How Kuala Lumpur's F&B industry is responding to the COVID-19 crisis
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How Kuala Lumpur's F&B industry is responding to the COVID-19 crisis
From takeaway menus to cooking for frontline healthcare workers, Kuala Lumpur's fine dining establishments share how they are coping with Malaysia's Move Control Ordinance (MCO).
Copper, a Modern European eatery in Kuala Lumpur, has switched gears to feed the urban center'due south medical frontliners with lunch and dinner boxes. (Photo: Copper)
07 Apr 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 21 May 2022 10:41AM)
When the Malaysian Movement Command Ordinance (MCO) came into effect on March 18, 2022 to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the everyday lives of Malaysians became very dissimilar overnight.
The restrictions, which included going out to buying necessities, accept been further tightened with the extension of the MCO from two to four weeks, effectively locking the country downwardly until April 14, 2020.
The MCO is peculiarly strictly enforced in the Klang Valley, Malaysia'south urban centre which is the hardest hit by the outbreak. Kuala Lumpur (KL) is also home to the state's largest concentration of restaurants which, nether the MCO, are allowed to stay open, just only for takeaways.
This option may seem incongruous for fine dining restaurants which are more than accustomed to serving upwards crafted courses on fine china rather than pastas in styrofoam boxes, but the reality is that restaurants are cash-reliant businesses; no kitchen action means no acquirement.
CNA Luxury spoke to five of KL's leading fine dining destinations to discover out how they're making the MCO work for them.
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BABE
For Michelin-starred chef Jeff Ramsey, who co-owns modern Japanese restaurant Babe, the MCO has been an practise in seeing how quickly he and his team could pivot. Within a week of the MCO, Babe announced an entirely new menu that would work with the added delivery time.
Ramsey chose a Tokyo street food theme every bit it was related to the Babe brand. "Nosotros want to offer people some joy in these trying times, so we write messages to guests and put them in the delivery handbag. We notwithstanding have premium items on our bill of fare in the hope that it appeals to those who desire something of higher quality than what is available in the delivery market currently," said Ramsey.
This seems to be going to plan equally Baby has become something of a go-to delivery for Malaysians who are celebrating birthdays and anniversaries during lockdown.
"We desire to offer people some joy in these trying times, so we write messages to guests and put them in the commitment pocketbook." – Jeff Ramsey
COPPER
Copper is a modern European restaurant run past hubby-and-wife team, chef Chai Chun Boon and Zeehan Zahari.
Zahari explained that even the twenty-four hours prior to the MCO announcement, they saw an 80 per cent drib in business organisation every bit companies inside the building Copper is located had started to instruct their employees to work from home.
Undaunted, the couple flipped the eating place to serve the nation's medical frontliners, supported by crowdfunding from family unit and friends. "This has enabled us to make lunch and dinner boxes, which support the livelihood of our staff, farmers, producers and basically our F&B ecosystem," stated Zahari. Her team's journey is documented on her Instagram account @zeehanzahari.
While this shift from doing fine cuisine to more of a production-type offering took a few days to become used to, Zahari admitted that it also took a flake of courage to step out of their comfort zone.
"These days, the team cooks with whatever produce they can secure equally delivery services are now limited. The kitchen team takes care to look into energy boosting ingredients and nutritional values to contain into the things that they make but honestly, nothing is really set and we have to improvise."
"[Crowdfunding] has enabled usa to make dejeuner and dinner boxes, which support the livelihood of our staff, farmers, producers and basically our F&B ecosystem." – Zeehan Zahari
DEWAKAN
For Dewakan, 2022 was a large yr, having put Malaysia on the map by placing 46th on the Asia's l Best Restaurants list. This groundbreaking Mod Malaysian restaurant too moved into a new costly central location (NAZA Tower) in December. Just 3 months in with the MCO taking consequence, Dewakan has chosen to shut and accept this time to hone its skills.
"With the MCO extension, we're look at other avenues that will mitigate the [reduced] productivity just also lessen the impact of what is going on now because nobody wants to exist inactive for four weeks running," chef de cuisine and Dewakan founder Darren Teoh said.
This strategy has two prongs: The first is allowing staff with pending projects to work on those projects. These range from experimenting with juice pairings to R&D on chocolate products. The second aspect is rolling out a food kit commitment service, Melt Like Dewakan, that allows home-bound gourmands to gear up their own Dewakan-way meals at abode.
