Once you step into Penrose, there’s nowhere to hide.
The only seats you have are at the bar.
With an entrance Penrose’s founder Jon Lee describes as looking like a “Tesla on its side”, curious passersby are only allowed a tiny peek through a small cut out in the heavy metal door.
But once you make the decision to take the plunge and enter, you’re opening yourself up to a profoundly human experience.
Connections and conversations take centre stage in the intimate setup Lee has going on in Chinatown.
Despite being only 31, this is Lee’s 14th year in F&B – he’s spent five of them as a chef and nine as a bartender.
Penrose is just a young’un in comparison: but what an accomplished young’un it is.
Opened in 2022, this is Penrose’s second year – and second time on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
“When we got the email that we were on the list again, we went to the ceremony in Hong Kong. After placing 50 last year, I was expecting 49 or 48,” Lee recalls.
Then it went past number 20.
“Did they forget my name?”
Number 10.
“Something’s not right.”
And then, Penrose was announced.
They had taken spot #8 – the highest position a bar from Malaysia has clinched on the list.
“Surreal” is how Lee describes it.
A surreal moment for a confessed realist.
“Once you are on the list of top 10, there is a false sense of magic if a guest has not been to enough cocktail bars,” Lee tells MillionaireAsia.
By this, he’s talking about the unrealistic set of expectations Penrose’s gilded position in the top 10 of a world-renowned best bars list might give a novice bar visitor.
No worries here. The people-focused Penrose has a firm grasp of its identity.
“A concept menu creates a destination bar. Guests will like the drinks but they expect something new every year and I wanted to do something more classic,” Lee tells us.
He credits Tippling Club Singapore and its Head Bartender Joe Schofield for much of his experience and knowledge today, both winners in their own regards.
Tippling Club Singapore was named Best International Restaurant Bar and placed 31st at the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2017, going on to secure the 7th spot in Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2018. This was all under Schofield’s watch – the first person crowned both International Bartender of the Year and Bartender’s Bartender.
After 4 years of bartending at Tippling Club Singapore, Lee decided to strike out on his own, heading back home to Malaysia to open Penrose.
The bar gets its name from mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose. His Penrose tiling concept – a set of five shapes with patterns that can be rearranged but never repeated – caught Lee’s eye and inspired him.
Lee’s philosophical mind correlated it with how drinks have evolved through the centuries – constantly recreated but never exactly the same.
“An Old Fashioned from 1800 would have evolved now,” he says. “We try to keep our drinks traditional. First-time drinkers should be able to understand it without explanation of the whole concept behind it and the equipment we used.”
To put it simply: “What do you taste? What do you feel?”
One glance at the menu and a quick conversation with the bartenders immediately tells you why Penrose clocked in at number 8 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list.
Drinks in Penrose are created using an algorithm that considers five forms: alcohol, taste, flavour, body, and dilution. The process follows a sequence of relative flavours, where, for instance, a banana could be reminiscent of other flavours like almonds, grapes, rum and so on.
The end result is an elevated classic.
The menu is categorised into highballs, sours, and spirit-forwards. The Ume Fuji, Rum Musa and Peyote Wild are a friendly introduction to the menu.
Of particular interest is the Rum Musa, which Lee excitedly describes as the “ultimate form of a banana daiquiri.” It’s difficult to express – the fragrant notes carry a creamy banana aftertaste. It’s easy to enjoy but not as easy to forget.
Notably, Penrose has tailored drinks so that even guests who do not enjoy a particular spirit can enjoy them. The taste of the spirits is carefully retained with special technique and accompanying ingredients, resulting in pleasing, palate-friendly flavours for even the least adventurous drinker.
Lee creates the drinks, but they are selected for the menu by his team.
December 2024 will see a menu expansion and an introduction of new drinks crafted by the team, with Lee acting as judge this time.
“Experts are people who know a lot,” he says. “Professionals, on the other hand, are very well-tailored. We try to form a balance of being professional experts.”
He is proud and protective of his team – and deservingly so.
In a sometimes volatile and competitive F&B industry, many tend to lose themselves.
At Penrose, the opposite happens. Every individual in the team grows and finds a place for themselves.
Those who have trained under Lee are proud to say so.
“I want this to be known as a profession, not just a job,” says Lee.
It is Lee’s bold approach and passion that really places Penrose in a league of its own.
“I think Penrose goes beyond the traditional aspect where it doesn’t have to keep things fresh. All we need is to just keep things authentic and clean, maintaining quality and minutely improving it with time,” he says.
Clearly, it’s an approach that works.
Penrose | 149, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur
