July 31st, 2011
Occupying a prominent corner site on Jalan Berangan in central KL, Bakita projects a stylish presence, and has proven a most popular addition to the nightlife scene in the Changkat Bukit Bintang area.
The existing two storey building has been completely remodeled by the well known KL design studio ArchiCentre– and was a recent entry in the UK based international Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
The building exterior features a clean, contemporary facade, with black steel beams and mesh as design elements, and enhanced by an effective lighting concept. Large trees along the Jalan Berangan frontage soften the projection of the building onto the streetscape, and provide effective shade coverage for the outdoor terrace area.
The interior at Bakita has two distinct, themed areas- the downstairs space- both indoors and the outside terrace tables- are set up for casual drinks- with an emphasis on the huge selection of beers and “gastropub” style dining. The main bar extends across almost the entire span of one side of the ground level space- and features a long stainless steel wall of draft beer taps and overhead large LCD screens. An glass fronted walk-in cold room holds the extensive selection of bottled beers at the ideal temperature of 5C . An interesting promotional concept is for “special time limited” deals on various drinks which are displayed on the LCD screens overhead the main bar.
Outside on the timber decked terrace, long dark timber bench seating and tables provide a relaxed setting for drinks and meals whilst observing the passing streetlife.
The upstairs space at Bakita has been designed as a sophisticated cocktail lounge / bar- with modern furnishings and decoration and a color scheme of light greys, black and white, textured wall finishes, and highlighted by molded red bar stools. Up some steps and across one end of the room, is the cocktail bar , and several areas of lounge seating occupy the other spaces. Resident and guest DJ’s play tunes to create the party vibes, and regular special events are promoted through Bakita’s Facebook Page.
Although the extensive selection of beers are the specialty feature at Bakita, the cocktail bar upstairs also has a reputation for serving up a terrific range of creative cocktails and other libations.
The main bar downstairs has more than 14 different imported and local beers on tap- including Erdinger, Becks, Leffe, Warsteiner, Hoegaarden, Fosters, Carlsberg, KR1664, Tetleys, and Asahi. Then there are the bottled specialty beers- featuring many of the distinctive Belgian beers, and many others from around the world.
The food menu offers a quality dining experience- definitely a level above typical pub/ bar food. The selection of international dishes include salads such as caesar and halloumi beef salad; oysters gratin– baked with cheese; , “korean wings”- spicy chicken wings; pizzas- including salmon & tobiko, or hosin duck; and main dishes such as salmon burger; a beef ale pie with oyster; and almond & cashew crusted chicken cutlet. Sumptuous desserts include green tea brulee; lime tart; and fudge brownie with vanilla icecream.
Having just celebrated their first anniversary, it would appear that Bakita have executed successfully on their innovative and appealing concept for casual dining, drinking and sophisticated partying.
Bakita – cocktail lounge & beer bar – KL
Address: 33, Jalan Berangan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Car Parking: Valet parking in street
Reservations: +603. 2141 7733
Website: http://www.bakita.com.my/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/bakita/271659652303
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 12:00pm ~ 3:00 pm , 6:00pm ~ closing
Saturday & Sunday 6:00pm~ closing
