Husband-and-wife team Ng Han Yang and Rachel Leong make first foray into F&B with Mellow wine bar

Imagine a typically busy afternoon in the bustling commercial square that defines Petaling Jaya’s Section 17, an old residential area famous for its wet market and local street food. At around 3pm, however, when the hardworking hawkers are done serving the lunch crowd and a lull begins to descend on the neighbourhood, a new and distinct vibe may be detected emanating from around the corner of Seventeen Mall that stands out like a sentinel in a sea of traditional link houses, low-cost flats and nondescript mom ‘n’ pop shops. This is Mellow, a new wine bar in which Ng Han Yang and Rachel Leong have recently invested.

 

Time are a-changin'

“Growing up, I used to follow my parents to wine bars. And my recollection of them was that the places were always dark, with thick, dusty menus filled with intimidating French words none of us could pronounce,” shares Leong, 32. “A stuffy old gentleman would then shuffle up, look you up and down and judge you on how much (or how little) he thought you knew about wine before even taking your order.”

It was precisely this pompous attitude that both Leong and husband Ng, 29, wanted to avoid at all costs when the opportunity to invest in the creation of a new bijou wine bar presented itself.

“Yes, we are aware Section 17 is not the obvious choice [for a wine bar],” she states, “but that’s precisely what we want from Mellow, to be a place that does not discriminate, to be welcoming … Han and I are also just starting our wine journeys in earnest and we also want to learn and grow with our customers, to explore, taste, try and, most importantly, have fun doing so.”

The couple work with a young and enthusiastic team who make it their mission to democratise wine-drinking as much as possible. And since the enterprise is a Malaysian one, food to accompany the experience is mandatory.

 

Makan + minum

Larry Lam, who heads the kitchen, has created a small and sophisticated menu that criss-crosses the culinary globe yet succeeds in being comforting and palate-pleasing at the same time. There is, for example, 48-hour fermented flatbread using Neapolitan dough and served with za’atar and toum, that divinely addictive Lebanese garlic sauce. For those with Antipodean leanings, there is beetroot salad with almond dukkah while those obsessed with the Indian subcontinent would be delighted to order the panipuri — but filled with abalone ceviche instead of the traditional chickpeas and spiced potato.

Han lets on how he loves pairing the classic Indian street snack with Ze Bulle, a charming pink sparkling rosé blended with Cabernet Franc by Bruno Ciofi for Beret et Compagnie. And if you must first eat with your eyes, be sure to order the milkfish sashimi, artistically anointed with coconut milk, basil oil and pickled grapes, and as pretty as a Jackson Pollock painting.

But tempting as the food looks, Mellow is really created with the oenophile in mind — but not those who only wax lyrical about Left Bank Bordeaux and Burgundies. Not in the least. As the menu is designed around the concept of small, shared plates, guests are invited to complement their meal by browsing and buying from the dizzying array of bottles on display. There is no fear of intimidation by way of Grand Cru Classé labels (or price tags) or double-barrelled names that, when pronounced, sound as if one has a plum in the mouth. Instead, Mellow welcomes all who are thirsty and curious and hopes to please with its trove of eclectic liquid treasure.

There is, for example, Aalto — not named for the Finnish architectural genius, mind you, but the winery set up by Spaniard Mariano Garcia, best known as Vega Sicilia’s winemaker of 30 years, and Javier Zaccagnini. You might also chance upon Rolf Binder’s famous Hales Shiraz (best to drink up whatever bottles you find as the Barossa Valley veteran sold his eponymous winery to Accolade, Australia’s biggest winemaking company, in 2021) or fall in love with the easy-drinking organic sparkling wine (not cava but rather Catalan sparkling wine created in the méthode Champenoise) from the prestigious family-run Llopart winery, Barcelona.

 

Sweet seventeen

Mellow, although a new business concept for the Ngs, is actually a natural extension of Superfine, an existing and successful café within Seventeen Mall.

“Superfine opened for business in 2020 and it’s been growing steadily year on year,” shares Han. “It already has a sister café in KL Eco City called Superluna. Early this year, after taking on the role of leasing and marketing for Seventeen Mall, I wanted some new and novel ideas.

“Malaysia naturally has a strong culture of entrepreneurship. We have people like Sim Chee How, Felicia Lam and Kenix Chong [all part of Mellow’s team] who work tirelessly in pursuit of excellence. I spoke to them and asked what they wanted to do next and what new skills they’d like to learn. The answer was they’d always wanted to look at wine.”

Although wine consumption has been flatlining globally for a while now, Malaysia was — and still is — experiencing growth. The mushrooming of clever new places like Unwined and Basic Wine Store is also cause for confidence.

“We thought wine was an interesting idea and something we’d like to try doing. But we definitely wanted it to be from an approachable standpoint,” Han says.

“Approachable is the key word,” interjects Leong. “We expressly made Mellow friendly as the traditional idea of wine-drinking appeals to those from a different social class … a drink for people from a high income bracket. But just as times are changing, we as investors also want things that add value to or redefine existing culture. We want to educate, share and not judge. In a way, I like how Mellow’s concept aligns with my family business which has always been about making home ownership accessible to all. We currently open for business from 3pm although we will start lunch service the minute it makes good business sense to.”

 

Youthful vision

Born into a foodie family (as most Malaysian families are), Leong is the daughter of property tycoon Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum and currently works as Mah Sing’s director of group strategy and operations on top of managing investments for the family office.

