MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL GOURMET FESTIVAL – MIGF 2012
6 min readMALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL GOURMET FESTIVAL – MIGF 2012
1st to 31st October 2012
Classical Chefs Serve Up a Symphony of Fine Cuisines
It’s that time of the year again when food lovers from all over the globe descend upon Malaysia to take on the rich culinary adventure that is the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF).
Last year, we didn’t participate on MIGF due to our busy schedule but this year, we will be reviewing a few restaurants with MIGF menus. We heard that MIGF 2012 will be a special one and we can’t wait for it.
For the entire Festival month of October, twenty eight of Malaysia’s finest restaurants will be serving up Special Festival Menus at Special Festival prices accompanied by a host of Special Festival Offers.
Into its 12th year, the annual MIGF has seen successive line ups of Festival restaurants all trying to outdo each other, year upon year, with the creativity of their Festival menus.
Thanks to all this healthy and good spirited competition, food lovers can now enjoy a rich and exciting blend of local and international cuisines that is truly unique, and especially so, given all the multicultural ingredients that influence and enhance the dining scene in Malaysia.
This year’s theme, “Classical Chefs!” represents pure and honest food, honouring the roots of a symphony of cuisines that include Malay, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, French, Italian and Lebanese, with the addition this year of delights from South Korea, Cuba and New Orleans that make up MIGF 2012.
The Festival is an integral part of Tourism Malaysia’s “Fabulous Food 1Malaysia” initiative which promotes the country’s unique, multicultural, food capabilities to the world.
TASTE MIGF – A Theatre of Cuisines and a Gourmet Village
If you are lucky enough to be in Malaysia on the 28th September, you cannot afford to miss Taste MIGF, the spectacular launch event of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival, which takes place at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre.
For one glorious, mouthwatering day food lovers from the general public can, for the first time ever, enjoy Festival tastings from our very best restaurants as they all gather in one amazing location. Taste MIGF will also include a host of other gourmet related activities.
At the aptly named “Theatre of Cuisines”, you will be able to embark upon a “Super Gourmet Safari” to sample creations from Malaysia’s leading chefs as they serve up tasting portions from their Festival Menus.
These special tasting portions are big enough to showcase the creativity of the Festival chefs but small enough to allow you to taste as many dishes from as many restaurants as possible.
To sample these creations, you will need to buy “Taste Tokens” which have been created with the benefit of diners in mind so that there are minimal queues or delays in people waiting for their change.
Taste Tokens will be available for purchase on the day of the event itself but you can get straight into tasting at the Theatre of Cuisines by pre-ordering online from the Festival Websites www.migf.com and www.tastemigf.com.
Taste MIGF will also feature a “Gourmet Village”, where purveyors of the finest gourmet meats, wines and cigars bring you their wares, while workshops and talks, on how to appreciate wines and cigars, among others, will return to spread the word on life’s little pleasures.
So mark these dates in your diaries, as Taste MIGF opens the scene this September for the month-long Malaysia International Gourmet Festival that will create a symphony of cuisines in October.
Participating Restaurants
MIGF 2012 has a wonderful range of restaurants for the discerning gourmet to discover. This year’s delights include Malay, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, French, Italian and Lebanese along with three new additions – South Korean, Cuban and Cajun & Creole food – to complete an impressive lineup of global cuisines.
Celebrating Malaysia’s rich food heritage are Bunga Emas, Makan Kitchen and Enak KL, which feature traditional Malay cuisine, Chinese and Indian cooking, as well as fare from the Peranakan, Kristang and Iban communities.
The next largest ethnic group of Malaysia is well represented by The Emperor, Dynasty, Lai Po Heen and West Lake Garden with Chinese-styled cuisines, whereas Imperial Rama goes a step further with a blend of Thai sophistication in all of its recipes.
