Sid's Pub in Bagsar South, KL - one of three in the Sid's neighbourhood watering hole collection

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out at a ‘neighbourhood’ pub or local in Kuala Lumpur’s Bangsar South. Sid’s Pub in Bangsar South is a stone’s throw away from Mid Vally Megamall and office complex, so on a regular day you’d spot white collar types having an afterwork pint here, especially the folks from the PR, journalist and media fraternity, so I’m told. This outlet is their biggest, so corporate functions do get hosted here. If you have a hundred friends, you can easily pack them all in here to celebrate something (or nothing) – I’m sure Frank the manager would be very pleased.

Inside Sid's - roomy yet not cold. Definitely feels like your local.

My media mates who brought me to Sid’s were Nigel and Gabey, both local Malaysian journos and pint lovers. Gabey imbibed her poison of Strongbow while Nigel had his regular snakebite which Frank Murray, above-mentioned friendly pub manager with a rude T-shirt, remembered and promptly served up. I had a black & tan as my first pint – nicely chilled but missing a foam shamrock. I wish all pubs that serve Guinness from the tap would do that without a special request, especially when its not peak service times. We also ordered from the food menu which had both quick bites like fried chicken wings, fried pork sausages with onions and chilli, fried pork ribs, papadums (?!?!) and the de rigeur pigs-in-a-blanket. The fare was decent though not outstanding. Nigel tells me the burgers are good – I guess I’ll find out in my next trip.

Frank the attentive pub manager

Not sure if you can read Frank’s rude T-shirt but it says: ‘Cover me in chocolate and throw me to the lesbians’. I’m not really sure what that means but I’m pretty sure the lesbians do. Not that I spotted any last night while at Sid’s but the crowd was of a nice size, with all indoor and outdoor tables filled. No unruly boisterous drinking was spotted during the 4 hours we were there but I suspect when a key EPL match is telecast, the environment will be quite different. Apparently the crew from the nearby ESPN local office hangs out there quite a bit too.

Gabey and Nigel debating about the Malaysian media scene

Insider tip – every 3rd Friday of the month Sid’s hosts an after pub hours party, and if you’re a regular, you’ll get to join in to continue drinks or whatever’s the celebration about.

All in – if the other Sid’s outlets are as charming as this outlet, I’d say they’ve hit on a winning formula. There’s another competing chain of English/Craic pubs called Finnegan’s/The George & the Dragon which I was told about. I’ll hit that next time I’m in KL, but not before stopping by Sid’s for a pint with Frank.

Here’s how to serve up your own healthy beer snack (yes, there is such a thing) in a Korean bar. Paper-thin seaweed films are stacked like a pack of cards on its side in a rectangular glass container, much like how nuts are served in a bar. Watch the video to see how you eat it.

Discovered these bartenders in a chain pub called WC in Apgujung (Apujeong?), Seoul. There’s Tom Cruise in Kokomo and then there’s these guys. Will be posting up some more incredible bartending feats from these guys. Let us know what you think and what else you’d like to see.