KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Shrinking wallets. Rising inflation. Post-pandemic, it's been a chaotic time for the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
Rather than sit through the storm, three restaurateurs recognised the need to push out new concepts to woo diners back. Fine dining restaurants like Eat and Cook, and Chateau Dionne have introduced casual dining offshoots like Bar.Kar and Nice Bistronome.
.. and so far, it's been working.
Chocha Foodstore, while a more casual eatery, also opened Kai New Nusantara Eatery in REXKL, with more familiar dishes like laksam and lontong sayur so it's even more affordable and approachable for everyone. Bar.Kar No.
199, Suites G-06, Ground Floor, G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, KL Open: 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 11pm. (Tuesday to Sunday), 6pm to 11pm (Monday) Instagram: @barkar.my Tel:011-22773131 Eat and Cook chef owner Lee Zhe Xi is no stranger to tough times.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he and his partner Soh Yong Zhi (Yong) lost their jobs. Out of boredom and a chance to rent a space in an almost derelict shopping mall for RM300, Eat and Cook was born in 2020. They grew from serving five at their original spot to 13 at their present place in Bukit Jalil, which the duo partnered with brothers Steve and Henry Lee to open.
When they went to Bangkok to receive the American Express One to Watch by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2022, it opened their eyes to other possibilities. "We found out that casual dining attracts a lot of people, where spending power.