Yayasan Wakaf plans to build 5 hotels

Yayasan Wakaf Malaysia (YWM) plans to build five hotels at a cost of RM100 million in Terengganu, Perak, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Kelantan to help the Muslims.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Maj Gen (Rtd) Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, said the construction of a hotel in Melaka has started and was expected to be completed by this September.

"When completed, the management of these hotels will be handed over the hotel to the state's Majlis Agama Islam," he told reporters after witnessing the the signing of a memorandum of understanding between YWM and Amanah Raya Bhd's (ARB) subsidiary, AmanahRaya Legacy Services Sdn Bhd (ALS), here today.

He said YWM's 'Small Projects with Big Impact' programme, comprising building of wakaf markets and people''s bazaars in the mosques and selected wakaf land nationwide, would be ready by year-end.

"They would also be handed over the respective state's Majlis Agama Islam upon completion," he said.

The minister said YWM has also launched Cash Wakaf Scheme via salary deductions.

The scheme, he said, would initially be for civil servants in the Klang Valley.

Meanwhile, ARB chairman, Datuk Dusuki Ahmad, said the MOU would offer Muslims an alternative solution to contribute to charities.

"ALS will manage the properties productively and will arrange for transfer to YWM for the benefit of the needy Muslims," he said. -- Bernama

From asam laksa to dim sum

Where can you get Penang specialties and Hong Kong dim sum at one sitting? Penang Village of course.

FOR 10 years, Penang Village has become synonymous with asam laksa, char kway teow and prawn mee. But dim sum? “Yes, we’re offering dim sum now but only at our outlet in Great Eastern Mall,” says restaurateur Connie Su, who started Penang Village with husband Tony Leow in Desa Sri Hartamas. There are now Penang Village restaurants not only in the Klang Valley but also in Sabah and Indonesia. Not a couple to let grass grow under their feet, the Leows are always thinking of new dishes to titillate the appetites of their customers. “So many customers requested for halal dim sum as this is not easily available,” says Su. “So we researched and experimented and we came up with an initial 28 dim sum items last September.” That has grown to an impressive 40 items, says dim sum chef Chin Woo Loong, 33. “But it was still a challenge as now, I use only chicken to make the dumplings.” Xiu mai, for instance, is normally made with minced meat but Chin’s chicken xiu mai has cubed chicken instead. “When chicken meat is minced, it tends to turn hard and loses its flavour,” he says.

He also notices that customers in the Ampang like their dim sum in more dainty sizes. “All dim sum are freshly made on the premises which is why we’re not offering it in our other outlets as Chin is here only,” says Su. Customers tick off their dim sum selections (RM6.90 to RM8.90) on a coloured menu. Naturally, we must have perennial faves like xiu mai and har gow, char xiu bao and egg tarts. But there’s much more to the offerings. Golden prawn dumplings have an unusual filling of pumpkin mash with prawns, carrots, parsley and water chestnuts to give it a crunch. It’s topped with black tobiko (fish roe).

Despite its name, crab roe prawn dumpling does not have crab roe. Instead, it’s like xiu mai, topped with a big prawn and red tobiko. Happily, the prawns are extremely fresh. Indeed, the ingredients are so fresh you won’t need the chili dip. Fried and baked dim sum are popular with the customers, like fried yam custard shrimp where mashed yam is stuffed with prawns and deepfried while the yummy fried avocado cake looks pretty with its jacket of golden vermicelli to protect a filling of avocado, eggs and custard. Children love the roll crabstick with cheese. Here, Chin wraps an unlikely combination of crabstick and ham with a slice of cheese and then a slice of bread for deepfrying. It’s tasty, with the creaminess of the melted cheddar enhancing the flavours of the ham and crabstick. We’ve ordered fried carrot cake. The cubes of carrot (radish actually) are fried with beansprouts and chives for added fragrance. Slightly pedas, it’s so good I’m tempted to finish the plateful by myself.

But there are other personal favourites to taste, like chicken and century egg congee. The congee is done just the way I like it, not too smooth. You can actually feel the soft grains of rice still. Likewise pumpkin congee where Chin adds cubes of pumpkin to the rice to give it added texture. Then he cleverly adds deepfried ikan bilis to perk it up with a sweet taste and crunchy texture. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll love the blueberry pudding, mango pudding, durian roll and durian pancake. And if you still have room for more, there are Penang Village’s signature items as well as dishes to eat with rice. For Two-style Kailan (RM19.90), the leaves are shredded and deepfried with ikan bilis while the stems are stirfried with crunchy prawns. You’re actually getting two dishes in one.

I love the Salted Egg Prawn. The prawns are coated with batter combined with salted egg yolk and deepfried. Then, chopped chili padi is added for a fiery touch and more salted egg yolk is crumbled over the dish. And Petai Fried Rice (RM14.90) is perfect for fans of stinky beans. Fried kampung style with big prawns and eggs, the rice is fragrant and delicious, especially when served with keropok (crackers), mango salad and deepfried shrimp paste chicken. The restaurant is open from 11am to 10pm but dim sum is only available up to 5pm. From 3pm to 5pm, dim sum is offered at special prices of RM29.90 for eight items and RM49.90 for 14 items.

PENANG VILLAGE Level 3, Great Eastern Mall 303 Jalan Ampang, KL Tel: 03-
4257 1698

TAN BEE HONG
phoenixbee@nst.com.my

"Teh tarik" a crowd-puller at Malaysia tourism pavilion in Dubai

DUBAI: "I'm very proud to be able to promote Malaysia to the world in my own special way," said Mior Sazali Mat Ali, whose skill at making "teh tarik" (literally pulled tea) is creating quite a stir at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2010 here.

