After leaving Penang for a number of years, this writer sojourns back to her hometown and sees it in a brand new light. We glimpse the interesting possibilities available with those who have taken up repurposed pre-war houses in a chat with restaurateur extraordinaire, Narelle McMurtrie, who owns China House.

It all started over coffee as a friend of a friend mentioned about how Penang has changed in recent times and how our tastefully decorated and designed surrounds speak of how boom time has arrived in Penang, specifically Georgetown. As we laughed over how he had to show a Penangite around her own state capital, it also brought to consciousness the many ways that Beach Street has changed and how visionary settlers see Penang property as a valuable investment, not only in terms of capital appreciation but in terms of humanistic value that truly plugs into the creative soul of the city.

Seeing Georgetown For What It Can Be

I had heard of her before. I had even been to her place, Bon Ton KL, for one of those amazing dinners earlier on in my career but never have I ever had the pleasure of meeting Narelle in person until I came to China House. Part affable coffee shop, part chic arts scene, part retail store and a whole lot of character, China House’s main entrance stands on Beach Street, which was better known as the Wall Street of Penang in its earlier days, thanks to all the banking and finance houses on this road itself.

However, China House holds its own as it is made up of two houses that are joined in the backyard and it was through Narelle’s creative vision that these two houses were brought together under one roof with the other entrance facing the quieter Victoria Street. It was unthinkable that just a decade ago, after the repeal of the Rent Control Act, these very same quarters were left empty, in stark contrast to the buzzing crowd that was streaming into the dining area as we drained the last dregs of coffee in our cups.

Setting Up China House

While Narelle herself was buzzing by to tie up loose ends and seeing to the general day-to-day operations of China House, we managed to grab a few seconds of her time here and there to ask our questions as she darted around. When asked why she took up property in the heritage zone of Penang, Narelle’s simple answer was that she loved old buildings. It was very much the same spirit that helped her start Bon Ton in KL and then Bon Ton Resort in Langkawi, which is famous for the re-use of old traditional Malay kampong houses as villas at her resort in Langakawi. Speaking of which, Narelle spends her time shuttling back and forth
Penang and Langkawi as she oversees the running of both places.

We waited till a whole group of diners had been ushered to their seats at the cosy courtyard behind us before approaching Narelle with our questions on her experience in property purchase in the heart of Georgetown. While there were no legal or financial issues in buying a property right in the heart of the heritage zone of Georgetown, some owners have remarked about the difficulties in doing some renovations after purchasing the property in Inner Georgetown.

The local heritage and conservation codes came into play when Georgetown was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside Malacca in 2008. However, when asked if there were issues with it, Narelle just shrugged it off and said, “No, I had no issues with the local renovation codes whatsoever. Most of the renovations to China House were mainly structural and right from the start I had in mind an arts platform which was supported by a food and beverage space below. The end result has been exactly what I had expected.”

The fact that China House nourishes both the body and soul is reflected in the good reception of its patrons both local and foreign alike, some on vacation, others on an extended stay and remarkably, a good portion, local Penangites. Unlike others eager to grab more properties in Inner Georgetown in the near future, Narelle has her hands full running both China House and Bon Ton Resort in Langkawi.

Little surprise then as she whizzed past us, signaling the end of our chit chat, she left us with thoughts swirling in our heads about the value of the properties in the cultural and heritage heart of Georgetown and how a good vision and idea is all that is needed to turn a pre-war shop house into a space that allows the denizens of Penang to indulge their cultural sides in.