Preserving Heritage

Inside the new OpenHouse, where Malaysian heritage meets modern sustainability

- Katelyn Tan

Those who visited OpenHouse at the original Suria KLCC location may remember the Malaysian heritage restaurant for its maximalist interior. At the new location, adjacent to Badan Warisan Malaysia, rattan furniture, lush plants, and even an ulam garden take the place of the colourful print wallpaper and fabrics.

This is a temporary structure, with its permanent home in the midst of being built in a house just behind it. “Our aim is to turn OpenHouse into a tourist destination, with guests able to tour the ulam garden and rumah penghulu next door or participate in a workshop in the demo kitchen,” enthuses co-founder Brian Quirk.

The aforementioned ulam garden, located next to the restaurant, was built in collaboration with Ulam School and sponsored by Think City. “The garden is a project under Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, supported by Unesco, with a goal of promoting the use of ulam, which is nutritious, healthy, and has medicinal properties,” co-founder Andrew Wong explains.