www.nsttimes.com To Tourism Malaysia its ticket to selling Malaysia are the three Awana restaurants in Chelsea, London, Beijing, China and Hyderabad, India.
Pempena Sdn Bhd, the investment arm and wholly owned subsidiary of Tourism Malaysia, wants to make Malaysia more attractive to tourists through its food.
Chairman Datuk Chor Chee Jeung said: “Through the restaurants, we are helping to promote Malaysia. International surveys have shown that good and affordable food is one of the most important things that tourists look for when they travel.
“Malaysia has a wide variety of food to offer and at our three Awana restaurants, they can sample it all, from street food and other Malaysian delicacies to dessert, all at affordable prices.”
Awana’s unique menu includes signature dishes with a twist such as scallop satay, lobster char kuey teow, chili padi ice-cream and many more.
Chor says that unlike Thai food which can be found in every nook and corner of the world, Malaysian food has not made an impact internationally.
Thailand has found popularity through its food and Malaysia is looking to follow its neighbour’s success stories.
By 2015, the government hopes to open more outlets internationally with the Malaysia Through Asian Kitchen programme.
The Chelsea Awana restaurant, which opened in November 2005, earns RM245,000 every week. We have started to break even and hope to make a profit next year. We get a lot of VVIPs, English celebrities and footballers from both Chelsea and Arsenal teams, dining there on a regular basis.”
In London, a meal costs approximately £260 (RM1,820), in Beijing RM150 and in Hyderabad, about RM60. Chelsea Awana is situated next to the Chelsea football team’s physiotherapy centre, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself rubbing shoulders with John Terry, Frank Lampard or even Roman Abramovich while dining there.
As for the Beijing Awana and Hyderabad Awana, the restaurants opened in June and July this year, respectively.
All three Awana restaurants share the same seating capacity, decor, ambience and menu. “The staff at the Beijing and Hyderabad outlets were sent to London for training.”
|