New Malaysian Restaurant In Frankfurt Attracting Food Lovers

FRANKFURT, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- The Munchener Strasse in Frankfurt, a strategically located street in the proximity of the city's central railway station, is dotted with small Asian and Turkish eateries, grocery stores, an improvised mosque for the growing Muslim community in the city, and other establishments offering other creature comforts.

However, Munchener Strasse has a major attraction, particularly to Malaysians and other Southeast Asians, in the form of a new restaurant called Selera which offers Malaysian cuisine. The restaurant is run by two partners, Kee Chuan Lim and Chan Mei Leng, both from Perak state in Malaysia.

Chan's husband Yoong Nam Sang, a native of Pahang and a professional cook, churns out a wide range of Malaysian dishes that represent Malaysia's three Major culinary cultures -- the Chinese, Indian and Malay.

Some of the popular dishes offered by Selera include curry chicken, beef rendang, assam laksa, kancong belacan, Hainan chicken rice, roti canai and satay. "All the dishes with the typical assam flavour are very popular amongst our guests," Lim said in an interview with Bernama.

After a slow start in the first few weeks of its opening -- it was inaugurated in April this year in the presence of the local Malaysian community, including staff members of the Malaysian consulate, and other government agencies -- Selera is today well-patronised not only by Malaysians and other Asians but also by Germans.

"Whenever there is a trade fair in Frankfurt, there is, usually, a long line of guests at our restaurant waiting for a table to get vacant. The guests pour in. But even otherwise we are happy with our customer base which is now increasing by 15 to 20 per cent each month," claimed Lim as he pointed to the packed house of diners.

Lim, who arrived in Germany in the 1980s and did an Immersion study course in German language, stayed on after his language study and saw a surge in demand for Chinese food then. He opened a Chinese restaurant in Frankfurt which, however, did not do well. He worked for sometime in Chinese restaurants and later decided to open a Malaysian restaurant providing the unique Malaysian cuisine that blends the country's three main cultures -- Chinese, Indian and Malay. Chan, who formerly worked at another Chinese-Malaysian restaurant called Jade -- it is located very close to Selera -- quit her job to start Selera together with Lim.

Recounting the evolutionary change in the average German's taste buds which had for decades become accustomed to a lacklustre staple of bland meat, potatoes and sauerkraut, Germans today take delight in eating what was once described as "exotic food", the euphemism for spicy food originating from Turkey through India and Thailand to China and Japan.

"Germans tell us that they love spicy food. Many Germans who have visited Malaysia frequently visit our restaurant. We also get guests from the Malaysian Club in Frankfurt who also bring friends and relatives.

"Malaysians in and around Frankfurt are happy that there is a Malaysian restaurant here," said Lim who also owns another restaurant in the neighbouring city of Darmstadt.

The opening of Malaysian restaurants abroad, particularly in countries that have extensive trade, tourism and business ties with Malaysia,should be seen as a vehicle to promote trade and tourism. India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam have benefited from the mushrooming of restaurants representing their specific culinary characteristics.

"Malaysia should take a cue from other countries, particularly India and Thailand, whose tourism and trade have considerably benefited from the proliferation of such restaurants in the major developed nations.

"Perhaps, the responsible agencies like Matrade and Tourism Malaysia could promote the country's trade and tourism by taking greater interest in highlighting the culinary culture of Malaysia in Germany.

"After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" observed Arnold Schmidt, a German businessman who was partaking his curry laksa at Selera with a Malaysian business associate, and reminiscing of his several visits to Malaysia.
-bernama.
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