The State of Malaysia Food Websites

After reading on TheEdge’s netv@lue 2.0 review (May 04, 2009) of FriedChillies.com which boast 1.5 millions hit per months, MMW Food feel the urge to check out the current state of Malaysia Food websites.

I start googling for “Malaysia Food” and “Malaysia Restaurant” and start feeding all the Malaysia food-related websites into Google Ad Planner (bloggers hosted on blogspot.com cannot be added due to some technical reasons) to check our their monthly web traffic (other tools include Alexa, Compete and Quantqast).


To my delight, malaysiamostwanted.com is at the number 1 spot with 100K Unique Visitors and 560K Page Views per month. To be fair, only 75% of the traffics belongs food.malaysiamostwanted.com. Food & Travel blogger vkeong.com is at second place with 30K monthly Unique Visitors followed by goeatout.com.my. malaysiabest.net, kyspeaks.com and rasamalaysia.com are in the top 5 as well.

Web Traffic Estimation from Google Ad Planner is not 100% accurate, but it can give a good estimated if used together with other tools such as Alexa. Again, all results are estimation on best effort basis by Independent party.

Basically there are 3 types of Food Websites in Malaysia (and some are hybrid)

1. Food Directory and Search Engine like Malaysia Most Wanted Food
   
2. Food Media Company like FriedChillies and BestFoodJunction
   
3. Food Bloggers like vkeong.com and others
   

Malaysia Most Wanted Food is a purely Internet only Food Directory and Search Engine which links to thousands of independent reviews by Food Bloggers, thus we need to have the strongest presence online. Food Media Company might cover alternate media beside Internet such as Magazine, TV, Newspaper, Coupon, Road Show and etc. Food Bloggers gave the most genuine and independent reviews with a personal touch.

Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) on Twitter

With all the Internet Buzz about Twitter, Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) had decided to give this simple yet noisy social network / micro blogging platform a try.

Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) on Twitter

Why twitter? Basically it will be used as compliment to this Blog. We will make major announcements through this blog as usual, and smaller updates and changes will be introduce through twitter for those who are interested.

Either Blog or Twiter, it is a platform to bring us closer to our users, and keep you updated if you are interested :)

Malaysia Food & Restaurants Top 50 List v2

We want to ensure only the genuine good and popular eatery got listed as Malaysia Most Wanted Food top listing, and we had tweak the algorithm to better determine Top 50 places and penalized those who try to increase their ranking by abusing the Rating System.

Once again, we have a fresh and clean list of

• Most Viewed Food Venues for All Time, 2009, or just March (based on Pageviews)
  
• Most Rated Food Venues (based on star rating)
  
• Most Active Food Venues (based on user contribution and participation)
  
• Most Popular Food Venues (overall score, based on Pageviews, Star Rating and user contributions)

Gadget for Malaysia Food Poll

Malaysia Food: Poll is our second Gadget for Malaysia Food & Restaurants Poll. It is a simple gadget / widget to gather opions on find the best places to makan in Malaysia, such as Where to find the best Nasi Lemak in Klang Valley?



Click the above Google icon to add to iGoogle, or add this gadgets to your website or blog.

Malaysia Food Gadget for your Blog

We had created our first Google Gadget (or Widget) for Malaysia Food. It shows a random picture of Malaysia Food, and if you are curious where the delicious looking food is served, just click on the image and it will bring you to the right place.



You can add this gadget to (iGoogle) or your blog (webpage). Have fun!

MMW Advertising for FOOD & Restaurants

Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) finally decided to start its own Advertising Program after months of consideration and planning. We got the right amount of traffic now, and we start to get some enquiries from restaurant owners. The economy is going into a recession now, so it sure could use some affordable and effective advertising avenue.


We kickoff the advertising program for MMW Food this week, and we would do the same for MMW Property and the entire MalaysiaMostWanted.com Network very soon.

Why advertise at MMW?

1. More than 100,000 Visits and 300,000 Pages shown per Month (as of February 2009)
2. 100% Malaysia-centric Content with 85% of the Visitors from Malaysia
3. Value for Money advertising package for as low as RM 10 per 1000 Appearance (RM 0.01 for every appearance of the Advertisement)

Advertise with MMW

MMW Food Face Lift

Malaysia Most Wanted Food & Restaurants received a minor face lift (major platform upgrade) about a month ago and everything seems to be running smoothly now.


