[Editor’s Note]

Digital Marketing in a Covid World

The past 12 months has been incredibly interesting as brands have been forced to adapt to the dynamic situation in Malaysia, from MCO to CMCO to RMCO, back to CMCO and MCO. However, even in a crisis, there is always opportunity for savvy brands/ businesses that are bold and agile.

We’ve even witnessed businesses that opened AFTER the first MCO… when the market was just recovering from the effects of a long lockdown, and some of those businesses are profiting tremendously! We know this as we handle the digital/ social media marketing for a number of these new businesses.

Sadly, we also know of some businesses that stubbornly refused to adapt to change, and are now neck-deep in debt and even on the verge of folding. This is extremely sad for us

After the first lockdown (which in itself was something totally unexpected and unprecedented), we did encourage brands to be prepared for the eventuality of another lockdown. To that end, we offered them a very affordable package to shoot their products in case dine-in was once again prohibited.

(Disaster management and preparedness was something I learnt during my stint with MEASAT Publications many years ago. Although a big corporation like MEASAT has a lot of red tape to navigate, there were some useful SOP such as the preparedness for disasters and emergencies, including work from a remote location.)

To be entirely honest, none of the restaurants that we contacted bothered about it and we watched in dismay as many (including some of our clients) struggled to create the relevant content (some even shot photos with a smartphone) for takeaway/ delivery as dine-in was prohibited during the CMCO (post-Sabah state elections) in late 2020, as well as the MCO in January 2021.

Leave photography to the professionals. MHB Digital provides professional photography for a number of top restaurants in the country, including Chateau Dionne in Damansara Heights.

View our Principal Photographer Andy Kho’s portfolio here: https://andykho.com/food-beverage/

Good quality photos of your offerings are necessary especially for premium dining establishments!

For more info on our services, head over to http://mhbdigital.com or drop us a line at mhb@mhbdigital.com

[Updated 16 April 2021]

Another MCO on the Horizon?

While the numbers of new cases in Malaysia seemed to be decreasing in late March and early April 2021, the number recently have been on the rise, and it’s not unforeseeable that another MCO will be announced.

As Phase 2 of the vaccination in Malaysia will be using the Sinovac vaccines (https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/sinovac-vaccine-be-given-senior-citizens-aged-60-and-above-phase-2-immunisation-programme) coupled with the low efficacy of China vaccines after a Chinese official says local vaccines “don’t have high protection rates” (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56713663), this makes a very interesting situation where the country could be plagued with Covid-19 for some time.

We urge all business owners to be prepared for this eventuality. If you are a restaurant that requires professional photography for your takeaway/ delivery menu, drop us an email at mhb@mhbdigital.com

Buka Puasa Buffets

After attending only two (2) buka puasa reviews last year before the MCO was implemented (and dining in restaurants was prohibited until after Hari Raya), this year I attended four (4) reviews, while Hilton Kuala Lumpur and The Saujana Hotel sent over their takeaway items.

It was certainly nice to have a degree of “normalcy” back, after two (2) rounds of MCO and multiple periods of restrictions on dining in restaurants. I actually quite prefer the more strict hygiene SOP like wearing masks and using gloves, or having a full assisted buffet, as many a time I’ve witnessed the very unhygienic behaviour of guests at the buffet line. Perhaps some good will actually come out of this pandemic after all…

For the full details on the buffets as well as the info from a few other hotels, head over here – https://timchew.net/2021/03/16/ramadan-buka-puasa-buffets-dinners-and-promotions-2021-in-kuala-lumpur-and-selangor/

Most luxe buka puasa buffet – Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Impress your clients at Curate at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur this Ramadan with a high-quality spread that was curated by celebrity Chef Dato’ Fazley Yaakob. The selection of dishes might be less than some of the other hotels, but quality is the name of the game here.

Don’t expect normal dishes here, as Chef Dato’ Fazley has brought some traditional dishes that you might have enjoyed when you were young to the next level. You can taste the different layers of flavours in some of your favourite rendangs and curries.

Additionally, Curate provides a panoramic view of the KLCC park, and is also a lovely backdrop for photos.

If you’re looking to bring your parents or elders for buka puasa, Hilton Petaling Jaya will be having a P. Ramlee themed buka puasa buffet with a display of some of the actual belongings of the legendary Malaysian artiste (on loan from Museum Negara). The restaurant will also be playing his hits and movies from yesteryear.

Hilton Petaling Jaya has a huge spread of dishes which includes some of the late P. Ramlee’s favourite dishes. If you like variety, this spread is definitely for you! I had second helpings of the curries and rendangs are they were just so delicious! BTW… they have seafood on ice, as well as tempoyak… and if there’s stock… fresh DURIAN!

If you work/ stay around Bandar Utama (Damansara) in Petaling Jaya, One World Hotel Petaling Jaya has a large spread of Malay favourites, as well as Japanese, Indian, Chinese, and Western sections, a pasta station, seafood on ice, and a chocolate fountain!

The selection of dishes here is so wide that I really couldn’t try everything! I did though have multiple helpings of their ikan masin (go for the tiniest ones as they are super crispy!) as they were kurang masin/ less salty than many that I’ve eaten elsewhere. Think of them as really crispy fried fish but go easy on them especially if you have high blood pressure!

If you’re into local cuisine, New World Petaling Jaya Hotel (next to Paradigm Mall in Kelana Jaya) is a decent option. The hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant, Pasar Baru, will be serving up Malay, Chinese, Indian favourites, together with roast lamb!

Look out for their Sup Gearbox with knuckles full of creamy and delicious bone marrow! Also worth a mention are the chicken satay which had a nice char on the outside while remaining tender, chicken rice with really smooth, soft and tender steamed chicken, as well as the soft serve ice cream with various toppings!

If you’re looking to break your fast at home, Hilton Kuala Lumpur has a magnificent spread that you can enjoy in the comfort of home. Enjoy your favourtie traditional dishes such as curries, rendang, ketupat and serunding, briyani, and more!

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of takeaway/ delivery as I prefer to enjoy my food freshly prepared in the restaurant, but I was hugely impressed with the spread from Hilton Kuala Lumpur which still tasted good! Kudos to the culinary team there for somehow managing to achieve this!

The Saujana Hotel also sent me their Japanese buka puasa bento (no visual for this). Let’s just say that some types of food are simply best enjoyed in the restaurant. Head over to Kogetsu at The Saujana Hotel if you’re looking for Japanese fare in the vicinity of Subang/ Ara Damansara.