The allure of a speakeasy is in its secrecy and theatre. New Queen’s Park bar 19FiftySeven, not to be confused with the Ghanian restaurant in Peckham, really ticks the boxes. We can’t actually tell you how to get in – call 020 7624 3829 to reserve and find out.
The bar is attached to Malaysian eatery Sudu and likewise run by siblings Fatizah and Irqam Shawal, also behind Paddington’s Satay House, founded by their parents in 1973. While the three-year-old Sudu is an ode to the siblings’ childhood, 19FiftySeven is a love letter to Kuala Lumpur’s many speakeasies, named after the year Malaysia gained independence from British colonial rule.
Fatizah’s daughter Aishah Shawal manages the bar. Both mother and daughter have spent most of their lives in the UK but hope 19FiftySeven can keep them in touch with their ancestry.
“Irqam and I had always wanted to open a speakeasy with Sudu, but this also became a decolonisation project for us,” Fatizah says. “It ended up being such an amazing journey through the history of Malaysia and understanding our culture again.”
The menu celebrates the family’s history and the regions of Malaysia. There are nine cocktails, with four more in the pipeline to round out Malaysia’s 13 states. Each drink is named for a meaningful place, person or moment in time. Notably, the bar doesn’t serve beer, wine or classic cocktails.
The bitter, warming Ujong Tanah, Malay for “land’s end”, is a tribute to Shawal, who was born in the southern state of Johor. Meanwhile, the tea-forward Merdeka (“freedom”) is inspired by Malaysian Independence Day on August 31.
Italian cocktail consultants Vito Verrengia and Davide Zannin created the drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, using liqueurs and spirits from East and Southeast Asia. The twist was that neither Verrengia or Zannin were familiar with these flavours prior.
“We literally went into our fridges and pantry, took out all the ingredients and said, ‘There you go’. We even went as far as to bring them durian,” Fatizah says.
The bar’s interior is peppered with visual tributes to Malaysia, from neon red characters reading yam seng (“drink to victory” in Cantonese) to customised batik coasters handmade by a family friend. The exterior is the complete opposite, with no signage whatsoever. Ask the staff at Sudu where to go – they’ll give you a knowing nod.
19FiftySeven
30 Salusbury Road, NW6 6NL
020 7624 3829
Hours:
Wed to Sat 5pm–midnight
