Bars in Taiwan have typically taken a generic approach to cocktail-making these days.
And thanks to the mastermind who recreated what’s behind the Taiwanese bar in Klang Valley, take a step into:
OJOS BAR
Ojos – which means eyes in Spanish, is hoping to educate their patrons that great cocktails are able to stimulate all our senses. Other than taste, touch, smell and hear, seeing is believing too. Watch the person behind every glass of cocktail creating your favourite taste for the day like a chef!
Hidden behind unmarked doors, bracingly strong craft cocktails have quietly come back to life and, thanks to the renaissance of the speakeasy concept, retro hideaways that focus on technique and creativity that are set to create queues. It’s easily located when you’ve reached The School at Jaya One as it’s right opposite it.
Ojos welcomed us with a cosy speakeasy bar counter and a tall rack arranged neatly with all the boozes behind it. A professional station to muddle fresh ingredients, distill in-house additives like bitters, generate unique flavours and experiment with eclectic pairings, which are all blended over the bar with infused seasonal offerings and quality aged spirits.
The atmosphere is dark, the music played was jazz and the focus is on the drink, the company, the conversation and of course, the bartender. From a customer’s standpoint, slingin’ drinks might seem like a fairly easy job. That’s what we all thought! Mix evrything up, shake and serve. Well that’s not true!
The reality is that the person behind the bar has a lot to keep up with. From multiple drink orders from sometimes impatient customers to remembering a wide variety of drink recipes, and keeping a smile on their face and a generally good attitude, a bartender has more to deal with than the average customer may realize.
Before the main agenda of drinks, let’s fill our tummy with their Taiwanese main treats. You could also order their Taiwanese snacks.
Taiwan Bento – RM33
Served in a tiffin carrier, the white rice is topped with Fried Chicken Steak, Taiwanese sausage, egg, vegetables & served with soup too. Fried chicken steak is one of Taiwan’s popular street snack and these steaks are so crispy and flavoursome.
Braised Pork Belly Rice – RM33
White rice topped with braised pork belly, Taiwanese sausage, egg, vegetables & served with soup too. Unlike the pork belly that we used to have locally, that most of them are usually soft and melt-in-your-mouth type, Ojos’s version has the “QQ” texture that Taiwanese love.
The fragrant pork belly was slowly braised in soy sauce with five spice resulting a gorgeous thick sweet & savoury sauce coating it. We prefer if they serve this portion of rice with more gravy from the braised pork 🙂
You can request for more gravy if you think it’s too dry.
Meet Ojos in-house mixologist David who won Malaysia Bar-tending Championship in year 2013 and more awards after. He created the Summer Tea, Jungle Rules, Crescent Moon & Cococabana for us. Being skeptical towards cocktail, we always thought that they tasted medicinal thanks to the syrups and most people will have a mindset that:
Cocktails are for Girls!
Well, that’s NOT TRUE!
There’s a drink for every mood or occasion. Get beautifully-crafted cocktails here with all your 5 senses!
Summer Tea
Ketel One Vodka, earl grey tea, apple juice, rose syrup, lime juice, cucumber (muddle).
Such a refreshing drink to start with.
Every 2 months, Ojos will be introducing a professional bartender from Taiwan.
It was our pleasure to meet Azeroth from Hualian City Taiwan who owns Azeroth Bar located at the same city. He was really friendly and chatty. Love his passion towards creating glasses of beautiful cocktails that are not only pretty to be seen but taste awesome too.
Spring
Gordon Gin, butterfly pea infused, rose water, peach liquor, lemon juice, syrup, apple slice, homemade Hibiscus Flower.
Using what’s special from his city, he created this beautiful drink that made us in awe. It does feels like spring already by just looking at his creation! So thoughtful of Azeroth as he prepared lightly caramelized apple slices and wet tissue to wipe our hands after eating.
Jungle Rules
Bacardi gold Rum, 30ml milk, passionfruit puree, mango puree, caramel syrup.
A fruity alcoholic concoction topped with a “fruit basket” made with caramel.
Crescent Moon
Wild Turkey 101 Whiskey, barspoon tie kuan yin, white wine, honey, grapefruit juice.
David thought of this cocktail during the Mid Autumn Festival and thus naming it Crescent Moon. The way of preparing this drink is very technical, controlling the proportion and timing. Plus, most guys like to order this as its way of preparing was very manly.
Summer-Bourbon
Homemade Hibiscus syrup, Bourbon, lemon, homemade hibiscus flower.
As I’m no alcohol expert, I couldn’t tell the difference between a whisky and bourbon which is a part of whisky as opposed to being distilled from 100% grain, Bourbon is made from a grain mixture, which is at least 51% corn. This gives Bourbon it’s sweet flavour that you don’t get with whisky, Irish whiskey or scotch. But the touches of summer in this drink has created another uplifting mood.
Cococabana
Smirnoff vodka, creme de cassis, ojos ginger syrup, lime juice, top up ginger ale.
Besides the Spring, I personally love this very much as it has chocolate and cotton candy! Haha.
The glass was coated nicely with cocoa powder and topped with a homemade cotton candy. Most girls would love this I bet! It’s like a dessert to end the cocktail session.
A great place to chill and hangout over great cocktails definitely.
*Special Announcement:
Ojos Cocktail Workshop
Learn to make your own cocktail! Every Sunday (4pm – 7 pm)
RM168++ per pax
Instructed by professional bartender
Please call for reservation: +03 7931 8715 or +017 624 4768
Ojos Bar
H-99-G, 72, Jalan Universiti, Jaya One,
46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor,
(Same Row as Wendy Burger)
Phone:+603 7931 8715
Operating Hours Daily: 6pm–2am