Han, an Old Harrovian and UPenn engineering grad, meanwhile is chief growth officer for Didian, a Malaysian proptech sales and marketing app, but has recently taken on the role of adviser for Seventeen Mall, which his family developed.

“There’s a backstory regarding the location,” he shares. “Yes, our family developed Seventeen Mall, which has both commercial and residential space. We sold the latter but we still run the shopping centre. The idea is for it to become a business incubator, a hub, for creative entrepreneurs. This idea was mooted by my father whose entrepreneurial spirit always makes him want to invest in the next generation [of entrepreneurs],” he shares.

Those who need an introduction to Ng Senior would be interested to know that Han’s father Kay Yip, a Wharton and MIT-educated scholar, co-founded Jobstreet.com but currently runs the Maran group of companies, which was set up by Han’s grandfather, and whose interests today span timber, property and construction.

 

Let the light in

While Mellow revels in its neighbourhood wine bar image, it is also a place of learning and sharing. Hence, the most sought-after table is actually the statement bar table.

“It seats eight to 10 and is solid cedar wood,” says Han. “It’s perfect for small gatherings and is very popular, as you can imagine. We also created special pinewood tubs within the countertop itself to keep the bottles on ice. And since it is pure pinewood, you’ll find there’s no condensation issue. I also love how every bottle tells its own story and how each wine is a literal labour of love and the result of passion and tireless execution.”

The ambience, created by boutique interior design company Studio BBB, is visually appealing, with high ceilings, lots of natural light, a soothing pastel palette and a playful peaches-and-cream checkerboard floor. All the gorgeous wood furniture is by Maran Timber, of course, while ZaHuoHang did the dried flower arrangements.

“As you can see, our wine bottles don’t hide behind menus. In fact, we don’t even have a wine menu as yet,” Leong laughs, pointing to the open-display shelves neatly lined up with row upon row of bottles. “Here, our wines are scattered everywhere. They are paraded on the shelves, we place them on the tables so people can hold them and read the labels. The price tags are obviously displayed, hanging from the necks of the bottles itself to save you time and trouble asking.

“We want Mellow to be like a gallery where you can browse at your leisure. There is absolutely no pressure and, if you like, someone will come up to you and tell a story … about the wine, the winemaker or the region it’s from. I also like how Mellow looks out onto the street and you can just nurse a glass of wine and watch people go by. Like I said, we want Mellow to be a place where you learn, try and, most of all, enjoy yourself.”

 

Never stay still

Juggling multiple roles on top of being parents to Leia, whom Han tenderly acknowledges as his very own “Princess Leia”, the couple share how they already have another business set to open at Seventeen Mall.

“It will be a kiosk specialising in Hokkaido-style soft serve,” says Leong animatedly.

Christened Japow, which borrows from the ski term for Japanese powder snow, the icy treats will comprise at least 9% full fat cream from Farm Fresh cows in Johor and boast an array of toppings, from matcha to kinako, and the pièce de résistance of freshly-baked langues de chat ice cream cones.

“We want to grow with our customers,” Leong repeats. “I mean, I was more of a gin drinker [before opening Mellow]. I put it all down to my years in England. [Leong sat for her International Baccalaureate at Sevenoaks School, read for her Bachelor of Laws at the London School of Economics between 2009 and 2012 and did a two-year stint at Credit Suisse London before returning home]. Yes, the UK already had a well-established wine culture but, as a student, pints of beer and shots were all that we could afford,” she laughs. “And when I was older and had a bit more pocket money and after I started working, I would still opt for a cocktail as wine was seen as the Holy Grail, something we couldn’t attain until we reached a certain level in our careers. To be completely honest, and I’m sure I am not alone in saying this, my introduction to wine would have been a bottle of Jacob’s Creek!”

As a career woman and young mother, Leong quickly adds that she is an “early retiree” when it comes to drinking.

“I am usually in bed by 11pm. I like to start early, hence Mellow’s 3pm opening, and finish early. The growing popularity of natural and organic wines, which you will see a lot of at Mellow, sits well with me too. There is very little tinkering, no added yeast, low levels of sulphites … it is all about appreciating wine in its true form and letting it take on a life of its own. I find this part of the story very appealing.”

 

Coming full circle

It might seem like serendipity that Leong and Han revisit the world of wine as a couple, considering that the Napa Valley, the US’s most prominent and established wine region, played a key role in their lives.

“We had first met in Singapore in 2015 on a banking programme,” Han says. “It was only during Rachel’s family trip to Napa years later, to celebrate her brother’s engagement, that we reconnected.”

At the time, Han was working nearby in Silicon Valley, for high-speed and high-precision equipment provider Peco-InspX.

“We met up for a few coffees here and there and rekindled our friendship. So, Napa will always be special to us … it helps that I really love the wines from there too. In fact, I even had a wine subscription — from Domaine Carneros — while working in California.”

So, would it be a fair statement to say that future travels and holidays will all revolve around the great wine regions of the world?

“That sounds like a plan,” the couple nod in agreement, “but right now, we are focusing on Mellow as our passion project and also working hard to get more creative enterprises into Seventeen Mall. So, if anyone has a great idea — ideally revolving around sustainability, childcare or enrichment — please come say hi. We’d love to meet you.”

Preferably after 3pm and over a glass of wine at Mellow, might we add?

 

Mellow is open daily from 3pm-11pm and located at L1-06A, Seventeen Mall, 998 Jalan 17/38, Seksyen 17, Petaling Jaya.

This article first appeared on Dec 11, 2023 in The Edge Malaysia.