Two Spanish Restaurants In Malaysia Awarded Spanish Government's Certificate

By R. Ravichandran KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- Two restaurants here have been awarded with the “Restaurants from Spain" certificate, thus becoming the first Spanish restaurants in Malaysia to be recognised under a certification scheme by the Spanish government to acknowledge and support restaurants offering authentic dishes outside of Spain. Marta’s Kitchen and Mercat Barcelona Gastrobar were awarded the certificates during an event organised by the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Kuala Lumpur, with the unveiling of plaques at the entrance of both restaurants. The certficates were handed over by the Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Spain in Malaysia, Ines Perez-Durantez. The certificate is awarded by ICEX Trade and Investment, a government entity whose mission is to promote the internationalisation of Spanish companies and the promotion of foreign investment. “The Spanish cuisine is internationally recognised for its blending of tradition and innovation. It is nourished by an old and long gastronomy tradition with Phoenician, Roman and Moorish influences, adding a wealth of products from America, from the “New World” in the 15th century, and it has kept evolving towards modern Spanish gastronomy”, she told Bernama at the event. Perez-Durantez said that two more Spanish restaurants in Malaysia have applied to be evaluated under the certification scheme. She explained that the interest in Spanish food among Malaysians is growing, especialy among the younger generation. The certification initiative -- which started in 2020 with only four countries – has now accredited over 130 restaurants in the United States, Britain, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Russia, Germany, Japan, and many other countries. According to the Spanish diplomat, food helps people to become closer to each others’ cultures and to keep building ties between countries. “This applies especially to Malaysia, a country so fond of food discovery and proud of its culinary culture," she pointed out. "Deciding what is authentic Spanish cuisine and what is not is not an easy task. For this reason, ICEX Trade and Investment deploys technical criteria inspired by audit procedures and quality certification standards, thus making the ‘Restaurants from Spain’ certification an international scheme based on the principles of objectivity, traceability and transparency,” said Perez-Durantez. Perez-Durantez explained that both restaurants become benchmarks for all those seeking the authenticity of Spanish cuisine, and provides inspiration for those interested in knowing more about Spanish food and the Spanish gastronomic revolution that has taken place in the last decade. She said Spain is home to some of the best chefs and fine dining restaurants, ranking every year in the top five countries with the most Michelin-starred restaurants. San Sebastian alone, a small city in the north of Spain, is home to 11 Michelin-starred restaurants. -- BERNAMA