CHINA'S FAMOUS RESTAURANTS TO INTRODUCE HALAL CHINESE CUISINE IN MALAYSIA

By Vincent Low

SHANGHAI, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia will help facilitate some of
China's famous halal restaurants to introduce Chinese-style halal cuisine in
the coming three-month 'Fine Dinning Festival'.

The Shanghai Cuisine Association is now working with a Malaysian Chinese
restaurant group to put up some of the great dishes of China's halal
restaurants during the festival.

The association would also hold a seminar on Chinese halal cuisine, Tourism
Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen said at a meeting with association chairman Shen Siming
here yesterday.

Dr Ng is here on a four-day visit to officiate the Malaysia Pavillion Day
celebration at the Shanghai EXPO on Sunday.

That night, she will also officiate a musical concert at the Shanghai
Concert Hall, in conjunction with Malaysia's 53rd National Day celebrations.

Dr Ng and her delegation exchanged views and tried some of the halal dishes
with Shen at the Hong Zhaixing restaurant, a 200-year-old Chinese halal
restaurant in downtown Shanghai.

Apart from restaurants in the Muslim-populated Ninxia Hui and Xinjiang
Autonomous Regions serving minority ethnic-style halal dishes, there are many
old restaurants, some more than 200 years old, serving halal cusine in
traditional Chinese-style in Beijing and Shanghai.

The tourism minister encouraged Chinese halal restaurants to open up
branches in Malaysia to add more variety of halal food in the country to boost
tourism.

She said: "Malaysia is a haven for fine dining for tourists from many
countries...(nevertheless) there is still a need for a variety of food.

Tourism Malaysia is holding the three-month 'Fine Dining Festival' from
October to December to woo tourists.

She hoped Malaysian restaurant and food operators would take the initiative
to work with their Chinese counterparts in bringing in more Chinese-flavoured
halal cuisine.
-- BERNAMA