Local Entrepreneurs Take Malaysian Menu To Faraway Land

Beijing Diary By Samantha Tan Chiew Ting Bernama's correspondent in Beijing Samantha Tan Chiew Ting shares her take on life in Beijing. BEIJING, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysians have traveled to faraway lands and with them they have brought along that unique tantalising Malaysian cuisine. So it is not surprising that one finds the Cafe Sambal that offers Malaysian menu right in Beijing. About 13 years ago, a Taiping-born entrepreneur Cho Chong Gee, 58, found it fit to establish a restaurant in Beijing offering a slightly spicy fare that is typically Malaysian to the patrons. Strategically located at Gulou (Drum Tower) within the hutongs (traditional courtyard residence), the place once dominated the city but now has been overshadowed by rapid development. It is one of the oldest Malaysian restaurant within the neighbourhood. Cho's journey is a classic story how Malaysians have taken their gastronomy offerings to another land. He could have opened a restaurant offering Chinese delights, but he was more confident of the Malaysian menu. HOPE TO EMERGE AS AN INTERNATIONAL CHAIN The restaurant offers Malaysian local flavours to the Chinese here and serves as a meeting point for the Malaysian Diaspora in China who missed 'home'. "We are among the few who are persistent in promoting Malaysian food. I take pride of my Malaysian heritage and see my eatery as a Malaysian restaurant," he told Bernama. He believes the best Malaysian cuisine must come from the best ingredients and traditional cooking techniques. Among the restaurant's signature dishes are chili crab, fish head curry, beef rendang and oxtail soup. Cho said he was committed to the Cafe Sambal's concept and hoped to grow the name into an international chain. The restaurant brings in nostalgic feelings from a different era as it maintained the wood structure and doors of the hutong. Besides being a 'home' in China, Cafe Sambal also brings in the real Malaysian recipes and exposes the finest flavours to foreigners especially the Chinese. A CHALLENGING JOURNEY The 14-year journey was not easy for Cho as he first came to China for interior and graphic design projects, and later ventured into food industry after he missed Malaysian. The restaurant performed well initially but as time went by more competitors appeared. However, with passion and commitment, he was able to sustain the first outlet while open another one in Beijing and expand into Shanghai with two outlets. Besides Cafe Sambal, Cho's another venture Bed Bar located near the restaurant was closed two years ago when the property owner wanted the land back. "It was a successful space but sadly the owner took back the land. We want to keep the concept, so we moved it to Tianjin," he added. GROWING WITH CHINA Cho, is among the foreigners who had witnessed China's rapid growth and transformation. He called that the country was 'raw' 15 years ago and the people came to big cities with dreams and curiosity then. --BERNAMA