Rounding up the Asian influence are Japanese masters Sagano, Kofuku Japanese Restaurant and Ten Japanese Fine Dining Restaurant with fresh raw seafood that can’t be beat, while newbie Onsemiro Korean Restaurant brings to the discerning diner creations from the land of kimchi.
Moving northwest, MIGF takes up the challenge of Middle Eastern fare with Lebanese cuisine from Al-Amar, before hitting Europe’s classics, with Italian flair characterised by expressive Master Chefs from Prego, Senja and Nerovivo, and French refinement brought by L’Heritage and Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie.
Then there are Mandarin Grill, The Olive, The Restaurant, Samplings on the Fourteenth, Five Sen5es, Circus and Grill 582 with the best of Western and Continental dishes, including the finest meats in town, while THE POMELO creates a chilled-out vibe with exquisite spa cuisine.
From the Americas, New Orleans Bar & Grill brings the liberal taste of bell peppers, which together with celery and onions make up the holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking from Southern USA, while it’s the unique taste of Cuba and Trinidad that brings dazzle to the plates at Qba Latin Grill and Bar.
MIGF – A Heritage of Great Dining
The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival, now an integral part of the Tourism Ministry’s Fabulous Food 1Malaysia initiative to promote the country’s food capabilities to the world, started out 12 years ago as a small group of intrepid restaurants dreaming of bigger things.
The 13 were part of only a handful of fine-dining restaurants in Malaysia, which were trying to survive in an industry faltering due to lack of exposure and limited pool of customers.
Instead of rolling up the rugs, these restaurateurs decided to make their presence felt, through the KL Gourmet Festival and the creation of a special set menu offered at a special price throughout the festival month, with the aim of making premium dining more affordable and accessible and less intimidating.
An immediate hit – the set menus especially gave first-time diners peace of mind when trying out unfamiliar cuisines – the Festival grew by leaps and bounds over the years to become what it is today, and award-winning celebration of great dining that has elevated Malaysia’s food and beverage industry.
And the ripples have been ongoing: As the dining arena improves, so does the service, in itself creating a better environment, and dining experience, for the discerning guest. And as more people choose to partake in premium dining, the pool of customers grows big enough to encourage more restaurants to open for business, in that way strengthening the premium dining platform, and food and beverage industry as a whole.
This has helped make Malaysia a hub for all sorts of cuisines, further enhancing its appeal as a choice destination for travellers from around the globe; wherever the visitors are from, in Malaysia they can find their preferred food.
Plus, forget the image of stuffy, pretentious and intimidating premium dining – during the month-long MIGF, the focus is on providing diners with an unforgettable experience, and this has included fun themes, one-on-one cooking time with the Master Chefs and heartwarming offers from the restaurants (think birthday cakes and candles!).
Among the industry players themselves, MIGF serves to foster greater camaraderie and a collective effort towards making the premium dining business a sustainable one, which can only bring bigger benefits to all.
So the month of October will be month of MIGF. It is time for everyone to save up, to plan and to feast at your favourite participating MIGF restaurants in Malaysia. Hope everyone will have unforgettable MIGF 2012 moments.
MIGF 2012 Events:
1. The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival
Dates: 1st to 31st October 2012
Website: www.migf.com
2. Taste MIGF: The Spectacular Festival Preview
Date: Friday, 28th September 2012
Venue: Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre
Website: www.tastemigf.com
a. Taste MIGF – Super Gourmet Safari Venue: Theatre of Cuisines, Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre
Date: Friday, 28th September 2012 Time:11am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm Admission: Free
Purchase: Only with Taste Tokens Buy Taste Tokens: www.v4tickets.com
b. Taste MIGF – Good Food and Wine Fair Venue: The Gourmet Village, Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre Date: Friday, 28th September 2012 Time:11am to 11pm Admission: Free
Purchases: Cash and Credit Card
c. Taste MIGF – Workshops
Website: www.tastemigf.com
For more information:
AsiaReach Events Sdn Bhd
Tel: 03 22828028
If you are interested to read our previous reviews, read our experiences below:
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