Siniawan is an old town which lately has become an attraction among the locals, especially Kuchingites. It is only a 30-minutes drive from Kuching city. The old town has rich history and is made a heritage site. The night market is opened to public during weekends and serving all sorts of Chinese food along the street. The price of food is quite reasonable. We paid RM5 for a bowl of Kolok Mee, but it felt like I just ate three bowls. During our trip to Siniawan, the whole place was so packed that we almost could not find ourselves unoccupied table and chairs. I guess it is best going early in the evening. Besides, you may bring take-away food or 'tapau' from other stalls to eat at any shop. Apart from that, this place could easily excite photography enthusiasts. Photos and a video in this blog post were entirely shot with iPhone 4S.
With all the hype about a new bar in town, I decided to check it out with the GAOK gang from Sarawak Bloggers Society. Nope, I was not there to cause any trouble but to hang out with my fellow blogger friends. They were Garner, Aliey and Khairool. Hence, the acronym GAOK was formed! "Gaok" in Sarawak Malay language literally means bad, sometimes used in a joking manner. Well, fret not, we are bunch of good people with the intention of putting Speak Eazy The Alternative Bar under the spotlight.
We chose 13th of September for our night out, after Aliey and I covered an event nearby - Afgan L1VETOLOVE Showcase. It was drizzling outside when we arrived at the bar that evening and apparently we were among the earliest guests to check in, but it never dampened our spirits to have a great time. The bar offered all sorts of drinks and food on its menu. According to one of the owners, Mac, they would love to be known for their food. We had a lot to choose from which were mainly pizzas, sandwiches and snacks. Apart from that, you can ask for their special Tuak (rice wine) for tasting. Just for your information, Mac is a band member of Ethnic Transmissions.
While chit-chatting with my blogger friends, we ordered some food. We had the Buffalo Chicken pizza, Chachos Pie and Chicken Sausage pizza. My personal favourite on our first visit was definitely the Chachos Pie, I swear I can eat the whole thing on my own! I did not go for any alcoholic drink as I was still on an assignment, covering the same event the next day.
What really appealed to me about Speak Eazy was the non-smoking policy inside the bar. For those who wish to have your puff, you can always opt for seats outside the bar. Besides, Speak Eazy played band music, not the usual loud electronic or hip hop music you heard in other pubs and bars. It was nice chilling out at this place as we did not have to shout while having our conversation. For working adults, they would prefer bar that makes less noise but cozy enough for them to catch up on the latest buzz. If you find the talk is getting awkward or too serious, there is a quick fix to that - playing board games. You can choose to play Monopoly, Scrabble and so on. By offering alternative to what people could normally do as a group such as board games, it somehow helped to differentiate Speak Eazy from other typical bars in town.
The GAOK gang chatted the night away with topics ranging from personal life to blogging experience. It was not something we could do every time we met as most of the time we were on assignment at an event. We were so focused that we barely had the opportunity to get to know each other better, other times our conversation mostly took place in social medias. Thus, Speak Eazy was the right choice for our little gathering that night.
Speak Eazy sometimes plays a role as visitors' information centre to tourists in Kuching. As you can see on their Facebook page photos or TripAdvisor reviews, the bar does get a lot of visitors from foreign countries. Situated at Carpenter Street which is surrounded by many affordable lodging and hip night spots, Speak Eazy clearly has the edge to disseminate useful information about the city. Overall, I would rate Speak Eazy as excellent due to the fact that it offers delicious food, cozy environment to hang out with friends, no smoking in the bar, very friendly staff, safe and strategic. I highly recommend this bar to those who prefer a calm atmosphere to chill out with friends and family.
