Tiga — Restaurant in Perak

The drinks are good but the service is quite distasteful. 1. We had to ask for the menu 3 times before it was brought to us and the bar was not even packed 2. When I asked about the Monkey 47 Gin that was being promoted at the bar, I was told ‘the drink is not on our menu at the moment’. When I probed further by asking then why is it being promoted? I was amazed by the response from the bartender when he said, ‘you tell us what you would like us to mix it with then we can make for you’. I almost wanted to say ‘then will you pay me for the recipe too? Or name it after me?’. 3. When my husband requested for Jack Daniel’s to be used in his cocktail, the bartender used the alcohol from a miniature (I.e. free samples) bottle right in front of our eyes. I would have been totally fine if the same was done on a flight or even at a normal bar but at Tiga where the drinks are priced at a premium, I expect the alcohol to at least be of my money’s worth. 4. The whole speakeasy experience is missing at Tiga. The delightful and engaging conversations with the bartender, the cheerfulness of the staff instead whenever I asked a question, they looked very uncomfortable. I understand that English may not be their first language but is that my problem as a customer? Or does the management need to ensure they hire staff who can speak decent English and prioritise the customer’s experience? Tiga is just a bar with nice cocktails, I would not call it a speakeasy. Being a frequent visitor of speakeasy bars in Singapore, KL and Penang, I was looking forward to visiting Tiga in Ipoh. Tried it out once but there won’t be a second time unless they can hire better staff or train their existing staff to be more focused on the customer’s experience....

Such a cool speakeasy in a hidden alley in Ipoh. We were keen on having a night out in the city during our visit here and our first stop was Tiga.

There are a few dilapidated buildings and you will find the door to this cool bar beside a couple of unmarked washrooms.

There are two seating areas - one immediately when you enter into the bar and one further inside. Even though we sat on the inside section, we recommend sitting in the outside one as there was gentle Chinese music playing along with a lighter ambience as compared to the remixed American music playing in the inside section.

Service is professional and polite. We ordered the following cocktails :

1. Old School Love - We chose this because the main ingredient is beancurd whiskey. I've tasted these separately and never thought these can be combined. This is a nice cocktail with infusions of gingko pandan, soy milk etc. (dessert items I have had separately but never in a cocktail) - very smooth and served with a garnish of barley jelly. Loved the presentation too!

2. Strange Affairs - Another cool cocktail that we opted for and comes with a garnish of pickled shitake mushroom. We were told to consume the mushroom quicker to avoid it from getting dry and chewy. This cocktail was less sweeter and slightly on the savoury side. Came with hints of blueberry and parmesan cheese. Weird combination, but worked well.

Would recommend to anyone looking for a speakeasy...

We visited when there was a takeover by Budi (from Melaka). Sunny, Tiga's bartender, was incredibly accommodating and courteous - he brought us to bar seats although we had no prior reservations, which we really appreciated. We were served with muruku, welcome drinks and was even given tasters of Tiga's in-house infusions as we waited for the Budi team to set up. Personally loved their pandan infusions - both gin and bourbon! Their lapsap whisky was also amazing - can't wait to try out their other infusions!

As for Budi's takeover, we loved the Kekwa cocktail which was served in a teapot - great presentation and wonderful flavours that all blend really well together. Every sip was a new experience.

Their Peria cocktail was our second favourite - a perfect blend of both fruity sweet and herbal bitter, it was a well-balanced mix that could potentially be divisive.

Tai Yong, one of Budi's bartenders, even stopped to speak to us a couple of times - telling us more about the process behind making the cocktails which were both impressive and astonishing. Sous vide, infusions, syrups - all of the methods used clearly shows how well-thought out their menu was. Amazing experience.

Great ambiance, quiet environment and lovely people - 10/10...