Tuesday February 1, 2011
Restaurant owner conferred datukship
MALACCA: Owner of the Malaysian restaurant in New York that won the prestigious Michelin Star, has been made a Datuk by his home state Malacca.
On Sunday, Michael Bong received the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM), which carries the title Datuk, from the Yang Dipertua Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob at Seri Negeri in Ayer Keroh.
Bong, who flew from New York to receive the award, said he was pleasantly surprised when he was informed of the award by the Governor’s office.
Honoured: Datuk Michael Bong is congratulated by the Tun Khalil after receiving his datukship “It is recognition by the state and the Government for my efforts in promoting Malaysian food as well as Malaysia and Malacca in New York and the United States,” he said.
He said after his restaurant Laut won the award and was listed in the 2011 Michelin Guide for New York City Restaurants, there was a sudden interest in Malaysian cuisine.
“Not only do we have more customers but also other Malaysian restaurants have been drawing in people wanting to taste something different.
“It just shows that there is a market out there for Malaysian cusine and we should continue with our promotions,” he said.
Laut is located near Union Square in New York and is believed to be the first Malaysian restaurant serving Malaysian cuisine to receive this award.
Bong said the award also meant an added responsibilty as he would have to re-double his efforts to promote Malaysian food and Malaysia overseas.
“While the opportunity is there, we should make full use of it,” he said.
He will also to be doing more to promote Malacca and its cuisine.
Last year Khalid presented Bong Malacca’s Master Chef award.
Bong who has been in the New York for more than 20 years, has made a name for himself in the restaurant business. Besides Laut, he and his wife Kathy also run the highly successful Japanese restaurant, Mizu Sushi.
Being a recipient of one Michelin star, a huge culinary honour that means that Laut is among the best in its city and also in the world.
It is a mark of consistent excellence across all categories and it is based solely on the quality of the food.
The Michelin guide has become an international benchmark in gourmet dining. Representing 23 countries and three continents, the collection of 26 Michelin guides includes more than 45,000 addresses.
Source:
- Developer of abandoned project in SS2 told to clean up pond
- KL city folk have high expectations of Tengku Adnan and Loga Bala
- Part of retaining wall in Bukit Serdang 7 collapses
- Book fair and education expo during school holidays
- Keep calm and you will start to follow
- Nurses reveal 10 principles to win patients’ trust
- UPNM student retains men’s university category in first leg of Duathlon Series
- Hotel theme park holds three-day charity bazaar for homes and NGOs
- UTM emerge as winners of inaugural netball league
- Events
- Exercising for a good cause Cyclists and walkers spend their Sunday joining a worthy campaign
- Keep calm and you will start to follow
- MasterCard’s findings show Malaysian men are decision makers
- Give mums flexi hours, govt urged Group: Allow working women more time to look after their young
- Gearing up for Wesak Day Volunteers clean up Buddhist temples for annual celebrations
- Simple and yet not quite Besides the variety of spices, the right type of meat can make a difference in mutton curry
- Mukhriz plans affordable homes MB: ‘Aku Janji’ housing projects for rural areas
- Every day is low-fare day Firefly celebrates sixth anniversary with expansion and growth plans
- Famed Buddhist master from Tibet coming to town
- Identifying young football talents to take part in camp at Bayern Munich
RSS
