NEW YORKERS THRONG MATRADE'S MALAYSIAN NIGHT MARKET'

By Manik Mehta

NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- New Yorkers were treated to a "mini food
spectacle" Tuesday at the "Malaysian Night Market" organised by the New York
office of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade).

The event, held at the Chelsea Triangle of the city's meatpacking district,
featured an array of Malaysian hawker food by local Malaysian and non-Malaysian
restaurants.

It was organised in partnership with LUCKYRICE, an integrated lifestyle
brand and consumer guide to the Asian culinary world.

New Yorkers, attracted by the aroma of the food and the sound of Malaysian
music accompanying traditional dances performed by local Malaysians, thronged to
sample the food that were sold at affordable prices.

Malaysian trade commissioner, Wan Latiff Wan Musa, told Bernama eight
restaurants -- five Malaysian and three non-Malaysian that usually offer fusion
fare -- in New York participated in the event.

They were Fatty Crab, Laut, Café Asean, New Malaysia, Betel, Nyonya, Penang
and Bentara.

Wan Latiff said the event was part of the Malaysia Kitchen Programme
launched by Matrade to promote Malaysian cuisine abroad.

"The aim is to popularise Malaysian cuisine so that our food exports are
eventually increased," he said.

Malaysia's annual food exports to the US amounted to about US$600 million
(US$1=RM3.07) but, Wan Latiff said, the potential was considerable.

He said the event was the third organised under the Malaysian Kitchen
Programme, the first being a night market in Brooklyn on Apr 30.

"Our second event was the Malaysian Food Week which was held in selected
Malaysian restaurants in the city. Matrade's office here provided the logistics
and publicity. We also rented the space for this event," he said.

The next step as part of the Malaysia Kitchen Programme will be to ply a
Malaysian Food Truck in Manhattan from Oct 11 to Nov 6 and, later, in
the Queens Borough from November 8 to 19, he said.

Wan Latiff said the truck would distribute free samples of Malaysian food
prepared by the participating restaurants at strategic points.

Meanwhile, Simpson Wong, who owns Café Asean, said his
curried-chicken-in-a-bun sold like "hot cakes".

"I have experienced a steady rise in demand in my restaurant in downtown New
York. Although I serve a variety of Asean food, some 60 per cent of my dishes
are purely Malaysian," he said.

Wong said that people were getting accustomed to Malaysian food though he
had to do "some convincing" in the beginning when customers wanted to know more
about the Malaysian cuisine.

"Malaysian food has good future," he said.

Michael Bong, owner of "Laut" restaurant, who said he served "authentic"
Malaysian food, discovered at the event he was running out of food as the crowds
started to build up.

As the demand increased, Bong had to replenish his stall by ordering more
food from his restaurant.

Bong served specialties from Malaysian southern state of Melaka.

Rick Thompson, a local Chelsea resident, said he "could not resist the food
aroma and simply came down" from his apartment to try out some of the food
which was "superb".

An added attraction at the event was the colourful traditional Malaysian
dances.
-- BERNAMA


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