Kala Lumpur - Malaysia will soon be placed on the world gourmet map alongside other favourite Asian food destinations such as China, India, and Thailand.
An allocation of RM200 million has been approved in the Ninth Malaysia Plan to bring local culinary delights to global diners, said Tourism Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Victor Wee.
Under the ‘Malaysia Kitchen‘ programme, 3,000 Malaysian restaurants are expected to ‘set their food‘ worldwide by the year 2010.
Spearheaded by the Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, the ambitious culinary initiative is aimed at bringing the gastronomic charms of the Malaysian palate to the universal audience.
Apparently, restaurants that are currently operating under the programme have been receiving positive feedback outside the Malaysian shores.
"We have actually opened a restaurant in London which is doing very well now... it has already broken even… it started making profit after 11 months of operation,” Wee said when launching the ‘Malaysia Truly Asia‘ cuisine showcase here, Wednesday.
The event was held in conjunction with the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) 2007 and in support of the ‘Malaysia Kitchen‘ programme.
“We have a restaurant in Hyderabad, as well as Beijing, which has just opened this year. Two other restaurants will be opened in Doha as well as in Perth," Wee said.
Wee also said that the demand for local flavours was growing, with more tourists flocking into the country to savour the exotic taste of dishes such as the satay, sambal belacan and char koay teow.
The ‘Malaysia Truly Asia‘ cuisine showcase features master chefs of MIGF who develop uniquely-Malaysian cuisine and menus that will be introduced to the world‘s restaurants. The menus are judged on their creativity, taste and global appeal.
Winner of the signature dish will be announced at the MIGF Grand Finale dinner on Dec 3, 2007.
Source: www.bernama.com.my (1 November 2007)
