Terra Bar KL – Sustainable Wines & Craft Cocktails

Terra Bar KL

Words: Matt Brown
Photos: Rich Callahan

*The Terra Bar menu is no longer running here. See the latest updates on the cafe and menu here.

Great energy comes from spending time in a reinvigorated space, whether the ambience is a chilled out vibe or something more dynamic. Since opening in November of 2021, Bestow Restaurant has been able to offer its customers both mood styles throughout the day. With the addition of Terra Bar to its location, patrons can now enjoy a range of organic and natural drinks in the welcoming surroundings.

It’s easy enough to take a comfortable seat either at a table on the outdoor terrace for a bit of people watching, sipping on a refreshing beverage and trying to choose from the well-rounded menu. It’s even easier to sit beside the stunning creation by the staff inside, where the restored residential space has been enhanced with a terrific wall of wood and glass canisters containing hundreds of different types of seeds and tea leaves. Attention to detail is a hallmark of Steven Yap and his team. They have succeeded in creating something special right in the heart of our bustling metropolis.

The commitment to sustainability and biodynamic offerings matches together delicious and fresh dishes from Head Chef Hazree with various drinks that complement each meal. This is a place to relax at the end of a workday with friends, sharing food and sipping drinks as you recharge your batteries.

Terra Bar KL Food Menu

I’m a big fan of storytelling in my adventures out and about, so I was delighted to find that the menu (supported by Bestow Restaurant) offers a selection of plates with connections to local growers and traditions while adding Chef Hazree’s respectful spin on classic dishes. We sampled the Pasta Vongole with local clams (RM35), Vegetarian Pasta Ratatouille (RM22), Salmon Portuguese on wild rice (RM38) and Harimau Menangis (RM32) or Crying Tiger dish, which offered mouth-melting strips of Australian beef with chimichurri and pureed burnt eggplant. The juicy Ol’double Cheeseburger (RM35) cooked using the smashed meatball method offered more Western fare. What a feast! Each dish was fresh, full of flavour and instantly elevated by the pairing of the wines and cocktails on offer.

Terra Bar KL Bar Menu

Wine

A conscious effort has been made to source drinks that are biodynamic, organic and sustainable in their production methods. If anything, this ensures that they pair easily across the menu, as well as offer patrons a chance to explore offerings from different parts of the world. An immediate end of the workday pick me up can be found in a bottle of light-bodied Italian Vigneti De Sole ‘Soave’ DOC 2020 (RM150), whose hints of Golden Delicious apples and almonds matched perfectly with the seafood dishes. From Spain, the pleasantly dry Can Sumoi Ancestral Sumoll (RM240) refreshes with a light fizz, and its black fruit aromas lift the flavours of the salmon and ratatouille. The Crying Tiger plate was complimented well by the velvety Argento Malbec (RM160), an organic red from Argentina with notes of violet, plums and black cherries.

Cocktails

As equally linked to sustainable and organic philosophies are the cocktails on offer, which refresh, recharge and revive in equal measure as the night goes on. For a refreshing kick, the Tropical is Calling (RM55) combines pineapple juice, dry vermouth and Pierre Ferrad Cognac. The equally refreshing and floral Secret Garden – Bee’s Knees (RM55) mixes rose and lavender gins from Scotland with lemon juice and Acacia-infused honey. A unique umami-flavoured concoction can be found in The Seaweed (RM48), where Cuban Black Tears rum, Luxardo Femet Amaro, osmanthus flower syrup, matcha powder and kyuri cucumber combine and are thoughtfully garnished with fried seaweed and latok (sea grapes). 

If you crave a snack with your cocktail, I Am Groot! (RM45) not only comes in the cutest cocktail mug in town but features a side of crunchy fries. It uses sandalwood-infused London Dry Gin, Metereo Mezcal, kaffir lime syrup and bamboo charcoal powder to excite your tastebuds and snap your evening back into focus. For a cocktail to encourage you to slow down and savour things, The Agarwood (RM55) mixes smooth Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations Cognac with Campari, orange bitters and Yomeishu into a citrus-fuelled evening delight.

Reasons to visit Terra Bar KL: a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere with just the right amount of cool factor; perfect for after-work drinks or a cosy date night sipping on sustainable wines; drinks matched with a philosophy of respect for natural ingredients. Pull up a chair, order a glass or two and settle in. Mon’s afternoon sipper is the Can Sumoi Ancestral Sumoll. Matt was rather fond of the Secret Garden range of gins. And, Rich reckons the coffee and cake make for a happy day.

Terra Bar KL
82, Lorong 1/77a, Imbi,
55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 018-298-2921
www.instagram.com/terrabarkl/

Terra Bar KL Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, 4 pm – 12 am
Last call for dinner 9 30 pm
Last call for drinks 11 30 pm
Closed Monday

Find more KL bar recommendations here, and stay up-to-date on the latest gourmet and travel happenings around Malaysia here and here.