50 years of serving up homely Chinese meals
Klang Valley restaurant chain introduces new items to mark jubilee
TURNING 50 is a significant milestone for any establishment and the longevity can be a testament to resilience as well as a mark of quality to consumers.
Esquire Kitchen has become synonymous with rich flavours of Sichuan and Shanghai cuisines.
To mark its golden jubilee this year, it has come up with new offerings and set meals.
At its anniversary celebrations, Esquire Kitchen managing director Datuk Wong Nam Loong said the milestone was not just a reflection of its past achievements but also a forward-looking commitment to excellence and innovation.
He credited the restaurant’s enduring success over five decades to the right team, delectable dishes, strategic locations and unwavering customer support.
He said the restaurant chain had been serving classic Sichuan and Shanghai cuisine for decades, staying true to the cooking methods of its founders while satisfying customers’ cravings for homely Chinese meals.
“Each dish at Esquire Kitchen is a trove of precious memories for many of our customers.
“Also, our wonderful staff who are predominantly locals, have stuck with us for the journey, with some having been with us for a very long time,” he added.
Reflecting on the restaurant’s journey, Wong said Esquire Kitchen was initially founded by a group of Chinese scholars seeking a gathering spot for intellectual discussions.
It eventually led to the opening of the first Esquire Kitchen outlet in 1974 above a bookstore in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Despite challenges during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Wong saw an opportunity to take over and has since focused on steady growth, with 10 outlets now open across the Klang Valley.
In an effort to cater to the tastes of a new generation, Esquire Kitchen has been innovating and introducing new items, such as the Rainbow Flower Buns specially for its 50th anniversary celebrations.
The buns are made with natural ingredients like pumpkin, chocolate, black sesame, beetroot and dragonfruit.
“Unlike the traditional savoury buns, these are sweet and meet the current demand for healthy, natural foods,” Wong explained.
Despite maintaining its traditional flavours, Esquire Kitchen has modernised its outlets to match current aesthetic tastes,
with more renovations planned.
Wong said that while Esquire Kitchen currently focused on renovations, future expansion within Kuala Lumpur remained a possibility, though expanding beyond the state was not on the cards because of logistical challenges.
Esquire Kitchen general manager Adrian Wan highlighted the company’s efforts, such as the introduction of set meals for single diners at their restaurant in Sunway Pyramid mall, Petaling Jaya.
“This caters to office workers or solo diners, a departure from the traditional method of ordering several dishes suitable for a family,” he said.
To commemorate its 50th anniversary,
Esquire Kitchen is offering two special set meals for RM50 each, featuring three classic dishes (homestyle beancurd, fish with chilli bean sauce and baby cabbage with anchovies or Xi Hi-style beancurd, plum sauce chicken and stir-fried four-angled beans with dried shrimp).
Additionally, customers spending over RM50 can purchase a basket of Rainbow Flower Buns for RM5.50.
The promotions run until the end of April, alongside a 50% discount on the restaurant’s signature dishes available from Monday to Friday, limited to 100 servings each day.
The signature dishes are stir-fried chicken with paprika, pork strips Sichuan-style, eggplant Sichuan-style, Tung Po meat and stir-fried French beans.
Esquire Kitchen, Lot G1-42A, sunway Pyramid, Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar sunway, Petaling Jaya, selangor. tel: 03-5636 0878. Business hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm daily.