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A chef's family recipe, a bakery's new halal certificate and a convenience chain's tenth birthday lead this week's good food news from Malaysia. Penang gained a seafront mall and got a favourite hawker centre back, a home-grown cafe chain set its sights on Jakarta, and a Sarawak wedding dish went ready-to-eat. Here is what you need to know.
A Kedah family recipe wins Lotus's Chef Challenge
Noor Shobahiyah Abu Bakar, 31, took the Professional Chef title at Lotus's Chef Challenge 2026 in Ampang with a family nasi daging recipe from Kedah and a noodle dish in masak lemak gravy. Loi Kee Yeong, 20, won the Young Chef category. Noor Shobahiyah now heads to the Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2027 in Bangkok. (Bernama)
TOUS les JOURS at Sunway Pyramid is now halal-certified
The Korean bakery brand says its Sunway Pyramid outlet has received halal certification, and that it wants all its Malaysian outlets certified over time. The reports name only this one outlet, so do check for a valid certificate at any other branch. (Oriental Daily, The Stoly via Newswav)
FamilyMart Malaysia turns 10
FamilyMart's first Malaysian store opened in Kuala Lumpur on 11 November 2016, and the chain had about 500 stores by the end of September. It is marking the decade with new Everyday Craft Coffee blends and new oden broths. (Grocery Trade News, Oriental Daily)
Oriental Kopi looks to Jakarta, Marrybrown to Cambodia
Utusan Malaysia, citing a CGS International research note, reports that Oriental Kopi expects its first Indonesian outlet in late November or early December and is aiming for 40 to 41 Malaysian outlets by year-end. Marrybrown said last month that its first Cambodian outlet is due this November. (Utusan Malaysia, Malay Mail)
The Waterfront Shoppes soft-opens in Penang
The new mall at The Light City welcomed its first shoppers on 29 October, with about 700,000 sq ft of net lettable space. Food lovers should watch for Blue Bay Food Garden, an ocean-themed food court with 28 stalls and more than 400 seats, which The Star describes as upcoming. (The Star, The Edge Malaysia)
A Penang hawker centre is back in business
A 12-stall hawker centre known in Chinese as 新关仔角小贩中心 reopened on 1 November after a RM455,055 upgrade that brought a new roof, better ventilation, big fans and 26 more seats. Regulars came back for their fried noodles, including one customer who has been eating at the same stall for more than 30 years. (China Press, Oriental Daily)
Latin American cocktails above Jalan Ampang
Hojita, a bar tucked inside the Latin American restaurant Hoja on Level 12 of W Kuala Lumpur, has a list of 12 signature drinks arranged around four Mayan elements. The food draws on the Pacific coast of Colombia, Peru and Chile. (The Star, BURO Malaysia)
A Sarawak wedding dish you can take home
Farrah Abdillah's Pengilan range puts keceri nanas, a Malay Sarawak pineapple dish usually kept for weddings and special occasions, into ready-to-eat products at RM14.90. She showed the range at Kuching Waterfront during Sarawak Regatta 2026. (Sarawak Tribune)
Sources
- Family Recipe Brings Success To Lotus's Chef Challenge 2026 Winner — Bernama, 2026-11-01
- TOUS les JOURS双威金字塔分店获清真认证 连续3天推出1令吉面包蛋糕优惠 — Oriental Daily, 2026-11-07
- TOUS les JOURS Gets Halal Certification at Sunway Pyramid Outlet — The Stoly via Newswav, 2026-11-06
- FamilyMart Malaysia Reaches About 500 Stores — Grocery Trade News, 2026-11-06
- 全家十周年大动作！重磅推出众多周年福利 — Oriental Daily, 2026-11-06
- Oriental Kopi terus unjur pelan pengembangan — Utusan Malaysia, 2026-11-09
- Marrybrown serves up expansion plans with 30 new Malaysian outlets, Cambodia debut — Malay Mail (Bernama), 2026-10-17
- A new wave of shopping and lifestyle experiences — The Star, 2026-11-02
- Perennial, IJM Land mark soft opening of Penang's The Waterfront Shoppes — The Edge Malaysia, 2026-10-30
- 新关仔角小贩中心重开 熟客纷回来捧场 — China Press, 2026-11-03
- 耗资逾45万提升设施 新关仔角小贩中心11月1日重开 — Oriental Daily, 2026-10-23
- Tour of Latin America via exotic cocktails — The Star, 2026-10-30
- New restaurants, cafés & bars in KL & PJ this November 2026 — BURO Malaysia, 2026-11-02
- Keceri Nanas Adds Savoury Relish To Culinary Heritage — Sarawak Tribune, 2026-11-09