The Gathering of the Finest at Malaysian International Gourmet Festival

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Ten years ago, fine dining in Malaysia revolved only around a handful of high class restaurants. Today, more than 70 fine dining restaurants have mushroomed around the country, thanks to the effort that is Malaysian Gourmet International Festival (MIGF). This year marks the 10th year of MIGF, showcasing fabulous food from 30 top fine dining restaurants throughout the month of October. I was privileged to attend the MIGF Gala Launch last week, with the Festival theme of “Magical Chefs”.

Magical Chefs

Here are some of the fabulous people who attended the MIGF event as well:

Esther and witch

Esther, witch & Choi Yen

Saucer, witch and Bok

witch & Saucer

MIGF Grand entrance

I was amazed and impressed with the candle lit ballroom! It was so very romantic and elegant, don’t you think?

Candle lit ballroom

Since there were too many restaurants for me to cover in detail, I will show you some of the restaurant booths and dishes which particularly caught my attention.

Tandoori Mushroom from Vansh at Starhill Gallery

Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel KL

Smoked duck with mixed fruit sauce from Shang Palace

Lai Po Heen by Mandarin Oriental Hotel KL

Fried sweet potato balls

NeroVivo, Jalan Ceylon KL

Tuna from Nerovivo

Dessert from Nerovivo

Al Amar Lebanese Cuisine at Pavilion KL

Belly Dancer from Al Amar

Shrimp on rice from Al Amar

Tabbouleh Harra from Al Amar

The Pomelo at Banjaran Hot Spring Retreat

White and red pomelo with mixed shrimp and grilled scallop on lemongrass foam by The Pomelo

Furin Japanese Restaurant by Holiday Inn

Wagyu Negi Taro Tataki – Prime Wagyu beef rolled with fine Sushi rice and Tuna Belly

Gin Saiko Luke – Cod fish with Japanese eggplants

Senses by Hilton KL

Organic food in flower pot by Senses

Iketeru Japanese restaurant by Hilton KL

Wagyu sirloin sushi by Iketeru

Makan Kitchen at Double Tree by Hilton

Beef “cheek” rendang with ketupat

Chilled Durian pancake by Zing from Grand Millennium

Tom Yam seafood soup by Celadon, Pavilion KL

High Tide Restaurant, Menara Taipan

The 3 Chefs from Renaissance Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Chynna at Hilton KL – one of my favourite!

China Treasures at Sime Darby Convention Centre

Some other dishes:

Cod fish

Shrimp Brioche

All types of cheese

The Gala event was launched by Deputy Minister for Tourism YB Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit, Festival Organising Chairman YBhg Dato’ Steve Day.

Opening gimmick to welcome YB Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit & YBhg Dato’ Steve Day

Tasting session with YB Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit

Press conference

For the uninitiated, MIGF is a month-long food festival that draws visitors from all over the globe to taste and appreciate the international-standard of fine dining that is available in Malaysia. A whole host of top-class restaurants and hotels are involved, and their Master Chefs each create a special menu for the occasion, showcasing their signature dishes and greatest masterpieces to the palates of the world’s gourmands. These one-off menus can be enjoyed with or without specially-paired wines, and all come at special prices to encourage visitors to taste as many of these fantastic foods as they can.

All festival menus can be found here: MIGF 2010 Festival menus

Participating Outlets of MIGF:

Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2166 1011
Cuisine: Lebanese

Bunga Emas
The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2688 9688
Cuisine: Malay Nouvelle (Pork Free)

Celadon
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2148 8708
Cuisine: Fine Thai (Pork Free)

Chalet
Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2161 7777
Cuisine: Swiss (Pork Free)

China Treasures
Sime Darby Convention Centre
Tel:+603-2089 3788
Cuisine: Chinese (Halal)

Chynna
Hilton Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2264 2592
Cuisine: Modern Cantonese (Pork Free)

Dynasty
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2162 2233
Cuisine: Cantonese (Non-Halal)

Fu-Rin Japanese Restaurant
Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glemarie
Tel:+603-7803 1000
Cuisine: Japanese (Pork Free)

High Tide Restaurant
Menara Taipan, Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2072 4452
Cuisine: European Fine Dining, Fish and Seafood (Pork Free)

Iketeru
Hilton Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2264 2592
Cuisine: Authentic Japanese (Pork Free)

L’Heritage
The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2688 9688
Cuisine: French Degustation (Pork Free)

Lafite
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2074 3900
Cuisine: European

Lai Po Heen
Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2179 8885
Cuisine: Classic Cantonese (Pork Free)

Makan Kitchen
Doubletree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2172 7272
Cuisine: Malaysian (Pork Free)

Mandarin Grill
Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2179 8960
Cuisine: Contemporary Modern Grill (Pork Free)

MED.@Marché-Live
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2162 2233
Cuisine: Italian (Pork Free)

Neo Tamarind
Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2148 3700
Cuisine: Modern Thai (Pork Free)

Nerovivo
Jalan Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2070 3120
Cuisine: Italian (Pork Free)

Sagano
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2162 2233
Cuisine: Japanese (Pork Free)

Seasonal Tastes
The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa
Tel:+604-960 8888
Cuisine: International

Senses
Hilton Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2264 2592
Cuisine: Modern Australian (Pork Free)

Shang Palace
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2074 3900
Cuisine: Cantonese

Tamarind Springs
Taman TAR, Ampang
Tel:+603-4256 9300
Cuisine: Indochinese (Pork Free)

The Olive
Maxims Genting
Tel:+603-6101 1118
Cuisine: Continental (Pork Free)

The Pomelo
The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat
Tel:+605-210 7777
Cuisine: Spa Cuisine (Pork Free)

The Restaurant
The Club at Saujana
Tel:+603-7843 1234
Cuisine: Modern European

Vansh
Starhill Gallery
Tel:+603-2142 6162
Cuisine: Indian (Pork Free)

Villa Danieli
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2717 9922
Cuisine: Italian (Pork Free)

Zing
Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2117 4180
Cuisine: Chinese (Non-Halal)

Zipangu
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Tel:+603-2074 3900
Cuisine: Japanese