How does Soon Heng balance a retro theme with a Western-focused menu?

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Soon Heng Social Club blends a retro Chinese setting with a primarily Western-focused menu by keeping the ambience themed while its dishes stay firmly Euro-adjacent
Soon Heng Social Club, located above a tea shop in Taman United, Kuala Lumpur, uses retro Chinese decor to set the mood while offering a menu centred on Western or Euro-adjacent dishes. The dining room features folding screens, string curtains, vintage knick-knacks, and a curated vintage sign, but the food list includes items such as kale salad with jamon serrano, grilled octopus with harissa, gambas al ajillo, pasta, steak, pork chops, and duck confit. Even its desserts follow the same cross-over pattern, with a Bojicha tiramisu and a citrus blossom cream tart.
Retro Chinese decor is built through curated visual elements
The restaurant is designed to be noticed at night, with a neon sign and a vintage sign above the stairway that was acquired from an antique collector in Kajang. Inside, retro-themed Chinese elements such as folding screens and string curtains are used alongside old-timey decor pieces, creating a consistent visual identity tied to the “social club” concept. This styling makes the space feel like a deliberate theme environment even though it sits in an ordinary neighbourhood setting.
The menu keeps its Western core despite the Chinese name and theme
While the overall theme draws on Chinese visual cues, the menu is described as firmly Western or Euro-adjacent. Dishes listed include kale salad with jamon serrano, grilled octopus with harissa, and gambas al ajillo, alongside three types of pasta, steak, pork chops, and duck confit. The approach is not limited to small plates either: the restaurant’s mains include a strong steak focus and classic preparations such as French duck leg confit.
Specific dishes illustrate how familiar Western items fit the themed room
The restaurant’s gambas al ajillo (RM45) is presented as a classic Spanish tapas of shrimp cooked with olive oil, garlic, and chilli flakes, served with crusty sourdough on the side. Steak offerings are also central, with five steak types at 250g each, ranging from an Argentinian corn-fed New York strip at RM75 to an Australian MB7 Full Blood Wagyu Ribeye at RM180. For variety beyond beef, the menu includes duck leg confit (RM49) with mixed berry sauce and grilled seasonal vegetables, and grilled pork shoulder chop (RM45) served with apple purée, a side salad, and both sweet potato and regular fries.
The kitchen leadership and dessert choices reinforce the cross-over pairing
The kitchen is headed by Jack Chang, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, while Larry Chang manages the bar and front-of-house operations, reinforcing a structured, service-and-kitchen-led dining format rather than a purely traditional Chinese menu. Desserts are limited to two items beyond gelato and sorbet: a Bojicha tiramisu (RM27) made with Bailey’s and hojicha, and a citrus blossom cream tart (RM18). By swapping hojicha into the tiramisu’s role as a coffee analogue, the restaurant keeps the finishing course aligned with its theme of mixing familiar Western formats with local or Asian flavour cues.

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How does Soon Heng balance a retro theme with a Western-focused menu?

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