November-December . 2021 | @ Halal

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The cafe at the Malaysia Pavilion houses Nur Malaysia , a restaurant chain under GISB Holdings , and Marrybrown , the world ’ s largest halal quick-service restaurant .

Filipino Wendell Valderama , 45 , has been working in the UAE in customer service since 2013 , and this was his maiden trip to Dubai – to visit Expo 2020 Dubai .

Met at the Malaysia Café tucking away at a Marrybrown burger and fries with his friend Sri Lankan Yousoof Zain , 26 , Valderama said Marrybrown were famous in both their countries and comparable to Philippines ’ Jollibee .

“ When we saw Marrybrown was here , we just had to drop by . But I think the chicken tastes fresher and more ‘ Malaysian ’ at this outlet ,” he added with a smile .

Marrybrown held a simple launch of its outlet officiated by Ismail Ali Abbas , Vice- Chairman of Al Abbas Group , the master franchisee of the fast food chain in the UAE , on Oct 5 .

Recalling Marrybrown ’ s history in the UAE , its general manager Imran Akhtar said he had witnessed one generation of Emiratis who have grown up enjoying the speciality fried chicken .

The unique fried chicken recipes of Marrybrown has become part of the growing up experience of young Emiratis since the restaurant first opened here in 2001 .

“ I am proud that Marrybrown has a strong footprint in this country with over two decades of dedicated services , we have established strong brand loyalty . We are not resting on our laurels but constantly striving to improve our products ,” said the Pakistan national who had been with Marrybrown since day one of the company ’ s debut in the UAE .

He said product innovation was a part of the restaurant chain business strategy , with new products introduced every three or four months . Thus far , all the innovative recipes have been well-received by the loyal customer base , whether locals or expatriates .

Imran attributes Marrybrown ’ s success to the attention paid to the quality of its food , value for money and its wide range of products from sandwiches to fried chicken , rice-based menu to finger food such as chicken popcorn and the varieties of sauces .

He also revealed one new outlet would be opened in Dubai and Abu Dhabi , respectively , in the first quarter of 2022 to serve the growing popularity of Marrybrown in the UAE .

Meanwhile , GISB Holdings , which owns Nur Malaysia restaurant , held its ribboncutting ceremony at the Pavilion . Its Chief Executive Officer Datuk Lokman Hakim Pfordten said the restaurant opened its first UAE outlet in Sharjah in 2014 .

MALAYSIA IS among 192 countries participating in Expo 2020 Dubai on Oct 1 , 2021-Mar 31 , 2022 .

Themed “ Connecting Minds , Creating the Future ”, the world expo is the first to be held in the Middle East , Africa & South Asia region . Malaysia ’ s Pavilion is self-built and depicts a Rainforest Canopy .

It carries the theme “ Energising

Wendell Valderama and Yousoof Zain .

Sustainability ” to capture the nation ’ s commitment and approaches to sustainable development . It is a nettzero carbon pavilion .

Malaysia ’ s activities during the expo will include permanent displays , showcases , pocket talks , summits and forums , cultural performances , demonstrations and 26 weekly thematic trade and business

“ We started as a small restaurant that could cater only to 30 people . By good blessings , we managed to acquire an existing Malaysian restaurant in Oud Metha , Dubai , which was folding up , and expanded our outlet in Dubai ,” he said .

Worldwide , Nur Malaysia restaurants are available in Indonesia , Thailand , Singapore , France , Saudi Arabia , Jordan , Australia , China , Uzbekistan , Germany , Egypt , Turkey , Bosnia-Herzegovina , United Kingdom and the UAE .

The restaurant ’ s presence in Expo 2020 Dubai as Malaysia Cafe operator will enable the company to “ continue to spread goodwill among the people ”, he said .

Of course , it also enables the restaurant to share unique Malaysian cuisines from rice dishes to noodles , laksa and soups such as nasi goreng kampung ( village fried rice ), kueh tiaw goreng ( fried kueh tiaw noodle ), mee hoon sup ( vermicelli soup ), curry puff , Malaysian desserts and the famous teh tarik .

Malaysian Jeanette Teh , 46 , from Petaling Jaya , who visited the Pavilion with her husband Michael Todd , 48 , from Canada , was amazed by the technologies used to create an immersive experience for visitors at Malaysia ’ s Rainforest Canopy pavilion .

Teh gave positive feedback on the informative displays at the pavilion exhibits saying it was good to learn about development in the various economic sectors back home , including agri-commodities .

“ I was looking forward to eating some long-missed desserts at the Malaysia Café ,” she said .

programmes .

The business weeks will be helmed and supported by 21 ministries , 70 agencies and five State governments .

The Ministry of Science , Technology and Innovation is the lead ministry for Malaysia ’ s participation at the mega event . Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre ( MGTC ) is the implementing agency .