Wan Chai

I cannot get over the beautiful complexity that is Wan Chai. But my favorite part is the mealy, grainy, cereal note my skin gives me that is a marriage of the anise, amber, cinnamon and cardamom. This exquisite top is natural, calming, and plays with many spices that are dessert oriented. The top of this scent feels like a quaint and much awaited visit to your favorite pastry shoppe. While you wait to be served you experience the beautiful bready and spicy aromas that leave you with an insatiable appetite. To me Wan Chai has a brilliant unity in darkness from the Vietnamese oud that brings a pungent sweetness similar to dark chocolate and an unrelenting sophistication. The oud no doubt separates the experience into glorious stages of sensual bliss because when I use only a small amount of juice I smell the totality of the oud and rose base. I lived in Indonesia for some time (one of the reasons for my interest in this house) and dare I say even though it is supposed to resemble a commercial district in Hong Kong, this smells similar to the ambient scents that characterize the prestigious malls in Jakarta. These malls were megastructures designed to collaborate the values of western elitism with Asian cultures where many people dressed in their finest clothes and wore their favorite jewelry and fragrances, on a mission to outlive the night. I'm reminded of Wayang Kulit dolls, batik, gamelan instruments, juicy exotic tropical fruits and incense in this perfume. Nothing Short of excellent. Dr. Reinthal is a true genius of the olfactory arts and you can easily tell this is not just a hobby, but a passion and a mission. A mission to help one travel the world through the complexity of smell, and if you're me reminisce on the wealth of an overseas experience. 8.5/10

Wan Chai is a very unique and wonderful combination of amber spice balanced by smoke, oud and saffron. I think the rose adds some fullness, but is not prominent for me. I have a bunch of smoky fragrances and this is the most balanced and intriguing of them all. It makes me think of wispy cigarette smoke blowing by in an otherwise voluptuous exotic environment. This creates a new scent memory for me, almost creating a memory of something that never happened before. I have enjoyed revisiting. In spite of all the potentially strong notes listed, Wan Chai is balanced and very easy to wear.

I'm crazy about smoky perfumes, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. I don't find the smoke accord shocking, in the least. It is present, with a dry quality, thanks to the saffron and cinnamon but it is nicely blended into an incredibly evocative ambery rose. This reminds me of the closeness and heat of an old nightclub. My favorite aspect is the dryness of the smoke playing against the humidity of the oud. Gives a very distinct impression of "It's raining outside but it's hot and smoky in here." Very nice.

Wan Chai is, for me, a special place and a time: a very wet afternoon in Chinatown in Bangkok, wandering the streets in sensory overload. Tendrils of white incense smoke drew me into a temple. A worshipper. A priest. Buddha. And two red chairs on which were a wooden fan and two laughing theatrical masks. Transfixed for eternal minutes before the street again beckoned. Sought shelter from the rain inside the entrance of dimly lit restaurant in which lovers were dining and engaged in conversation. Back out into the street and now soaked to the bone and shivering in spite of the heat, serendipity would have it that I should discover a magical sunken little Chinese tea room. Cozy and ever so serene, there I sipped white rose tea from a gold rimmed cup and meditated on floating miniature rose buds as the rain slapped the glass doors in front of me. The outside world was a watery blur. Wan Chai is like that afternoon. It morphs over time, taking you from one place to linger to the next to the next. The journey starts with an intoxicating spicy smokiness and eventually settles you into a den of meditative coziness. Absolutely beautiful perfume. My current favourite.

I tried a sample of this fragrance recently and found the opening to be very heavy and overwhelmingly smokey. Thankfully the smoke drifted away after about 5 minutes and a rich floral emerged. Rose and vanilla and labdanum with spices. It definitely goes through many changes as it develops from a very intense start to a romantic rose amber fragrance although the smokiness remains in the background which makes Wan Chai suitable for men and women. My father lived in Wan Chai and he says he doesn't remember it smelling like this. Sillage is moderate and longevity very good.