Benang The Second Chapter — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

This is...not good. Where to start?

The reservation system via WhatsApp. A perfectly suitable, perfectly normal method but it cannot be that I fill-in the form, receive a confirmation, and still have the doorman taking photos of my WhatsApp messages as evidence. If the doorman doesn't have it, this "system" isn't working.

A small annoyance. Fine.

The two of us walk upstairs and we're hot-potato'd from staff member to staff member, each less equipped than the last. "I saw a seating arrangement, do we sit here?" "No, sit here. Do you have a reservation? Don't worry, sit over there." "Can I order a drink with you?" "No, the bar isn't open yet" (I'm surrounded by people holding drinks) "Is there a menu for food or drinks to look at?" "Yes, you can use that menu...well, no, not that menu, but this menu." So on, and so forth...

But before all else, Benang is tripping over itself in its identify: a restaurant, a "cocktail" bar, a...club? To put it nicely, their focus is overstretched and each element suffers for it.

The food? Lukewarm and salty, even when re-made (they gave it away to another table, who apparently had no issue accepting free food. Mind you, there were less than 20 other people in the room - hard to imagine that order getting mixed up).

The cocktails? Unmixed, imbalanced, and a far cry of the many great cocktail bars in this country. Downright bad.

It might be a fun clubbing experience (I'll never know) but in the meantime, your hard-earned money...

Hi Benang, I would like to express my disappointment regarding my recent experience with making a table reservation at your esteemed bar. Firstly, I understand that your bar has gained popularity, and reservations need to be made in advance. However, I find it quite baffling and frustrating that despite being told that the bar is fully booked, your social media platforms still indicate that reservations are open. As a customer, I took the initiative to plan ahead and made my reservation request one week in advance. I provided all the necessary details and expected my reservation to be accommodated. However, I was informed that there were no available tables, which contradicted the information I saw on your social media pages. This inconsistency is quite ridiculous and has led to confusion on my part. It is disheartening to see that despite my efforts to secure a reservation in advance, I was met with an unsatisfactory response. As someone who has enjoyed positive experiences at your bar in the past, I believe that addressing this issue will enhance the overall customer experience and maintain the bar's reputation.Thank you for your attention, and I hope that steps will be taken to rectify...

"We recently visited this bar and were permitted entry without having to book/ make reservations. We had already bought our drinks and had another friend arriving 15 mins after us. He was not allowed entry. I had to come down and explain to your unreasonable staff (particularly your staff named Loki) outside who suddenly now claims that he has to make reservations to go in. I’ve explained we have bought drinks and it’s not a full house and there shouldn’t be an issue to bring one extra person in. But he kept on insisting that a reservation needs to be made but at the same time was allowing other people to enter with no mention of reservation. They definitely only allow “certain” types of people in and if you don’t know the owner of this bar then it’s a no entry." This was one year ago reviewed by Aly. Sadly till now still the same story. So many other bars with even bigger profiled clientele knows how to treat all paying customers the same. Benang unfortunately have not learned that. My peers are even avoiding this place and giving business to other places. Sad to see this place...