Eat Drink KL: Coffee As Booze: The.Bngsr Tavern @ Telawi & Vina Del Rey @ Nexus, Bangsar South

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Coffee As Booze: The.Bngsr Tavern @ Telawi & Vina Del Rey @ Nexus, Bangsar South

Calling itself 'a local tavern with a fusion twist,' this singularly spelled new bar is banking on a bright future in Bangsar.

The.Bngsr Tavern is a first-floor hideout with a chilled-out, sleaze-free vibe & strategic view of Telawi's streets.

The menu was still a work in progress when we visited, but the kitchen seems to have several intriguing ideas cooking, with bar snacks that include this board topped with spoonfuls of duck meat chopped up with capsicum, carrots & lettuce. Chicken tandoori & paneer pizzas are available too, while in a nod to one of Bangsar's streets, there's also a 'Jalan Bilis' serving of sauteed sausages with anchovies & onions.

By now, the bar should be offering a full range of booze; for this visit, we sipped on Patron XO Cafe, the popular blend of tequila with coffee essence (this is where our coffee theme kicks in for this entry).

Moving along, here's another new watering hole with potential: Vina Del Rey, a wine bar in Bangsar South's Nexus complex.

Vina Del Rey has an immensely impressive list of wine offered by the glass; we lost count of how many exactly, but they comprise varieties that span France, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand & more, mostly clocking in between RM25 & RM35 each.

 For this round, we tried South Africa's Barista Pinotage, a fascinating creation with rich notes of both coffee & chocolate. It'd be fun to pair this with food - Vina Del Rey hasn't launched its kitchen, but this wine might fare fairly well with meat & cheeses.

We've had coffee as tequila in this post, plus coffee as wine, so here's one more for the road: Coffee as beer. For that, we return to Desa Sri Hartamas' Buns Burger Bar. (Introduction to Buns: April 27, 2014)

Scotland's Harvietoun Old Engine OIl English Porter-style beer, with a scent of coffee grounds & a flavour of creamy coffee, buttered toffee & burnt toast. Reputedly the perfect beer with which to make an ice cream float.

 The.Bngsr Tavern
32A, First Floor, Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur
Open Wed-Mon, 4pm-1am

Vina Del Rey
G-1, Nexus Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur
Daily, 10am till at least 11pm. Tel: 03-2242-2878

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