Malaysian Delight in London

photo from the star news
Malaysia is extending the marketing efforts to sell Malaysia to London.

At the very heart of London in the famous Trafalgar Square, the Malaysia Night Market was taking shape. The evening was intended to showcase the exotic food from Malaysia. That will be a good opportunity for the local to sample the real taste of Malaysia Foods.






Organised by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) as part of its year-long Malaysia Kitchen campaign, the night market occupied the entire square with colourfully-covered stalls flanking three sides, a few of which sold Malaysian products and crafts such as batik, curry pastes and sauces, drinks, cakes, and even packets of durian for £4 each.

In one of the stalls, Malaysian-born self-styled chef and food artist David Loh demonstrated the art of melon carving, much to the delight of his admiring audience.

At one end, a large stage had also been set up to showcase various performances including silat demonstrations, traditional Malay dances and gamelan music. The shows went on throughout the afternoon and evening.


Zainuddin Yahaya serving soya bean milk at his stall.
I got there slightly earlier, hoping to get a chance to interview some of the restaurateurs before it got too busy. It was just as well that I did because, as soon as the barriers were removed at 3pm, the eager crowd descended in droves upon the stalls.

Despite the earlier threat of rain, and the cold – it got quite bitter as the day wore on – the stallholders were all hard-pushed to keep up with the orders which were flying in fast and furious.

They came from all walks of life: tourists who were strolling by and had happened upon the event, visitors to the National Gallery opposite who were attracted by the crowd; local Londoners and expat Malaysians, all standing around tucking into the spicy curries, savoury rice and yummy noodles.

At Zainuddin Yahaya’s stall, there were pasembur, sup ekor and soya bean milk, despatched from his restaurant, Tukdin, in Craven Road, W2. He was helped by family members including son Syed Fauzi, 26, a professional chef trained at the Westminster Kings-way College, the same college as Jamie Oliver.

“This event is a very good idea as it draws people to our restaurants and also to Malaysia,” Zainuddin said.


Malaysian produce, including durians which cost £4 per packet, were sold at the market.
A few stalls down, Hairani and Azahar, who run the Makan Café in London’s famous Portobello Road, were busy dishing out roti canai with lamb curry, and a very authentic and appetite-boosting ayam percik together with acar and mee goreng.

Seok Teoh, who was there with a group of friends – mainly Malaysians like her – said she enjoyed the interesting event which would certainly help to promote Malaysia. It would have been nicer if it had been held a few weeks earlier, she said, referring to the cold weather.

She added that she felt the slant was too much towards food. “But that’s typical of Malaysians!” she quipped.

While tucking into beef rendang and rice with relish, Philipp G from Austria told me he has had Malaysian food in Berlin before and that he was also going to try out a few of the food at the other stalls.

To keep things simple, stalls were limited to serving a maximum of three items, charged at £3 or £5 per portion. As part of the exercise, Matrade also published the Malaysian Restaurant Guide UK, which came with a special Malaysia Kitchen Dining Card that entitled diners to a 20% discount at participating restaurants.

“Since the launch of Malaysia Kitchen in London at the beginning of this year,” said Matrade Trade Commissioner Raja Badrulnizam, “we have run many activities to promote our food through existing Malaysian restaurants. This is the biggest event we have ever held in London.”

When asked why the event was being held so late in the year, when it tends to rain and it gets cold and dark early, he said: “Trafalgar Square is booked up one or two years in advance! It was impossible to get a slot here in the summer.”

They are, however, aiming to do this again next year and hopefully at the beginning rather than the end of September.

The organisers were aided by the recently-formed Malaysian Restaurant Association UK, which aims to promote Malaysian food and cuisine in the UK.

“We are also trying to get a collective voice to resolve several issues,” said Chairman Teddy Chen, citing as an example the fact that with recent changes in immigration policies, it was difficult to get chefs in from overseas.

The event was very successful by all accounts and certainly helped to tell Londoners about Malaysian food. Many local and other news crews including the BBC turned up to cover it.

At 5pm, amidst the familiar deep rhythmic drumming of the kompang, Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, who was joined by Michelin-starred Chef Jason Atherton and Deputy Major of London Richard Barnes, formally cut the ribbon to open the event officially.

“This event represents the wonderful food Malaysia has brought to London,” Barnes said. “I love the sheer joy in which it is presented.”

Atherton, who was with the Gordon Ramsay group until earlier this year, agreed, saying: “I spent a lot of time in the East where I learnt to eat Malaysian food. I love the curries.”

Source:
Sunday October 3, 2010
Malaysian delights
Story and pictures by HELEN ONG
sundaymetro@thestar.com.my