Notable Enhancement includes:

• Integrated Search Bar with Simple, Advance and Google Search. We enhance the Search Engine slightly to return more relevant results when the search phrase contains more than one word.
• Better looking page on the venue pages, with “Tell A Friend” feature integrated.
• Newly recommended food venues are automatically posted as Venue immediately.
• Now you can contact us if you need us :)
  

Malaysian Food & Restaurant Review: February 2009

The February 2009 Most Visited Food Venue (based on Google Analytics pageview), brought to you by Malaysia Most Wanted Food and Restaurants.

For the Top 2 spots, we have the ever popular

1. Saisaki Japanese Buffet @ Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur
2. Shogun, Japanese Buffet @ Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

February is the month of Love and Valentine. We have many romantic dining places climbing to the top 10 spots including:

1. Look Out Point @ Jalan Ampang-Hulu Langat, Ampang, Selangor
2. The Cave @ SS2, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
3. Hajime Japanese Restaurant @ Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur
4. Restaurant Xenri @ Batu 5, Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur
5. Sky Bar @ , Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Some of the new places gaining popularity for this month are Red Island Café (Bayan Lepas, Penang), Fullhouse (Ara Damansara), Roadhouse Grill (Jalan Ampang) and Villa Danieli (Sheraton KL).

May we all live properious with delicious food :)

Malaysian Food & Restaurant Review: January 2009

The January 2009 Most Visited Food Venue (based on Google Analytics pageview), brought to you by Malaysia Most Wanted Food and Restaurants.


New year new outlook, but something just never change for quite a while. We have Japanese Buffet for the top 2 spots, and Cheras New Way Karaoke dominated the 3rd spot (I have to remove this from the list as it sort of undermine MMW Food’s authority, but funny) and Jogoya had gone to number 4.

1. Saisaki Japanese Buffet @ Wisma UOA II, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur
2. Shogun, Japanese Buffet @ One Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
3. ** Censored **
4. Jogoya @ Starhill, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

We have the usual favourites like Look Out Point for affordable view and great night view, and the affordable Yuen Buffet Steamboat. The classy Japanese Restaurant Hajime is at No.7 followed by Tupai-Tupai (malay food). Chinese Restaurant Marco Polo is a popular choice during Chinese New Year, and the illusive Williams Mamak made Top 10 as well.

Others notable goodies include the affordable and fast New Paris Restaurant, the classy Sky Bar, Lala Chong seafood, the Cave for couple and Restaurant Shabu Shabu for cheap Japanese Steamboat on weekdays.

Notable new comers include Island Red Café (Penang), Tasty Pot Steamboat, Jaya Palace Restaurant, Xenri, Pantai Seafood Restaurant and Wong Poh.
Happy Chinese New Year!

Malaysian Food & Restaurant Review: December 2008

The December 2008 Most Visited Food Venue (based on Google Analytics pageview), brought to you by Malaysia Most Wanted Food and Restaurants.

The top 3 spots are pretty much the same for the last few months

1. Saisaki Japanese Buffet @ Wisma UOA II, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur 
   
2. Shogun, Japanese Buffet @ One Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
   
3. Jogoya @ Starhill, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 
   

Rather than going through the usual hotspots, let’s explore the new places for this month:

1. Carnaval Churrascaria, Brazilian buffet @ Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
   
2. Momo Japanese Restaurant @ Centre Point, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
   
3. La Bodega @ Pavilion KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 
   
4. Shilla Korean Buffet Restaurant @ The Curve Shopping Centre, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
   
5. Fullhouse, Lifestyle Store and Cafe @ Nui Ze Xui, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
   
6. Tasty Pot Restaurant, Steamboat @ Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
   
7. Nihon Kai Japanese Restaurant @ Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur
   
8. Island Red Cafe @ Krystal Point, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Bayan Lepas, Penang 
   
9. Roadhouse Grill @ Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 
   
10. Restaurant Xenri @ Wisma Elken, Batu 5, Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur 
    
11. Noble House Imbi, lunch buffet @ Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur
    
12. Nancy's Kitchen @ Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), Melaka 
    

2008 has been a good and satisfying year, and MMW Food had recorded more than 4000 eateries for everyone's enjoyment. It had always been close to our heart to unearth the best food in Malaysia, and to judge food based on popularity, voting and comment is just a few ways we explored in 2008. For 2009, we are more determined to find more food gems in Malaysia, answering question such as "Where is the best Fried Keow Teow in Klang Valley?".

Stay tuned until we got most of these delicious questions answered in 2009.

Malaysia Most Wanted 2008

It had been a fun and fulfilled year for Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) in 2008, with lots of launching and enhancement, with a few more unrealized projects and potential.

January
We put in a full load of enhancement for Malaysia Food with Voting System, Location & Cuisine Listing, Food Listing, Advance Search and Map Enhancement. We officially launch MalaysiaMostWanted.com as the main portal for all MMW’s offerings.

