Ipoh Old Town can be very quiet after dark with practically nothing much to do. One of the few things that most visitors can do in the old town after dinner will be to have some "snow beer" (雪花啤酒) at restaurants or drinks at a couple of bars.
Kiki Lalat is a bar that sprung up in the old town in 2020. It is housed in an old shop, along Jalan Bijeh Timah, with an old signboard. The predecessor of Kiki Lalat was a fashion store — both belonging to the same owner — and "Kiki Lalat" was actually the label of certain fashion design and used as name of the bar.
The bar is usually very quiet on weekdays and before 9pm, which is a good time to check out the bar without any crowd. There is a piano and guitar at one corner of the bar — performances may be held on weekends or special occasions.
On one of my visits on a weekend, Kiki Lalat had an event going on, some guys setting up a stand with charcoal for grilling, some preparing a portable swim pool and water guns. They were having water-splashing activities as it was the Songkran festival in Thailand.
Kiki Lalat is self-service — find a table or stand, order drink(s) at the bar counter and collect it yourself. Apart from drinks on an "On Tap" menu, there are beers and other alcoholic drinks too.
The "On Tap" menu changes depending on availability. There are "Todi" and "Tuak" on the menu on my visit. "Todi" (toddy) is coconut palm wine and "tuak" is rice wine — both with lowest alcohol contents. The local wines sold in Kiki Lalat are self-brewed.
The tuak (left) is mild-sweet with a nice aroma and usually served with ice — to dilute the sweetness. I tried the tuak without ice (top-right) too to taste its original flavour. The todi (bottom-right) is mild-sweet and acidic and tastes like fizzy soft drink without bubbles. It does not have strong sourish fermentation taste.
There are other interesting drinks to try too — but for me, I go for local wine only, usually from natural fermentation or with lowest alcohol contents, when travelling.
Make sure you are of legal age to drink.
Address:
27, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
6pm to 1am (Fri & Sat till 2am) | Daily
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