"Nosotros wanted something that would play on our strengths and even so be true to our make. So we're going to put our condiments, pastes and sauces into food boxes and supply them with the proper produce like a piece of goat meat that has been braised in an interesting sauce with instructions. This is our way of bringing a flake of usa into their home," Teoh explained.
Despite the challenges that this pandemic will wreak on the economic system, Teoh is firm in his belief that his team can weather the crisis. "We've come from a crude patch in our previous location where a dull nighttime isn't foreign to us. What that has taught united states is to be prepared and to pay attending to our production and allow our production to practice the talking," he affirmed.
Having trained an agile squad that tin suit to whatever doubt comes next, Teoh is raring to first cooking once again when the situation improves. And when that happens, he forsees that it volition exist "business organisation every bit usual but on hyperdrive."
"We wanted something that would play on our strengths and still be true to our make. So we're going to put our condiments, pastes and sauces into nutrient boxes and supply them with proper produce." – Darren Teoh
DC RESTAURANT/BREF
DC Eatery and Bref are two of KL'south near feted restaurants, the former a fine dining manifestation of proprietor and chef de cuisine Darren Chin'due south philosophy while the latter, its more than casual sibling.
Grounded in French techniques with an overlay of Japanese and Thai influences, Chin is a dedicated supporter of local produce and ane of the F&B industry's leaders. Since the MCO was appear, both restaurants have been shuttered.
"DC and Bref are both gastronomic restaurants. Nosotros decided non to practice takeaway or delivery meals considering nosotros can't guarantee the condition or presentation of the dishes. So nosotros made the hard phone call to close entirely during the MCO period, and instead apply this time for rest, reflection and enquiry," said Chin.
Chin, however, has been conducting live cooking demonstrations on his Facebook page where he reveals the secrets to his cooking techniques and applies these techniques to unproblematic tasty recipes the home melt can follow. "All that's needed is to follow the steps on my demonstrations!"
"I call up information technology'due south a fleck like having your own personal chef, as much equally you tin during a MCO," quipped Mentum. Based on the positive feedback he received on Facebook, Chin has come up with a special takeaway menu, with items non available on the restaurants' menus.
"And then far, nosotros have done wagyu burgers, bootleg pies, croissants, and recently Chiang Mai Khao Soi from an accurate recipe from my Thai mother-in-police," he said.
"DC and Bref are both gastronomic restaurants. We decided not to do takeaway or commitment meals… and instead employ this fourth dimension for rest, reflection and inquiry." – Darren Chin
SITKA STUDIO
Sitka Studio in Damansara Heights is renowned for its inventive Friday night tasting card, a laboratory of sorts for chef Christian Recomio and restauranteur Jenifer Kuah, who dish out intriguing interpretations of modern Asian cuisine.
Since the MCO, Sitka started out trying to do takeaways but ceased presently later on equally they wanted to guarantee the safety of their staff and felt it would be irresponsible to risk it.
Kuah instead channelled her team'southward energies into feeding the city's healthcare frontliners. "Chefs feel their best when feeding people. Nosotros started past cooking for the team at Big supermarket at Jalan Batai, a uncomplicated meal of rice, boiled egg, sambal fish and stir fried vegetables – Malaysian comfort food," said Kuah.
"Working with government-canonical NGOs, we will be producing 200 meals a day using surplus produce from April ii to Apr 11, with financial back up from friends. Many will be going hungry with the extension of the lodge and we want to assist where we tin."
"Working with government-canonical NGOs, we volition be producing 200 meals a day using surplus produce from April 2 to April 11, with fiscal back up from friends. Many will be going hungry with the extension of the lodge and nosotros want to help where we tin can." – Jenifer Kuah
SOLIDARITY IN THE F&B Customs
Amid the dubiousness – speculation is rife about whether the Malaysian regime will extend the MCO until April 28 – at that place seems to be a sense of solidarity among these restauranteurs and chefs about non going down without a fight for what they accept painstakingly congenital.
Teoh summed it upward: "I don't think there's ever a proficient time for a pandemic. It is what information technology is and a situation will affect us, the way it does but at the cease of the twenty-four hour period, I recall it'southward just about dust and determination. It'south virtually protecting and taking care of the people yous piece of work with and making sure that despite all of it, information technology's non just one person that comes through but the whole squad."
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/kuala-lumpur-food-beverage-industry-covid-19-177511
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