Upstairs is where the party's at: Husband-&-wife team Manfred & Ai Peng presented their much-anticipated first-born to the world this week - a casual first-floor cocktail bar that hums with humour & heart, fulfilling Manfred's yearning to run his own watering hole ever since he tended bar during his varsity years in Sydney. Lou Shang is a labour of love that's imbued with the couple's personal flourishes, from hand-picked wallpaper to a suspended tree trunk with branches from their home compound.
This is one bar where the bites prove as essential as the booze - Lou Shang's fusion tacos taste best, vividly imaginative & vibrantly complex. The knock-out is the 'Canto-Pop' taco (RM8.90 for one, RM16.90 for two), with kitchen-made pork char siu that lands a salty punch, pickled apple & cabbage slaw for a zesty slap, & spicy kewpie mayo for a tongue-tingling kick.
The 'J-Pop' taco is lighter on the palate, with moist, miso-marinated sea bass, plus pickled Japanese cucumbers, yuzu relish, radish, seaweed & sesame seeds. The dim sum steamer basket presentation is eye-catching, but it serves a practical purpose, keeping the tacos warmer for a little longer - a credit to the sharp minds who work behind the scenes & stay in the kitchen till long past closing time, painstakingly preparing char siu & other ingredients for the next evening's crowd.
A 'K-Pop' taco completes the menu's round of East Asian/Tex-Mex musical chairs, with beef striploin marinated for 24 hours in bulgogi marinade, paired with kimchi salad & mayo. The juggling of cross-border influences may seem like the gastronomic equivalent of aerial acrobatics, but Ai Peng has been walking the tightrope in KL's culinary circus for more than awhile now - she's also among the co-pioneers of The Red Beanbag, one of the city's earliest & most celebrated Melbourne-inspired cafes.
Lou Shang is one of the Klang Valley's ironically few speakeasy-style bars that don't dodge pork - it's worth digging into the shoestring fries, served nice & hot, deliciously drizzled with salted caramel & candied bacon. There are also bacon-wrapped Medjool dates with cream cheese that cleave to a similar sticky-sweet-savoury motif. Both RM14 per serving.
Lou Shang is still finding its footing for the beverages, with its main bartender only starting work this week & another to follow next month. But there are gallons of potential in these cocktails' mischievous sense of fun & bravado, from the Bonsai Kitten (RM28; Havana Club three-year-old, creme de cacao, baileys, green tea powder, milk) to My Sassy Bini (RM33; dragon fruit, strawberries, bombay sapphire, pomegranate liquor, lime juice, basil). Floor manager Cyril is happy to offer recommendations, but be warned: Refrain from inviting Ai Peng over for a drink - she's been known to get completely sloshed after half a glass.
One of the reasons Lou Shang will be a hit is its come-as-you-are, everyone's-a-friend vibe. No fuss, no worries - whether you heading here in office wear after work or in T-shirts & shorts after a futsal match, the only house rules that apply are, relax & enjoy your visit - easy after a few sips of the Pirate's Bay (RM30; extra spiced rum, raspberry liquor, lime juice, coconut water) or Tau Keh's Delight (RM35; Chivas 12-year-old, Hennessy VSOP, apple, creme de cassis, lime, orange bitters, ginger ale).
Booze-flavoured ice cream cookie sandwiches are also available - rum & raisin or cointreau & lemon - (RM16 for three), raising the tantalising possibility of a naughtier-than-nice childhood indulgence for grown-ups. Merely mild though; adults might favour the 18-&-above titillation afforded by the bar's whiskies & wines (reds & whites starts at RM28 a glass).
Lou Shang Bar & Cafe
10M, First Floor, Jalan SS21/58, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-7731 8870
Open Tues-Thurs, 5pm-12am (kitchen closes 1030pm); Fri-Sat, 5pm-2am; Sun, 2pm-12am
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