Sundays Clinics at Sakura Den
If you are looking for a unique bar, off the beaten track, look no further than Sakura Den, hidden upstairs of a doctor’s clinic just off the Old Klang Road in Kampung Pasir. Take the flight of stairs to the first floor, slide across the industrial-looking metal door and enter into a speakeasy with a Chinese medicine theme.
Sakura Den serves up health and wellness inspired cocktails in keeping with its Asian medical theme. Using natural ingredients, homemade preparations and the finest alcohol, mixologist Ash - aka Arsenio Mariano Jnr - creates magical potions sure to cure any boring night out. Having studied Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong, Ash knows how to combine healthy herbs to make a delicious drink that tastes too good to be truly healthy!
Looking through the menu, the medicinal properties of the drinks are clearly displayed. The signature cocktail menu is broken into four sections, with two cocktails in each section. The first section - The Elixir of Youth focusses on skin and beauty by using ingredients such as Birds Nest, Peach Gum and Carrot Butter Wash.
The first cocktail of my visit was the Twisted Queen, from the second section of the menu, Immunity. It was made from a delicate blend of Brugal Blanco - a smooth aged rum - with Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, pandan syrup, mangosteen juice and lime. The slight dryness of the vermouth balanced the full-on fruitiness of the combination while the rum packed a tasty punch. If a Twisted Queen a day keeps the doctor away, I will be a regular at the Sakura Den.
The Energy Enhancer section aims to ramp up your energy levels with the help of Jackfruit in the Jack in the Box cocktail and ginseng in the Ginseng Bloom. The final section hopes to bring some love into your life with some Libido Booster cocktails. The Kopi Jantan is Sakura Den’s take on an espresso martini with the added kick of Tongkat Ali while the Threesome is a cheeky, yet sexy mix of Johnny Walker Sherry Cask, espresso and chocolate Ice cream.
Next up for me was a creation from Ash’s special Chinese New Year menu. With a base of kumquats, he added kafir lime leaf and vodka to a long glass. The result was a refreshing drink packed with vitamin C and full of flavour. I followed this up with a shot of the nicest Sake I have ever tried, No-Midori.
Upstairs is the Sarang restaurant, who also supply various bar snacks in Sakura Den. I can personally recommend the salsa and feta topped bruschetta. Delicious.
Every Sunday from January to March, Sakura Den is running a special during their Cocktails Creed sessions. Tell Ash what flavours you like and let him surprise you with a bespoke cocktail. With two cocktails costing 70++ myr and three for the lip-smacking price of 90++ myr, there is no better time than now to get an authentic taste of Asia at Sakura Den. So if you find yourself down Kampung Pasir way, pop in for a medicinal drink and let Dr Ash make you feel good!
Sakura Den is located at First Floor, 24, Jalan Kampung Pasir, Kampung Pasir, 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel Number +60 12-393 8627
Opening Hours: open every day except Monday from 6 pm to 1 am from Sunday to Thursday from 6 pm to 2 am on Friday and Saturday.
