A painting of Bruce Lee hangs at the entrance. You know it’s got to be a cool place already from that. The three of us stand outside 10, Lebuh Presgrave, wondering how to get in.
We had heard of this place called 12 Senses, a speakeasy bar that had just opened in Penang, one of the handful that is changing the nightlife scene of this island.
Everything seems shut. We press every button we see. We try the old-fashioned method, we knock. Nothing. Two other women are also trying to get in. They too fail. Both visitors, they had heard of this place from their Uber driver.
We decide to walk towards the back alley, maybe it’s so underground you have to enter through a secret entrance. We hear some scurrying as we walk through the darkened alleyway. This is a part of Penang that’s more home to warehouses than bars and we try not to think of who was doing the scurrying.
No luck, so we return to the front door. By then, the two women had figured it out. All we had to do was pull the lever of what we had thought was an art installation of ropes and pulleys.
I guess that’s what makes places like 12 Senses cool. It tests every sense of yours to get in and then when you walk in, your senses are just blown away because you are transported into a cool, ethereal, eclectic place you could never imagine from the outside.
Amy Winehouse glowers from one of the walls. There’s a Chinese painting of a tiger next to a pot of lillies. A sign declares this to be “Dragon’s Gate”. On a small stage stands a duo singing light jazz classics. The lighting on the couple changes from pink to blue to green.
I feel like I’ve entered Wonderland. What used to be a trader’s shophouse has been transformed into a space that brings together elements of Penang’s past, present and future.
A past of Western influences, a present of a generation of Penangites returning to build their dreams for their peers and a future of what it could look like – a cool, hipster, indie kind of place for people who don’t want to be part of the mainstream, but the slipstream of life.
12 Senses is just one of many new places that have opened in Penang in recent years that allow you to experience the island beyond hawker food, heritage and beaches.
You could find a 12 Senses anywhere in the world, I suppose, but somehow the customers there make it such a local experience. Everyone’s friendly and relaxed, you don’t have to dress up like in Singapore or Hong Kong, no airs or pretention, this is laidback Penang, but cooler, hipsterish.
63 Magazine has been around longer. Again, you would never know there’s anything behind that rundown, old door but walk inside and you enter a club where the DJ spins his music in a booth suspended over the dance floor. A sign in Chinese declares this to be “Under heaven the first tavern”.
I like how these places tap into Chinese roots and blend it with Western influences. The music is more EDM (electronic dance music) here, so it caters to a much younger crowd than 12 Senses.
Beyond these new bars, restaurants that offer experiences beyond hawker food have opened up. It’s hard to get any of my friends when they visit Penang to eat anything beyond char kway teow and laksa, but I persist.
I was impressed by the quality I experienced at these places.
Chin Chin Gastro Bar
A blend of two chefs, Japanese and Spanish, this bar offers Japanese Izakaya with Spanish tapas. Everything we ordered was delicious, especially the grilled Iberico pork and the cold capellini angel hair with ebiko.
Located in Pulau Tikus, it’s away from the main Georgetown tourist zone but this is an up-and-coming neighbourhood of hipster cafes that sit comfortably next to some of the best local coffee shops.
Georgetown Wines
After three years of operations, Georgetown Wines, located right across the Blue Mansion, seems to have found its footing. It serves Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine and the young chef is both creative and talented, and we got to try some of his new creations.
As the name implies, this place has an impressive wine cellar too.
Kebaya at Seven Terraces
Other than hawker food, Penangites are also precious about Peranakan food. They like it real or not at all, no fusion please.
Yet this restaurant that serves its own take on Peranakan food has found a huge fan base with visitors as well as locals. Young chef Zac, who trained in French cooking, had to be persuaded to be inventive with Peranakan cuisine and seems to have found his element.
Seizing the chance to put his own stamp on this cuisine, Zac blends different influences – Thai, Nyonya, Australian – to create dishes that have made Kebaya one of the must-eat restaurants in Penang.
And the good thing with these new places? If you’re still hungry after a night out, there’s always street food. In a nearby alley to 12 Senses is a shop known for Hokkien Mee. Slurp that down for supper and your senses will be more than satisfied.