A La Maison

living HOTEL
text WENSHAN PANG
photos FAD MANAF
à la
maison
BACKHOME AND LOKL BRING HOSPITALITY
TO A NEW LEVEL BY BLENDING HISTORY,
DESIGN, FOOD, COMFORT AND FRIENDSHIP.
It is 10pm and the manager of Backhome pulls up her
Mercedes-Benz outside the backpackers’ hostel on Jalan
Tun HS Lee. She blows a loud honk and, moments later,
a group of four young guests – a German gentleman
who works in Singapore, an Australian student and avid
surfer and two PIGs (“pretty Irish girls”, they would
later explain of the unusual acronym) – emerge and
swiftly hop into her saloon. Her shift ended at 5pm but
she has returned to take her new friends to check out
Kuala Lumpur’s coolest bars before concluding their
nocturnal adventure with a feast on Jalan Alor. “Let’s
go Backhome now,” she announces, after a satisfying
meal. Her guests echo, “Yes, back home.”
Anne Low and Ng Ping
Ho are the founders
of Popiah Pictures and
Backhome.
148
right Designed
by Masyerin M.
Nor, Backhome’s
architecture and
interior design are
some of its biggest
selling points.
That was a scene on a Monday night
in June 2009, a few months after
the award-winning hostel opened its
doors. On any evenings, guests of
various nationalities conglomerate at
the lounge, getting to know each other
and planning impromptu trips. New
friendships are forged and the energy
is positive. Backhome’s passionate
staffs are obliging and engaging,
always giving recommendations and,
sometimes, taking guests to check
out interesting places in the city; and
it helps that the manager is fluent in
many languages. The doors of the
rooms are clad in chalkboard paint on
which guests can scribble their names.
These little human touches add up
and they are what make Backhome,
well, a home away from home.
Backhome lives up to its name. But
its architecture and interior design
remain one of its biggest selling
points. Architect Masyerin M. Nor of
MMN Design transformed six colonialera shophouses on the historic Jalan
Tun HS Lee into a chic, contemporary
hostel with exposed brick walls and
béton brut finishes – archetypes of the
now-rampant industrial style. “I am
obsessed with things that last virtually
forever,” declares Ng Ping Ho, owner
ground floor. For those who prefer a
little tropical sun, the hostel’s courtyard,
with a view of KL Tower, is the perfect
spot for a quiet moment. “We wanted
Backhome to blend in with the rest of the
shophouses. Jalan Tun HS Lee is chaotic
and congested so our plan was to turn it
into an oasis of calm. The courtyard was
crucial to this,” explains Ng. “Besides,
we wanted to engage our neighbours –
to buy products from them, talk to them,
and just be good neighbours. Overall,
we’ve achieved that – everyone knows
who we are, and if a guest gets lost, the
neighbours will point them towards the
right direction.”
“WE WANTED TO CREATE
SOMETHING THAT WOULD
LOOK GOOD, EVEN AFTER THE
HEAVY WEAR AND TEAR THAT
A BACKPACKERS’ HOTEL GOES
THROUGH. WE DIDN’T WANT A
PLACE THAT LOOKED PRETTY
AT FIRST BUT BECOME RUNDOWN QUICKLY. BESIDES, THE
SPACE HAS TO BE FUNCTIONAL
AND PRACTICAL; THAT’S WHY
WE CHOSE CONCRETE AND
EXPOSED BRICK – THESE
TEXTURES LOOK BETTER
WITH AGE.”
left A dormitory
in Backhome. The
rooms are clean
and have ample
storage space.
149
of Backhome. “We wanted to create
something that would look good, even
after the heavy wear and tear that
a backpackers’ hotel goes through.
We didn’t want a place that looked
pretty at first but become run-down
quickly. Besides, the space has to be
functional and practical; that’s why we
chose concrete and exposed brick –
these textures look better with age.”
