Smell their Smokes Bob Wong!

It's the time of the year again where it's part of my job to go spot some new and good places to hold our annual award ceremony event for our high flying customers.

The guidelines of the place is something I set for us:
1. It has to be a part of a hotel :
to guarantee the food quality is at least above average
when served to 150+ ppl.
to guarantee that the servers are well trained in terms of services
to guarantee that the sofas are not badly stained with stale beer of 3 years.
to guarantee that the ambience is not too yuppyish or looking sleazy
2. It has to be a pub cum restaurant so our customers can stay on after
the show is over

We were informed to check this place called IndoChine in Crown Plaza Hotel. The name IndoChine delighted me at once coz I remember it being the holding company of Savanh. After years of being out of the night scenes, I was out again just because we like the clean, high ceiling, water element, well lit, tastefully yet practically designed place apart from its good choice of retro mixes (which repels teenagers!). The dining place upstairs is always fully booked in the weekends.

Again, we walked into another high ceiling dining place without the air of Savanh at all, gloomy, purplish all a'la Pizza Italiano place, but I didn't give up yet. We were introduced to the co-owner of that place; a spin and span British accent speaking Chinese middle aged man Mr. M.

Mr. M explained that they just took over the place and the decor belonged to the previous owner (phewwhhh!). He introduced us to his elder sister, S who was there discussing the renovation of that place. She's a plain looking lady that you see buying provisions in the wet market, but very well spoken just like her brother.

Mr. M showed a brochure of the rest of the clubs under IndoChine in order to assure us that the restaurant we were in will look very pleasing. Ladies and Gentlemen, they have 10 branches in S'pore and 1 in Hamburg now 2 in Kay El! According to him, Savanh at Doraisamy is lower than B Grade in terms of decor and we're assured an A Grade decor for this one by end of April. I was thinking.... wow!! it doesn't take a man with dragon tattoos, long thin pony tail to own such a successful chain of outlets (the dusk till dawn discotheque owners in PJ now sports short hair and runs club cum restaurant chains too ni Bangsar)!

I then thought, I would love to spend more time with Mr. M and his sister, S and find out what's behind their head with regards to this huge empire when their passion seemed only towards interior decoration and making money is completely secondary.

They said they can't wait to unload their container filled with Buddha statues, silk frills and teak furnitures to do up this place. They want to make sure the place becomes so successful so they can close Savanh which is too bustling with people pushing for protection stash and no protection for customers when it rains.

* CoChine * IndoChine Hamburg * Aquadisiac * Nude Restaurant * Savanh * IndoChine Waterfront * CoChine Galery * Bar Opiume * IndoChine Club Street * The Forbidden City * Madame Butterfly * Bar Cocoon

We all know how others keep themselves in business eih, yet we see how often Modesto's, Heaven, Boom Boom Room and the likes shut down and reopen now such as Budaba and stuff... a fad or is it that the downfall is due to the extra 'unwanted' overhead?

So far, it makes two successful clubs who refuse to condone to such business dealings. Two thumbs up to you both! If this precedent is emulated by all, I can't wait to open a place myself.

Brett: In case you read this and wondered who Bob Wong is, he's is one of the pioneers of disco's and clubs owners in KL and Penang. Pioneer may not necessarily mean successful.