December 12th, 2011
The Westin Kuala Lumpur is a contemporary and chic hotel prominently situated on Jalan Bukit Bintang – at the heart of KL’s business, upmarket retail and entertainment area. Surrounded by glamorous malls such as Starhill Gallery and KL Pavilion, the Jalan Bukit Bintang area has also long been an essential factor in KL’s vibrant nightlife scene. The Westin properties world-wide are renowned for their stylish and innovative dining outlets, and The Westin Kuala Lumpur features six signature dining venues. Established in 2003, Qba Latin Bar & Grill introduced a unique, exotic style of dining concept to the KL nightlife scene. A multi-faceted venue, it comprises four main sections- The Wine Bar & Cigar Lounge, The Latin Grill dining room, the Island Bar, and the outdoor Tapas Courtyard. The specialties of the kitchen are Latin American cuisines, with emphasis on grilled meats and tapas dishes, and award-winning cheeses. The bar area pulsates nightly with the carefree Latin spirit of the bygone colonial era of pre-revolution Havana.
The design concept for Qba Latin Bar & Grill was created by leading Singapore design firm Poole & Associates. The principal of the firm, Ed Poole, spent one month travelling within Cuba to absorb the cultural and architectural heritage to ensure an authentic representation for the Qba project. The dominant colonial influence in Cuba was the centuries long Spanish occupation- resplendent with their grand colonial buildings. The equally important influence of the Catholic church and it’s elaborate baroque style of the period has also been captured in elements of the design of Qba. The result is an impressive venue spread over two levels with an open double-volume space soaring above the island bar. The style is both graceful and relaxed- with the atmosphere of colonial era grandeur. Elaborate ornamentation is featured throughout, with chandeliers, wrought iron balustrades, hand painted frescoes, and grand arches. Authentic materials utilised include extensive white marble, dark timbers, and wrought iron work. Distressed paintwork finishes on archway trims and walls were hand-painted by a specialist artist. The focal piece of the main room is the life-sized angel- hand carved from a single solid tree trunk. Gazing down from above the island bar, the angel castes a serene omnipresence over both the bar and the upper level “paladar’ style dining room.
The Wine Bar- long bar counter leading to the Latin Grill dining room
The Wine Bar is located on the upper level- and is accessed either from an entrance at the Lower Lobby Level – or via the broad staircase connecting the Island Bar on the lower level, with the upper level dining room. The Wine Bar features a full length bar counter running down one side, with elaborate curved timber edging. Dark timber bar stools line the counter. Opposite the long bar counter are a series of luxurious lounge areas- with plush brown leather arm chairs, and with lighted onyx tables providing a soft yellow glow. Glass cabinets display the extensive wine selections available, and also serve as dividing walls between the lounge areas. Located at the end of the room adjacent to the dining room , is the cigar room, featuring an outdoor balcony. Naturally, Cuban cigars are available for purchase. A large variety of wines from South America and Spain are featured in the cellars.
Wine Bar- leather armchairs and lighted onyx tables
Entrance to the Latin Grill dining room
The Latin Grill dining room features an open kitchen, and is specialising in grilled meat dishes- Latin American style. The Qba Signature Steak and Wine Tasting Plates are the best way to enjoy a variety of cuts, all served with matched wines. Two “plates” are offered- each with three different cuts of prime beef- the “Shorthorn Plate” – featuring cuts from Shorthorn cattle- the breed that originated in England in the 18th century, and is now found all over the world- Argentina, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, USA etc. And the “Longhorn Plate” – features three cuts from the traditional long horned brown and white breed of cattle, the most famous being the “the Texas Longhorn”.
The Latin Grill- dining tables overlooking open bar area below
The Island Bar- looking towards dance floor and Latin Grill on upper level
The Island Bar on the lower level features the large centre-piece square shaped bar- with counter seating on three sides, and along two of the walls, timber paneled alcoves with deep leather booth seating. A dance floor and stage area are at one end of the room, and large open doorways lead to the adjacent outdoor terrace. Apart from serving all the regular bar staples such as draft beer, premium spirits, wines etc, the bar specialties are Cuban themed cocktails- using premium Cuban rums and sugar can spirits. The extensive selections of Mojitos, Caipirinhas and Margaritas provide many popular choices.
Booth seats in alcoves along two sides of the main bar
The outdoor Tapas Courtyard occupies a large, lower-street level space with luxuriant tropical plants separating the terrace area from the street pavement. Large extendable canvas awnings provide coverage against both the hot daytime sun and any evening rainfall, and numerous overhead fans circulate the warm tropical air. The Tapas menu is served both in the outdoor courtyard, and also in all interior spaces- Wine Bar , Latin Grill, and the Island Bar. The menu features a wide selection of typical tapas dishes, including- crumbed soft shell crabs fried in olive oil; freshly shucked irish pacific oysters, qba’s salsa; cuban beef empanadas with chilean pebre; and baja-style beer battered prawn taco with chive habanero allioli.
Outdoor terrace – Tapas Courtyard- bar and tables
Caipirinha– Cachaca 51, lime juice, lime wedges
Strawberry Margarita– Jose Cuervo Tequila, frozen strawberry puree, syrup
Classic Mojito– rum, lime juice, mint leaves, limes, sugar
Cuba Bella- Matusalem Clasico dark rum, Atlantico Platino rum, & Bols
Qba Latin Bar & Grill – at The Westin Kuala Lumpur
Address: Lower Ground Floor, 199 Jalan Bukit Bintang. 55100 Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia
Reservations: +603 2773 8098
Website: www.thewestinkualalumpur.com/dining
Facebook: www.facebook.com/westin.kl
Opening Hours:
Bar: Monday to Saturday 5:00 pm ~ 3:00 am
Restaurant: Monday to Saturday 6:30 pm ~ 10:30 pm
Qbarrio Happy Hours : Monday to Saturday 5:00 pm ~ 10:00 pm
Music : Live bands & DJs nightly- salsa beats & hot rhythms
Dress Code: Smart casual
