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Yesterday we were celebrating a belated birthday. Today, we were holding a farewell party. This time around, it was at the Neway Karaoke Box (NKB) in Berjaya Time Square (BTS). We had planned this earlier so it was a whole lot easier than the previous day. Once again, Chee Leng had done the honours of making reservations for us. We were told that we had to be there by 12.15pm and that the kitchen would be closed for lunch at 12.45pm. So with less prodding than usual, the lot of us (14 persons) were out of the office by noon.

We took a monorail from Wisma Genting to BTS which costs RM1.20 one way. By 12.15pm, we were all gathered outside Neway’s main entrance. Now there’s been some confusion regarding the pronounciation of the name. Some pronounce it as new-way while others call it nee-way. Personally, I prefer n-e-way (read: anyway). We were showed to the first room in along the narrow hallway. It was a huge room that could have easily accomodated 20 people.

Anyway, the place serves lunch bundled with a free karaoke session up to 3 hours. I think they call it the lunch happy hour, or some such. The menu is very limited (only 6 items with various combinations of hot and cold drinks) with costs ranging from RM9.00 to RM15.00. A few of us (myself included) opted for the cheapest Fried Rice set (RM9.00) while there were a couple who ordered the Udon set (also RM9.00) and the baked cheese with raisin rice (RM12.00). Each set comes with a soup (if its non-soup to begin with), an ice cream, and a free drink of choice.

Once the orders had been placed, my colleagues did not waste any time in firing up the karaoke box. Music was cranked up high and microphones (there were 3 of them) were passed around. I sat back for a while, contented to enjoy the company (that and the fact that I can’t read chinese characters nor did I know the words to the songs by heart). I chimed in the chorus from time to time for the songs that I did recognise.

It didn’t take long for the food to arrive and when it did, it wasn’t exactly anything to shout about. The fried rice that I was having was cold and bland. I quickly worked my way through it so as to get it over with and get back to the karaoke session. I managed to sample the udon soup and cheese baked rice from two of my colleagues. The soup was very, very salty and only lukewarm. I think the best meal to order might be the chese baked rice since it looked rather apetising and tasted quite good. By the time I got to the desert, the ice cream had gone soft (but that’s still better than my colleague’s which had melted to a gooey mess).

Once the meal was over, I managed to croak a couple of english songs that had slipped into the queue (mind you that this is the first time that I’ve set foot in a karaoke lounge). It was interesting to listen and watch some of my friends singing. A few of them were actually very good (compared to me, everyone’s good :P). In between songs, I called up Eng Lee who was on MC to see how he was doing and got everyone to say hi. Pity the guy who was stuck at home with diarrhea.

Midway through the karaoke session, we were interupted by one of the staff. They actually asked us whether we could vacate the room as other guests had arrived with prior reservations. They offered to move us to a different room. We were all grumbling since we were in the middle of a song and were having fun. Couldn’t they have moved the other group to the other room instead? And why give us the room if it was reserved in the first place? My impression of the service took an immediate hit. But no matter, we grudgingly agreed to relocate to a smaller room further down the hall. The music selection that had already been made was quickly transferred over (good thing that they could do that) and the singing resumed.

While most of us participated in the reverie, there were some who remained quiest throughout the session. Perhaps they were shy. Someone actually fell asleep as well (wonders why…).

After two hours of singing and laughing, we finally decided to call it a day (we had been out of the office for a good 2 1/2 hours!). The bill came out to RM165.60 for 14 persons inclusive of government and service tax (averaging RM12.00 per person depending on what you ordered). That’s a fair price to pay considering that you get to sing to your heart’s content in a 3 hour karaoke session.

Inspite of the interuption in the middle, and the so-so food, I enjoyed myself immensely. I believe that it was more the company than the premises that contributed to the good time. Screaming your lungs out and laughing till your sides hurt is always good in my books. Needless to say, I was totally destressed when I returned to the office.

I recommend the place if you’re just out for a good time and want to sing somewhere else other than the shower. However, if you’re looking for good food and service, you’ll be sadly disappointed. According to one of my friends, the song selection at NKB was very limited (RedBox has a better selection according to him). However, do bring some good company that you’re comfortable with, as it will increase the fun factor. Think you’re good enough to be the next Malaysian Idol? Get a room and find out :)

Neway Karaoke Box
Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2143 3999

City Square, Johor Bahru
Tel: +607-228 1499

Cheras Plaza, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-9131 1499

Customer Service: customer@newaykb.com.my