Okay, I know, it’s become the Changkat cliché: ‘Have you heard the new place that’s opened up on Changkat?’ I won’t bore you (or myself for that matter) with the laundry list of places that are making the street the place to be on the weekends. Suffice to say that I wouldn’t have thought there was any more juice to squeeze out of the mango on this one, that nobody would put another nightlife enterprise on the street without trepidation, especially not one at the end of the street, above La Bouchon, where the unsuccessful Déjà Vu formerly sat, two doors down from the P Diddy of the block, Twentyone.

And yet there are those that dare go where no men have gone before as a trio of entrepreneurs. Two expats and a local, have done the seemingly improbable: given KL it’s best new club, pumped in the money and the ideas to make that the case. Envie is still in its infancy barely open three weeks but already it’s the destination for the tribe as it offers a well considered clubbing space with a focussed musical policy and an excellent bar selection, a combination that rarely happens in this town.

Look at the space first, a nice open dance floor (gasp) that actually invites dancing with its amazing interactive light dance floor that is a draw in of itself. It declares: ‘Move it or lose it’ and keeps a good gutter space for walking without causing the Heritage Mansion push that helped spell the demise of that institution. The VIP area really feels like a VIP area and is cleverly connected to the DJ booth and the lifted seating area gives you a good sense connection to the dance floor while having privileged distance from it, not an easy task to achieve architecturally.

There’s a lovely, lovely terrace that looks up Bukit Ceylon and down on CBB and as mentioned, the drink menu is solid with a nice selection of liquors and wines at prices that should make Sultan Lounge cough and wince. A Friday night female DJ night is proving popular, the Wednesday and Saturday of hip hop is credible, and picking up excellent DJs like Glynn Tandy and Joey G to fill in the nights is smart, keeping the place fresh and viable for surprises. My only criticism is simply a design one on the use of pink and swirly iron works; not my cup of tea but hey, to each his own. Envie is the new kid on the block and while there will be the inevitable come down that befalls a new space, it’s definitely the place to be this clubbing season.

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