Backhome is made up of two
levels. Most rooms, ranging from
double rooms, four-bed dorms, six-bed
dorms to three-bed lofts, are located
on the first level. The lounge, where
PC terminals are available, is on the
FROM DREAM TO REALITY
Ng’s wife, TV
host and actress
Cheryl Samad,
runs LOKL.
150
right LOKL shares
a similar design to
Backhome. The lightfilled cafe is connected
to the hostel via the
courtyard.
The idea of a backpackers’ hostel began
to percolate when Ng travelled to
Mongolia circa 2006. His guide led him
to a solitary hut in the middle of the bleak
plains, encompassed only by rolling hills
that are embellished with rocks. As he set
foot in the quaint cottage, he stepped
on warm, pine floors while his nose
caught a whiff of freshly brewed coffee
and hot pastries. Coldplay was being
played on the stereo. For Ng, it was an
unforgettable moment. “I immediately
felt at home,” he reminisces. “That
became the idea of Backhome – to have
a place you can call home, even when
you’re deep in an unfamiliar territory.”
The stars aligned when Ng discovered
that the shophouses on Jalan Tun HS
Lee, owned by his family, became
available. They have always been rented
out but a big chuck of the rental often
went to maintaining the disintegrating
building. He wanted to build something
more sustainable and was tantalised by
the notion of establishing a backpackers’
hostel.
Ng teamed up with long-time
partner Anne Low in his effort to realise
Backhome. The duo is in fact the founders
of Popiah Pictures, an acclaimed TV show
production studio known for Kopitiam,
Getting Together, Table for Two, Realiti,
The Firm and Ghost. “Our experience
in TV show production taught us about
visualising spaces and creating an
environment to suit the desired mood,”
shares the TV director, screenwriter and
producer turned entrepreneur. “We
also understand what it takes to ensure
the smooth operation of a business.”
Two years ago, Backhome expanded
its number of rooms and added LOKL,
an in-house cafe whose operations are
overseen by Ng’s wife, TV host and
actress Cheryl Samad.
The presence of LOKL (a wordplay
on “local”) has given the old
neighbourhood, dotted with wholesale
merchants, traditional kopitiams, craft
shops and hawkers, a dash of vivacity.
“There is an abundance of local
LOKL’s selection of espresso-based
beverages that are made from beans
supplied by Common Man Coffee
Roasters from Singapore. Local blends
served with gooey condensed milk
are available, too. These days, you
can catch the intoxicating fragrance of
freshly brewed coffee and hot pastries
when you enter Backhome/LOKL. The
sound of music lingers in the air. A visit
to Ng’s establishment, whether you’re
a lone traveller from continents away
or a KL dweller looking for a fine place
to spend time with friends over hearty
meals, evokes the comfort of home.
Ng’s dream has come true.
THERE’S NOTHING TOO FANCY
ON THE CAFE’S MENU; ONLY
GOOD, SIMPLE DISHES LIKE
ROSEMARY CHICKEN THIGH
SANDWICH, BEEF BURGER,
HAINANESE MEATLOAF AND
SALADS. DESSERTS CONSIST
OF CAKES AND GELATOS.
CAFFEINE ADDICTS WILL
RELISH LOKL’S SELECTION OF
ESPRESSO-BASED BEVERAGES
THAT ARE MADE FROM BEANS
SUPPLIED BY COMMON MAN
COFFEE ROASTERS FROM
SINGAPORE.
Backhome and LOKL is at
30 Jalan Tun HS Lee, Kuala Lumpur,
tel: +603-2022-0788.
151
delicacies in the Jalan Tun HS Lee area
but Western cuisine is hard to come by.
So we took the opportunity by opening
LOKL,” Ng says. The light-filled cafe,
with vintage industrial furniture, is
linked to Backhome via the courtyard.
A collection of framed prints, mostly
iconography of Malaysian’s vibrant
culture, adds colour and warmth to
the space.
There’s nothing too fancy on the
cafe’s menu; only good, simple dishes
like rosemary chicken thigh sandwich,
beef burger, Hainanese meatloaf and
salads. Desserts consist of cakes and
gelatos. Caffeine addicts will relish