Tau Fu Fah, Pei Pa Koa, And More Unique Cocktails To Try At This Hidden Bar In TTDI
A remedy for both a cough and a bad day? Yes please.
By May Vin Ang
Let us introduce you to: Soma — a cocktail bar in TTDI you'd have to be lucky to chance upon
Established in November 2018 and hidden above a regular ol' locksmith shop on Jalan Aminuddin Baki, passers-by wouldn't usually give this unsuspecting stairway a second look.
However, once you step in, you will feel most welcomed by the bar's fancy yet utterly laidback atmosphere
With dark leather chairs and soft jazz playing in the background, you could bring a date or catch up with a small group of friends here and not realise the hours fly by.
We enjoyed the quiet ambience and really appreciated that the bar had a separate open-air smoking section, which can also be a nice place to chill at on a cool night.
Soma specialises in craft cocktails — both classic and contemporary — evident by the collection of liquor lining its walls
The bar's director and co-owner Jason Julian was formerly a chef and is currently the mastermind behind all the top-notch flavours of Soma's concoctions.
We learned from him that the bar is named after a drink that can only be consumed by gods in Hindu mythology.
And Soma lives up to those standards: having won New Bar Of The Year in The Bar Awards Kuala Lumpur during its first year of operation in 2019.
This place is famous for their delicious house cocktails that many have said are too dangerously easy to drink
We got to try a few and were already in love from the first drink, which is the Yuzu Sour (RM43) - a combination of citrus gin, triple sec, yuzu puree, and some lime juice. It was sweet, a little sour, and really, really refreshing.
The Nangka Daiquiri (RM38) made out to be an easy pleaser too, with its fragrant in-house jackfruit rum, lime juice, and a pinch of sugar.
The crowd-favourite Peanut Butter (RM40) is a glass of hazelnut liqueur, peanut butter, milk, egg whites, and vanilla syrup, all topped with a touch of grated nutmeg. This was really good in that it was rich and creamy, yet not overly indulgent.
Another best-seller was the Zen Green Tea (RM43) which tasted really soothing but did pack a good punch with a splash of gin and elderflower liqueur.
However, nothing beats Soma's alcoholic take on our favourite Malaysian soybean dessert.
And if you're on a budget, this is a good choice too.
Soma serves a Tau Fu Fah (RM15) cocktail. We were really impressed with how smooth the homemade beancurd was, and it tasted amazing paired with dark rum and either one of the brown sugar and ginger syrups.
Jason told us that we'd have to be at their bar early for this, as they make limited servings per day and they sell out really fast.
To top it all, the bar also serves a Pei Pa Koa cocktail that was originally made at the request of a customer who was feeling under the weather
The odd cocktail has since stayed on their menu as Obat Batuk (RM40) for being a surprisingly yummy drink.
It stars the infamously bitter traditional Chinese medicine — a remedy for coughs and sore throats — and is balanced out with gin, black tea, and lemon juice.
With so many drinks available, you can always opt to become a 'Risk Taker' instead — yes, it's an actual order on the menu
If you can't make up your mind, leave it up to the bartender to make you and your friends any three of the cocktails listed on their menu for the flat price of RM100.
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