While many think of bars as dimly-lit establishments with rowdy drinkers creating a ruckus, it is quite the opposite in one quiet spot in Ipoh.

An old city, Ipoh is home to many old establishments that have become permanent fixtures in the cityscape.

Located at the intersection of Jalan Market and Jalan Bijeh Timah is one such landmark, known to locals as the Sinhalese Bar.

It really is a relic of a bygone era, having thrown open its doors way back in 1931.

And it certainly looks the part too – with its old-world design a stark contrast to the newer, swankier bars it stands shoulder to shoulder with.

Swing doors welcome the odd visitor, who will step into a room with bright pink walls adorned with posters and advertisements from years unknown.

If you’re lucky, the Sinhalese Bar’s canine resident, Merlin, will be there to offer a warm greeting.

In the centre of the room, separating the seating area from the serving area is a wooden screen, on which several calendars are draped.

At the very back of the room is the bar’s liquor cabinet, in which bottles and flasks of whiskies, brandies, sherries and rums are stocked.

Unlike the bars of today, the Sinhalese Bar is not the place to order heavy meals; at most, there are titbits to go with a strong drink.

One would wonder how this bar has survived for decades, being listed among Malaysia’s oldest.

Bartender and owner, Alfred Perera, said he sometimes wonders the same, but he is willing to keep pouring drinks as long as his health permits.

The 81-year-old knows the place like the back of his hand, and it makes sense, given that he literally was born and raised there.

His father started the bar all those years ago and Perera sees it as his family legacy, one which he hopes to preserve for years to come.

“I have been here my whole life,” he told FMT. “I was born in the shophouse upstairs and I learnt the trade of the bar from my father. I was just slightly over 18 when I finally took it over.”

To some extent, it was his responsibility, as the oldest son and second child of his family, to inherit the family business.

Perera has seen the Ipoh he grew up in be replaced with newer structures as the result of progress and development.

“Back in those days, there was no tar road at all outside. It was all just gravel. There were hardly any cars on the road back then.”

Given his young age at the time, he remembers very little of the Japanese occupation, though one memory does stick with him.

“After their surrender, the Japanese did not immediately leave Ipoh. When the British came back, the Japanese were made to sweep the roads. I still remember watching them from inside here.”

In the years that followed, the Sinhalese Bar continued functioning as a watering hole for the locals, with lawyers, planters and doctors often dropping by after work for a drink.

It was a good time for all, and there is a twinkle in Perera’s eyes as he recounts those days and how he took up bodybuilding “just for fun!”

While those days are long over, Perera is still kept busy on occasion, with family and friends often stopping by for a drink and a chat.

He is also a familiar face among fellow Ipoh citizens, involving himself in many charitable works, as befitting a devout Buddhist.

With his advanced age, what is the fate of the Sinhalese Bar? Perera has thought about it as well, and he is content to pass the business to his surviving family.

According to him, many of his loyal customers have told him, “’Keep on running this place; let your next kin take over.’ I will pass it on to my wife and my daughter if it comes down to it,” he told FMT.

“If God wills me to live longer, the bar lives on.”

Sinhalese Bar
2, Jalan Bijeh Timah
30000 Ipoh
Perak Darul Ridzuan

Operating hours: 12.00pm-9.30pm daily

Contact: 05-2412235