A visit to The Blue Mansion isn’t complete without popping into Indigo, an exciting dining destination where east meets west, writes Gabriel Martin
IT’S not always blue in The Blue Mansion. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also know as Blue Mansion (coined after its vivid blue facade) is one of the most celebrated conservation projects in Penang — and around the world.
This iconic 19th century heritage building captured the attention of the world when it was conferred the Unesco Most Excellent Heritage Conservation Award in 2000.
“The Blue Mansion was a turning point in my career as an architect, and conservation advocate. To this day, it has served as my case in point and maxims in my professional practice,” confides Ar. Laurence Loh, an acclaimed conservation architect and cultural heritage expert in the Asia-Pacific region.
It’s through this elegant mansion that prolific Chinese tycoon Cheong Fatt Tze’s grandiloquence and passion for heritage and luxury are personified inexorably. The mansion features a beautiful blend of cultures, from art nouveau-inspired windows, to Chinese porcelain carvings and British geometric tiles. It operates as a 16-bedroom boutique hotel-cum-museum. In July 2016, the contemporary Indigo restaurant opened on the first floor as a new addition to its building programme.
Keeping his nose to the grindstone for close to 30 years, Loh conceptualised the interiors of Indigo as a marriage between old and new, based on his own interpretation of memories.
“There’s a hidden story in every corner of the restaurant. Each element positioned carries a sentimental value and memoirs from the past. What you’ll see in Indigo narrates a recollection of my memories, from momentous travels to a series of unpredicted events,” shares the 66-year-old.
WILD BLUE YONDER
“Welcome to Cheong Fatt Tze’s master bedroom,” says Loh, as he shares with me Indigo’s origins. What used to be the tycoon’s private chamber is now retold in a new story. The conservation stalwart again speaks of memories as he continues to reveal interesting stories that form the design language of the restaurant. Like a captivated child listening to a story-teller, I pay close attention to his anecdotes.
“This feature used to be the carpet in the main bedroom before it was taken out and kept in the storeroom. Through time, rodents attacked the carpet and chewed up most of the beautiful tassels. It suffered from the humid weather too,” says Loh, of the now majestic museum-quality installation right in the centre of the restaurant.
The carpet was later taken out from storage, cleaned and sanitised and given a new lease of life as the feature decor of Indigo. Flaunting its beauty once again, the up-cycled piece encircled in gold gives focus to the au courant interior space. Loh continues to explain that there’s a sense of belonging as the carpet was originally here in this space to begin with.
Anchoring the moonlike centrepiece are two huge gilded neo-classical mirrored frames. Positioned in such a way where the “moon” is reflected on both sides, the space now appears regal in an avant-garde way.
Drawing our eyes upwards, Loh briefly describes the multiple layers of the ceiling design, inspired by Chinese screens. Experimenting with different materials to ensure that the ceiling isn’t too heavy, metal frame works are layered with semi-opaque fabric to recreate the concept of the screens. Paper cores are used in an elegant fashion to represent bamboos, while lightweight wood latticework adds texture to the overall look.
The interpretation on the ceiling is a rigorous collaboration of up-cycling and heritage preservation. The architect adds: “We even commissioned an old artisan in Penang to handcraft the hanging lanterns in the restaurant. This way, we’re also able to continue narrating the artisanal legacy to others.”
EMERGING MASTER CHEF
Executive Chef Beh Weng Chia, or better known as Chef Weng, worked in a restaurant along Jalan Cheong Fatt Tze prior to his involvement in Indigo. The Penang-born, Le Cordon Bleu San Francisco graduate possesses over 10 years of experience at prestigious restaurants in Japan, the USA and Australia. He returned to his motherland not too long ago.
He brings home an eclectic style of cooking that combines classic French and Japanese techniques with top shelf ingredients and an utmost respect for the local cuisine.
“At Indigo, we use a lot of fresh ingredients and relish them together with local flavours. I love working with seafood but there are a lot of masterly techniques and skills involved,” shares Chef Weng. The resulting stream of delectable dishes produced by Indigo is a testament to his skills and creativity.
Fresh Hokkaido scallops, Russian sea urchin and purebred wagyu M7 sirloins are all carefully sourced and flown into Penang regularly, allowing patrons to enjoy the ultimate freshness and authentic flavours of Indigo’s novelty cuisines.
The 34-year-old chef works with seasonal ingredients. This inspires him to also create and experiment with different combinations to concoct a more unique dining experience. While the menu changes at least every two to three months, the restaurant also provides personalised dining upon request for special occasions and celebrations. And the list of food items will be crafted based on the food of the season.
DINNER IS SERVED
When dining in a century-old heritage mansion in the culture-laden Straits settlement in Penang, expect nothing less than grandeur and extravagance. Unlike the typical hawker-style
delights Penang is famous for, dining in Indigo is, suffice to say, somewhat exquisite.
The tables are set in simple white linens to match the Oriental-inspired chairs. A waiter soon emerges bearing the first starter. Russian Sea Urchin comprising Capellini pasta (al dente, of course) is tossed in extra virgin olive oil, topped with fresh salmon roe, sea urchin, and garnished with finely julienned scallions and kaffir lime leaves. Delicate, the dish offers a fresh start to the whole proceedings.
Chef Weng serves the Truffled Corn Soup next — plump, gently-seared Hokkaido scallops and unagi drowned in thick and creamy corn soup, drizzled with truffle oil and topped with fresh basil. In a unique combination of east meets west, the flavours celebrate the freshness of the seafood with a lovely balance of sweet and savoury.
The dish of the night is definitely the soya-glazed Toothfish. Perfumed with
an umami aftertaste, the perfectly-glazed piece of fish is beautifully cooked. The bouncy texture of the fish goes well with the lightly breaded crab and potato cake.
Chef Weng is also well known for his choice of cuts and his preparation methods. Pure Bred Beef Wagyu M7 Sirloin comes highly recommended by Loh himself. Served in equal-portioned bite sizes, the beef is nice and pink
in the centre, and is beautifully seared and crusted. The truffle-infused apple puree wraps the entire dish together, enough to please the heart, palate and soul.
As the sun sets veiling the courtyard in semi-darkness, the mansion magically comes alive as imperial red lanterns illuminate the indigo walls. The camaraderie in the restaurant heightens as the story of its heyday is once again recounted. And what a glorious history it is.