His little stall may be tucked away at the back of the Malaysia Pavilion, but this has not stopped thousands of visitors to the Middle East's premier travel fair from making a beeline for a delicious cuppa.

With a poster of Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Twin Towers serving as a backdrop, the 47-year-old Perakian can be seen "pulling" the tea mixture this way and that to the delight of the people who drop by at the pavilion.

"This is my second time in Dubai but this time around the response has been tremendous. I'm serving up to 1,500 cups a day," a pleased Mior Sazali said when met by Bernama. Teh tarik is a hot beverage that can be commonly found in restaurants, outdoor stalls and "kopitiam" in Malaysia.

Its name is derived from the pouring process of "pulling" the drink during preparation. It is made from tea, condensed milk and water. Mior Sazali's tea-making talent has not gone unnoticed as he has been regularly roped in by Tourism Malaysia for its promotional drives abroad.

"I've been to countries like Australia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and South Africa," said the winner of the 1995 Federal Territory Teh Tarik Competition who is heading for Mauritius next month.


"And I'm happy to be of service to the country," he added. He has been attached to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre since 1984.

The four-day ATM 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre ends today. -- Bernama

Pulau Besar's RM20m tourism makeover

MALACCA: The mystical island of Pulau Besar will have a RM20 million facelift which will turn it into a major tourist destination.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said this included landscaping, the setting up of a museum and the upgrading of basic infrastructure, and the purchase of a new fleet of vans to transport tourists around the famed island.

A special feature of the island is that it resembles a pregnant woman lying on her back.

Ali said this to reporters after visiting the island with Malacca's Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, here, yesterday.

"Pulau Besar has the potential to be the next tourism attraction in the state."

From the RM20 million, Ali said RM10 million would be for the refurbishment of a hotel and RM3 million each for the upgrading of the chalets and landscaping.


"The rest would be for infrastructure facilities such as the roads and to purchase the vans."

Ali also said the museum, which would be called "Muzium Pulau Besar" would be completed by August, this year.

He added that it would house artifacts related to the island with some of them dating back to the start of the Malacca sultanate era.

"We would be getting most of the artifacts from a private collector, Ana Fakir from Kuang, Selangor, who has agreed to display his collection of historic artifacts, some of which are rare items, at the museum," he said, adding that the museum was now 40 per cent completed.

Ali said the state was hoping to attract 200,000 visitors to the island in a year.

"We are expecting the island to generate some RM10 million a year from tourism and this would create an economic spin off not only for the islanders but also to boat operators."

In a related development, Ali said the state government had also agreed to sell a few plots of land on the island to individuals to build chalets and bungalows, which would be leased out.

Pulau Besar is also a place of pilgrimage for a large number of Indian Muslims in the country who come to the island to visit a mausoleum, believed to be that of Sultan Ariffin Syeikh Ismail Waliallah, who was believed to be the 18th descendant of Prophet Muhammad.

He was said to have preached Islam in the 15th century after receiving a vision while visiting the prophet's grave in Madinah.

There are also numerous other graves visited by pilgrims such as that of Datok Janggut, Datuk Puteh and Nenek Kebayan, a cluster of seven graves called "Makam Tujuh Beradik".

At the highest point on the island is a large boulder that is split down the middle, which is known as "Batu Belah", also a favourite destination for local pilgrims.

Pulau Besar is located some 12km from the heart of Malacca city and is part of a chain of five smaller islands.

It takes about 25 minutes to an hour to reach the island by boat or a chartered ferry from the mouth of Sungai Malacca or the jetties in Umbai and Anjung Batu.

By Jason Gerald John

Plans to build an Empire of hotels

THE Empire Hotel in Subang, Selangor, may be a new player in the market, but plans are already afoot to grow the brand and its business.

The RM60 million hotel is part of the RM250 million Empire Gallery project, which is developed and managed by Mammoth Empire Holdings Bhd.

The Empire Hotel is a 198-room boutique business class hotel that is scheduled to open at the end of this month.

Its general manager, Ng Yee Ming, said the company is looking to open a second boutique hotel in Kuala Lumpur and possibly a third in the suburbs of Selangor.

The group may run as many as three hotels in the next three years.

Although a new hotel brand, Ng feels that it can be successful as the combination of location, product and service will surely lure guests to its doors.

"The hotels will be located in prime areas, and we expect that we will do well with competent people on board," Ng told Business Times in an interview.

"Our focus will be on guest experience," he said, adding that it has hired staff from five-star hotel chain.

The hotel, which has four restaurants, has a lean staff to room ratio of 0.65.

For the maiden Empire Hotel, Ng expects that the hotel will be able to rake in an average room rate (ARR) of between RM230 and RM250 per night and fill 65 per cent of its rooms in the first year of operation.

Should the hotel achieve its projection, it would be a commendable feat, as most hotels in their first year of operations garner about 50 per cent occupancy.

Ng said the optimism stems from the fact that its product is new and the Empire Gallery also houses a mall and offices.

In the first year, the Empire Hotel also aims to achieve gross operating profit (GOP) of 32 per cent. GOP is the gross revenue from rooms, food and beverage, laundry or business centre minus cost of operations like wages, electricity and amenities.

In the second year, the hotel is looking to improve occupancy to 70 per cent and post an ARR of RM250 per night.

The hotel, described as having an artistic feel, plays with a lot of colours. The owners brought in 10 carpenters from China to help with the numerous details in the decoration.

The person behind Mammoth Empire is Datuk Sean Ng and the group's projects include The Ara, The Loft and The Atrium in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. It has also done projects in Senawang, Negri Sembilan, and Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor.