THE KL INTERNATIONAL GOURMET FESTIVAL 2005

THE
PROFESSIONAL VIEW
Industry professionals share their thoughts about the Festival

The KL International Gourmet Festival is a time when leading professionals in the capital city’s food and beverage industry put aside their healthy competitive instincts and unite for the common good. Vision KL spoke to the participating restaurants on their thoughts on KLIGF 2005 and this is what they had to say:

Khew Choon Teck
Asst. Vice President, Food & Beverage, Resorts
World Berhad

Imperial Rama / The Olive, Genting Hotel Dining events such as this should be held more frequently! It provides an opportunity for locals and tourists alike to sample some of the fine delicacies that Malaysia offers. I must say that our revenue has increased because of the Festival. Response has been good as people are aware of the Festival because of its well-established brand name.

Kenny Teo
General Manager , Soi Twenty Three
Pacific Regency Hotel Apartments

We are very happy that we participated in this event, it was the first time and it was worthwhile. This festival has helped us to create awareness among KL socialites and food connoisseurs. The finale was very good and the chefs’ charity auction went of well.

Lenny Lee
Restaurant Manager, Tai Zi Heen
Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur

This year has been the greatest, we had better media coverage and excellent support from the sponsors. Apart from Malaysian diners, we received positive comments from our international guests too. And the festival also helped in generating a higher level of interest and revenue for us. The competition is getting tougher and that has driven the quality up as well. The finale was memorable and the surprise charity auction clearly stole the show.

Kelly Anne Brennan
Chef de Cuisine and Restaurant Manager, Senses
Hilton Kuala Lumpur

It was very challenging to be able to participate in the Festival. As a newcomer to the Festival, it provided great exposure and publicity to Senses. Winning the award for ‘The Most Creative Menu’ was very personal to me and my team. We worked very hard to put the menu together and I’m glad that it paid off.

Rosli Yahya
Restaurant Manager, Cavallini’s
Palace of the Golden Horses

The festival is a wonderful idea to push Cavallini’s to international standards. The response to our Festival menu was encouraging. In fact, we had several group bookings. The Festival menu provided variety to Cavallini’s usual menu and that was quite a refreshing change.

Kawano Hidetoshi
Restaurant Manager, Iketeru
Hilton Kuala Lumpur

The KLIGF is a good way to publicise the restaurant, and we are pleased to be associated with this prestigious event. We have received very good comments from Festival menu diners, and hope to continue participating in years to come.

Martin Brenner
Director of F&B, Lafite/Zipangu
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur

It’s the best festival ever held, from the opening gambit right to the finale, the quality of the event is definitely getting better. The ambience of the hall during the finale was very nice and the people were fantastic too. The chefs’ charity auction was really amazing and the money raised was great. It goes to show that the festival is not all about enjoying yourself but it’s also about helping people in need.

Charles Patrick Forbes
Restaurant Manager, Senja
The Saujana Kuala Lumpur

My sincere congratulations to the organizers foranother successful KLIGF. The Festival was a great success at Senja. It was a great gastronomic journey for most of us. My sincere appreciation to all the kitchen brigade, headed by Chef Peter Karl Steiner and the service staff for their commitment towards creating a successful event. We certainly look forward to another spectacular Festival again.

Jimmy Lim
Restaurant Manager, Kim Ma
Palace of the Golden Horses

The 2005 Gala Launch was better than ever, very lively. And our diners who came to try the Festival menu throughout the Festival were very happy with the food.

Steve Wong
Restaurant Manager, Tamarind Springs

Many people discovered Tamarind Springs through the KLIGF TV advertisements, Vision KL and the many newspaper articles. The Festival brought us a big boost to business. The publicity for the Festival\ really helped to spread awareness of our restaurant. Our Festival menu was especially favoured by couples. many remarked that what we offered was very romantic! We’re very happy to have participated in the KLIGF!

Tetsuya Mohri
Restaurant Manager, Zipangu
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur

The request for the Festival Menu this year was overwhelming! I personally believe that it is partlybecause of the 4-year participation of Zipangu. Followers of the Festival have already become accustomed to the fine food that Zipangu offers. I am extremely happy with the response.

Noor Izam Mahmood
Restaurant Manager, Al Nafourah
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

I feel that the Festival makes for good publicity, to spread awareness about Al Nafourah. It is also a great way to keep in touch with what other restaurants are doing. It fosters friendly competition in all areas – cuisine, ambience and service. During the KLIGF we sold an average of 30-35 Festival menus daily. We received many good comments about the festival; many diners said that the festival should be prolonged!

P. Sivaraman
Restaurant Manager, Chalet
Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur

In my opinion the festival was definitely better this year. The participation and response were both improved. We sold the highest number of sets in the hotel, which generated good revenue for us. The finale was exceptional. Throughout the Festival the Chefs did an excellent job, delivering the highest value and quality cuisine.

Thomas Tan
Restaurant Manager, Dynasty
Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel

We had very good response overall during the KLIGF; better than last year’s. Both the Gala Launch and Grand Finale were excellent – they are good opportunities for the participating restaurants to meet and exchange ideas. We’re definitely keen to participate again next year.

Philipp Knuepfer
Assistant F&B Manager for Mandarin Oriental:
Lai Po Heen/Pacifica
Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur

I thought the TV advertisements were very nicely done. On the whole, the KLIGF was a very successful, well-managed event that brought additional business to the Mandarin Oriental.

Lim Seong Beow
Restaurant Manager, Chynna
Hilton Kuala Lumpur

It’s a very successful event and we think it will get better with every passing year. From the opening launch to the finale, everything was very impressive. The organisers and the sponsors should be praised for their effort in providing the best festival yet.

Eric Lim
Restaurant Manager, Lai Po Heen
Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur

Our diners really enjoyed the Festival menu; Chinese food paired with wine is something different and it was well received! The Festival gives us a good opportunity to do something different and to bring Lai Po Heen to the attention of more and more people.

Bertrand Blanchett
F&B Manager, The Dining Room
Carcosa Seri Negara

Every restaurant put in a lot of effort to come up with fantastic culinary feasts for this Festival. The KLIGF is a great way to let people know about The Dining Room – it’s a very good event.

Ken Hoh
Chef De Cuisine, Third Floor
JW Marriot Hotel Kuala Lumpur

It was a great experience for us. Compared to last year, everything has improved tremendously this year. We believe everyone has done their part well. The celebrity chef auction was the highlight of the finale.

Max Chin
Director of F&B and Executive Chef
Lai Ching Yuen/Oggi
The Regent Kuala Lumpur

The festival is one of the culinary highlights in Malaysia and you can really get one of the best fine dining deals through the KLIGF. It’s a shame that the festival only lasts a month. I thoroughly enjoyed the finale, it was well executed and the contribution of the chefs via the chefs’ charity auction should be highly lauded.

GOLDEN CAULDRON WINNER – LAFITE
Renowned French restaurant Lafite, of the Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur walked away with the Golden Cauldron Award for the best All Round Restaurant for the third consecutive year. Lafite also won the Best Value Menu of the Festival.

Mr. Richard Riley
General Manager, Shangri-La, KL
The kick off was of the highest level I have seen in all the years that we have been involved. Lafite winning the Golden Caldron was very exciting, I really didn’t expect it, it was a great honor! The competition this year was intense and the judging was quite serious, the judges were very tough and paid strict attention to everything that was going on. I watched the judges on more than one occasion and noticed how much effort they were putting into the task.

With the high level of competition no one can afford to be lax. With this being our third consecutive Golden Cauldron win, we know the\ challenge and the competition that lies ahead. This year we saw 40% of our diners during the festival take advantage of the special Festival menu.

We appreciate the vision and efforts of the organizer and look forward to next years Festival. Our thanks go to everyone who helped make it such a success.