ipoh success story.
El Negra Distro
121 First Floor, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, Ipoh, Perak
Open 4pm through midnight, except Tuesdays. Tel: 03-241-2544
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As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).
