Where Rex the dinosaur finds solace

Where Rex the dinosaur finds solace

By Stephen Ng

Peter Hoe Evolution and Peter Hoe Beyond have received raving reviews in both the New York Times and TIME magazine.

Even the Lonely Planet has featured Peter Hoe Evolution as a place where “original batik designs on sarongs, shirts and dresses are the main draw here but you'll also find many tastefully arranged Malaysian and imported Asian home goods, too.”

Few Malaysians know of these two lifestyle stores established since 1990. While Peter Hoe Evolution is easily spotted at the corner of Jalan Hang Lekir and Jalan Tun HS Lee, Peter Hoe Beyond is “hidden” on the second floor of the Lee Rubber Building – where outside, it is the unmistaken hustle and bustle of Petaling Street, but within, the concept home decor shop of 8,600 square feet and a café.

Relaxing and cozy

This is the place LiteFM’s announcer, Rex the “dinosaur” found to be cozy and relaxing. “It is interesting that foreign tourists know about this place, but not many of my fellow Malaysians,” said the 24-year-old, who helms LiteFM’s Smooth Drive, from 4pm through 8pm on weekdays.

“It was a fellow announcer, Non (Aanont Wathansin) who first introduced the place to me after the KL Rat Race in 2008 when he suggested that we have a cup of coffee at the Peter Hoe café in Lee Rubber Building. Since then, I have fallen in love with the place.”

Describing Peter Hoe’s Café as the perfect place to be in on a Sunday afternoon, Rex Musadek (who since the age of 19 had been on radio and known more by his alias, “Rex”) said he particularly loves the variety and the colours of things here.

“I get a new experience every time I come here,” he quipped. “I don’t have to travel very far to see everything. They are all here. These house décor items simply make the place come alive. Every item adds character to the place. Although these are not antiques, I like the authenticity of each item. The music is also something good for a change.”

Admittedly, Rex said he had had several dates at the café. “The place gives a nice and cozy atmosphere, where we can chat for hours,” he suggested. “I particularly like the coffee here.”

Occasionally, when he needed a place where he could get some inspirations for his show, this is the place where he would come with a pencil and a piece of paper. “Put it in another way, I come here just to broaden my mind. When I look at each item, it helps me to think out of the box,” he said, revealing the secret of how he obtained his inspirations for his daily show.

To host the show every weekday, Rex has to look out for interesting information on “everything under the sun,” whether it is the arts and culture happenings, entertainment gossip or food bits & bites.

For one whole hour from 4pm, he has his “Music Shuffle”, where he allows listeners to decide what music to play on air, followed by “Your Point Is…” (at 5pm), “80’s Take Shop” (6pm) and finally “Guess the artist” (7pm- 8pm), where he allows his listeners to figure out who is the singer that sings the "I" from a song chosen for the day.

The LiteFM announcer, whose theme song is “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, is also an avid marathoner. His fans will once again see him in action this year, when he will run the 42-km Borneo Marathon on May 1 and again on June 28, in the First Ultra Marathon in Singapore where the marathoners are given 17 hours to finish a 100-km marathon.

“So far, my best marathon was the 42-km Borneo Marathon in 2010, where it took me 5 hours 4 min to complete,” he said, comparing it with his first marathon the year before where he took 5 hours 50 minutes to do the same distance in the Penang Bridge Marathon.

Meet the owner

According to Peter Hoe – the man himself behind the two lifestyle stores and the café -- there is so much history in this “loft like” on the second floor of the Lee Rubber Building.

Built in 1932 by a rubber magnate, industrialist, banker and philanthropist, Lee Kong Chian, who founded Lee Rubber Company, a well-known rubber plantation company in Malaysia, the Lee Rubber Building used to house Public Bank but now it is occupied by Popular Bookstore. It has been earmarked as a Heritage Building by the Heritage of Malaysia Trust.

“This entire floor which we occupy now had once served as the headquarters for the Japanese secret police during World War II,” he said.

Now, the place has come back to life again. “Products are tailor-made for us from all over South East Asia and China,” he explained. “I travel to these places and directly order from the manufacturers.”

To make sure that his wide range of home decors stands out, the store is kept very basic. Even the floor is not tiled, and the tables used for the café are somewhat simple and made of spare wood, but add character to the place.

Hoe had earlier served us his favourite Thai Chicken Salad, Garlic Parmesan with Walnuts and Spinach, and the Carrot Quiche. The quiche is originally from France but the ones served here, as well as all the other dishes, are Peter Hoe’s own recipes. Occasionally, Hoe himself waits on the table and personally serves his foreign guests, which he says, “as a token of appreciation” for travelling around the world to see his collection.

Directions to get there: Rex said he does not drive. For him, the easiest way to get to Peter Hoe Beyond at Lee Rubber Building is traveling by LRT to Pasar Seni LRT Station. From there, it’s just a short walk towards Petaling Street. Peter Hoe Beyond (03-20269788) is located at 145 Jalan Tun H. S. Lee, on the second floor of Lee Rubber Building (above Popular Bookshop), while Peter Hoe Evolution is located at 2 Jalan Hang Lekir, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (03-20260711). The shops are open daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.