Saturday February 16, 2008

Poppy – heart of the party Poppy Collection

Upgrade complete, Poppy Collection welcomes KL-ites back to party again.

Poppy Collection
18-1, Jalan P. Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur
o Reservations: (03) 2141 8888/2170 6666

Mention Poppy several years ago and most Kuala Lumpur partygoers will tell you it was the place to be seen at.

Located on Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur’s pumping entertainment district, it attracted crowds of people who partied the night away.

Positioning itself as the first boutique entertainment experience in the city, the establishment is actually a collection of outlets – Poppy Garden, Poppy Lounge, Passion Living Room, Havanita Cigar Lounge and Bistro de Paris – known as Poppy Collection. But most people just refer to it as Poppy.

What made the club appealing years ago was the different music genres offered under the same roof. Patrons had access to all the outlets without paying an extra cover charge, a concept that was fairly new in KL at the time.

Poppy was unique as it offered excellent R & B music while most clubs played house. For the hardcore house fans, Passion was just a walk upstairs. There is even live music at Poppy Lounge for those who prefer something more chilled while Havanita Cigar Lounge offers a range of cigars and wines.

Poppy Collection was renovated and expanded, and unveiled its much bigger, jazzier and funkier new additions last November much to the delight of loyal fans.

The most obvious change is the amount of space. The dining and dance area is twice the size of the old Poppy. Sit-down dining capacity is 80 pax while the club can accommodate roughly 1,000 people at one time.

Customers can dine in cosy corners that are romantically lit with candles amidst soothing water features in Poppy Garden. The management has retained the lush garden concept so half the area is open-air and the other half air-conditioned, with clean design lines, white decor and wooden plank flooring. All areas are covered so no worries about being drenched halfway through dinner.

They serve an extensive menu of tasty Thai cuisine. Ask for the Pra Sum Yang, the two-flavoured fish, their house specialty, and the delicious tom yam.

After 10pm, the staff will move the tables and Poppy Garden will be transformed into a spacious dance floor in anticipation of the party crowd that will start trickling in at 11pm onwards.

“We bring in international deejays from time to time. We had four international gigs last year – Jazzy Jazz from the US for Poppy and Chris Fortier also from the US for Passion, to name a few,” says Poppy Collection sales manager Vivien Foong.

“We are bringing in more international acts this year. Of course, we believe in promoting local talent too. Our resident deejays, DJ Joe Black and DJ Munky for Poppy and DJ Eddy for Passion, play every night from Wednesday to Saturday.”

The bigger space requires additional service and so Secret Garden Bar was built, making drinks a breeze to order.

I was fascinated with their swimming pool at the VIP area. Throughout the night, as people get more comfortable and confident, many will end up jumping into the pool to cool off or just have a splashing fun time. Swimsuits are encouraged but if you don’t mind spoiling your expensive designer shirt, the management has no problem with you diving in fully clothed.

“Our customers love the pool concept and we do get some customers jumping into the pool with all their clothes on. We don’t mind as long as they are happy. We are planning to design our own T-shirts and towels so that it will be more convenient for our customers to use the pool,” adds Foong.

The rest of the outlets remain the same with Passion still drawing in the crowd with its predominantly house music. Climb the stairway to its tasteful plush lounge on the first floor.

An entrance leads you to the chill-out balcony and outdoor area where you can lounge on oversized sofas while checking out the scene below. I love their unisex toilet with full-length mirror behind each cubicle that allows you to check on your makeup and your dressing in private.

Poppy Collection is still standing strong in the clubbing scene and should be around for a long time to come.