New Malaysian restaurant in New York creates buzz

The restaurant called 'Malaysian Kitchen' is owned and run by Kirby Tan, a Malacca-born Malaysian who was, and still is, in the advertising business.

It is strategically located in Battery Park which is also close to the Statue of Liberty at Ellis Island, a place that is full of tourists and local visitors who after some sight-seeing, are only too happy to settle down to a meal in Tan's restaurant.

But it is mostly the office crowd from the financial district who during the lunch break descends on the restaurant to savour the Malaysian and also fusion items served in that establishment.

However, the story behind Tan's foray into the food business provides some interesting insights.

"The food business is not new to me, considering my mother used to sell hawker food in Malacca. In Fort Lee in New Jersey, my landlord talked me into entering the restaurant business by saying there was no Malaysian restaurant and proposed that I take over the premises at a heavily discounted rent," Tan told Bernama.

"Indeed, he let me use the premises without rent for the first six months," he added.

Tan's first foray into the food business took place in October 2013, naming the establishment 'House of Malaysia'. But Tan was soon to part company from his Chinese associate due to some professional differences.

The restaurateur in Tan drove him to take over a food establishment in Edison, New Jersey called 'Malaysian Kitchen'. But a friend and his uncle suggested Tan move to bigger premises.

The search began and Tan soon found suitable premises to set up 'Malaysian Kitchen' in New York's financial district.

"Though business in the first few weeks after its opening was slow, I see a discernible change now and we are getting repeat customers. We also get lot of corporate customers from Wall Street who hold formal luncheons in my restaurant where we have set up special rooms, partitioned from the rest of the crowd, for special corporate events," Tan said.

More and more people have been patronising 'Malaysian Kitchen' as word of mouth gets around. "We offer Malaysian cuisine but have also added Japanese sushi, Shanghanaise cuisine, etc," said Tan.

The Malaysian section of the menu card, called 'Taste of Malaysia', contains a long list of Malaysian delicacies that include the inevitable roti canai, chicken satay, mee goreng, char kueh teow, beef rendang, chicken curry and steamed Hainanese chicken.

The menu card also contains a brief historic, cultural and geographic background of Malaysia.

The restaurant has Malaysian landscape and structures painted on the walls and the large partitioning wall shows landmarks such as the Portuguese church of Malacca, the Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur, Borneo natural landscape, etc.

It has attracted the local New York media, with reporters mobbing the restaurant owner on its opening day. "The local media wanted to know all about Malaysia and its cuisine. We also find that many customers love our menu card which provides information on Malaysia and its multi-ethnic cuisine," Tan noted.

Asked how the local customers reacted to some of the spicy dishes served in his restaurant, Tan said he had to "slightly adjust" the spiciness to local palates by using less spices and minimising sodium.

"But we just don't cater to guests visiting our premises, as we also have built up a strong food delivery and catering service for private homes, office workers, etc.

"Moreover, I am not just catering to Malaysian and Asian customers but also to a large local American customer base," Tan pointed out.

Malaysian cuisine could serve as an excellent vehicle to raise Malaysia's profile in this part of the world where not much is known about the country, though the year 2014 brought Malaysia into the limelight, by default, because of the three air tragedies.