Tasty street fare on offer in Bukit Bintang
KUALA LUMPUR: If you are craving for the taste of authentic Malaysian street food, then you are in luck, for the best dishes of all 13 states and federal territories are under one roof at the 3-day Malaysian Street Food Lover festival here at Low Yat Plaza Boulavard in Bukit Bintang.
The festival, which showcases some of the best Malaysian dishes from Kedah to Johor and Sabah and Sarawak, is expecting at least 40,000 visitors over the next three days.
Agriculture & Agro-Based Industries Ministry Deputy SecretaryGeneral Datuk Salim Parlan said the Malaysia Street Food Lover 2019 festival is part of the Agroculinary promotion effort the ministry had newly embarked on, after agriculture and farming.
He said like neighbour Thailand, which is known for its tom yam, Malaysia too needs to set a trend and identity for itself through a variety of Malaysian food.
“This is part of MOA’s initiative for agroculinary entrepreneurs nationwide, to promote and market the best in the industry to visitors, tourists and locals.
"A total of 24 entrepreneurs were handpicked based on their popularity and taste of the dishes they sold at their respective hometowns, nationwide," Salim said after launching the festival yesterday.
He said the MOA was also using this platform to promote Durian Tourism as one of the agro-tourism products, a continuation of the Malaysia Street Food Lover 2019 festival held in Bangkok and Hatyai, Thailand in June.
"We managed to draw 18,000 visitors while in Thailand and admirably most of the Malaysian dishes sold by our local entrepreneurs were well-accepted by the Thais, as well as tourists.
“That was a very positive development. We realised from the festival in Thailand that the menu presentation needed to be highlighted in its authentic form,” he said.
Salim added that nasi lemak, roti canai and satay were the most popular dishes among the Thais during the festival roadshow launched by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in June.
"Now, by bringing the festival to Kuala Lumpur, we aim to discover the food acceptance trend among city folk and travellers here next,” he said.
He said the ministry hoped to collect more data on the local food market and make the necessary improvements in terms of the food menu and its presentation in the future.
"This event is also aimed at promoting Durian Tourism, the latest attraction in the country in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2020 while providing business opportunities to local entrepreneurs," Salim said, adding that the ministry chose Bukit Bintang for the festival for its central location.
He thanked City Hall, Low Yat Plaza and Federal Hotel for allowing the festival to take place at their buildings' boulevards.
There are 68 types of dishes ranging from latok-latok, laksa Sarawak, hinava from Sabah, nasi kerabu from Kelantan, asam pedas Melaka, lemak cili api from Negeri Sembilan, biryani udang galah Johor, roti canai, apom balik, nasi kambing perap, rusa perap and a lot more mouth-watering dishes on sale at the festival.
The street food fest opens daily from 11am to 11pm.