BxieBlonde

Publika has always been a venue that champions creative freedom, so it's completely normal to see something like a container café popping up on this side of town. BxieBlonde is a café bar owned by mother-and-son team Liz and Eidrix. In case you’re wondering, Liz is the blonde in BxieBlonde; the colour has sort of been her trademark (she used to own the now-closed Barblonde in the old Asian Heritage Row days).

Environmentalists at heart, Liz and Eidrix saw the potential of expired containers beyond ‘container graveyards’, just as much as they see BxieBlonde as more than just a café but as a creative venue too. The highlight of the upstairs section is definitely the large, winged yellow sculpture by local artist Nizam Abdullah made of recycled materials. Although it’s a small space, the upstairs can hold up to 60 people at a time, and we’re told to expect live music, DJ sets, exhibitions and film screenings here in future. The café is also open to bookings for events or any other creative ideas you have up your sleeve.

As BxieBlonde is still in its testing stages, items on the current menu are not permanent, although standouts like the salmon cakes with kaffir lime leaves and sriracha (RM17), and mushroom pesto lasagna (RM25), are likely to stick around. Due to space constraints, the café bar is without a proper kitchen and sources food from independent cooks and suppliers. On the drinks side of things, the bar serves classics like mojito (RM28) and Long Island iced tea (RM30), as well as BxieBlonde’s own customisable cocktail, Eixbox (RM28).