February
More ways to search for food, and offering for the most romantic dining place in Malaysia for Valentine.

April
Malaysia Property is featured on TheEdge Malaysia.

May
A new version of Malaysia Property is launched.

June
RSS for Food, and Google Search for Property.

August
Major enhancement for Malaysia Property with better search and ranking by popularity. Beta Launching of Malaysia Most Wanted EVENT! Listing of best places for Merdeka Eve Celebration.

September
Malaysia Event and Festival Calendar. MalaysiaMostWanted Office is closed for 3 weeks for Annapurna Circuit adventure in Nepal.

November
Upgrade of MMW’s server due to increasing traffic. Beta launching of Malaysia Most Wanted Map and listing of best Halloween Party weekend in Malaysia.

December
Practical Testing of Malaysia Food in Penang, and closing with listing of New Year Eve countdown party!

It is really a great year for Malaysia Most Wanted, with growing visitors and participations thanks to your support. We hope MMW will continue serve its purpose of finding the things you need in Malaysia easily with its services such as Food & Restaurants, Property & Real Estates, Events & Festivals and Map & Places.

Almost Complete List of New Year Countdown Party 2009

Malaysia Most Wanted Event scout for you the best places for New Year Countdown with party, music and fireworks!

Big Parties

1. The Curve Masquerade New Year Celebration 2009
   
2. Sunrise New Year Countdown 2009 @ Plaza Mon’t Kiara
   
3. Sungei Wang Plaza Street Party Coundown 2009, 金河金光闪耀跨年派对
   
4. KLCC New Year Eve Firework
   
5. Dataran Merdeka Ambang 2009 Kuala Lumpur
   
6. 1 Utama New Year Countdown
   
7. SohoKL NU Year's Eve Countdown Party
   
8. Wave 2009 New Year Eve Countdown Party
   
9. Genting New Year’s Eve Retro Countdown
   
10. Leo Ku New Year's Eve Live In Genting
    
11. Year End Countdown, Sibu Town Square

Other Possible Location

1. Danga Bay, Johor
   
2. Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
   
3. Dataran Shah Alam, Selangor
   
4. Putrajaya
   
5. Esplanade, Georgetown, Penang
   
6. Tanjung Aru Beach, KK, Sabah
   

Check out the full list of New Year Eve Events for 2009.

Makan in Penang

We run a test drive to test how affective (or how good) is Malaysia Most Wanted Food in helping us to find the best food in Penang for our Makan Trip and come out with the following recommendation (extracted from The Blue Dragon is Looking @ Me: Penang Makan):

1. Teo Chew Cendol @ Penang Road, this is the most famous cendol road side stall in Penang, and you get delicious Cendol for just RM 1.60, definitely a very good deal.
   
2. Joo Hooi Cafe @ Penang Road, is just beside Teo Chew Cendol which serve good Laksa. The Friend Keow Teow looks good, but I didn't try it. You are not allowed to bring in the Teo Chew Cendol from outside, else they will charge you RM 0.50.
3. Ah Leng FKT @ Jalan Dato Keramat, within Kafe Khoon Hiang serves delicious Fried Keow Teow with 3 big prawns for RM 4.50.
4. Him Hiang Biscuit @ Burma Road, a good places to buy goodies of Biscuit (Tau Sah Piah and Heong Peng) for your friends and families.
5. Nasi Kandar Line Clear @ Penang Road, serves authentic Indian Nasi Kandar in the back Alley, and pretty good Roti Pisang too.
6. Pasar Air Itam, famous for its good food and very near Kek Lok Si, but Laksa in Joo Hooi might be better.
7. Paya Terubong Seafood, the place is crowded and they ran out of crab and sotong when we arrive at 9pm. The seafood is not bad.

Other Recommendations: Anba Coconut, Batu Lancang Foodcourt, Curry Mee Sisters, Edelweiss Swiss Cafe, Kheng Pin Cafe, Teluk Kumbar Seafood and Transfer Road Roti Canai.

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Malaysian Food & Restaurant Review: November 2008

The November 2008 Most Visited Food Venue (based on Google Analytics pageview), brought to you by Malaysia Most Wanted Food and Restaurants.


The top 3 spot for this month is still dominated by Japanese Food and Buffet, but Jogoya had managed to regained the number 1 spot (hopefully it is for the better and not just hype).

1. Jogoya @ Starhill, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
2. Saisaki Japanese Buffet @ Wisma UOA II, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur
3. Shogun, Japanese Buffet @ One Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

For the top 10, we have Look Out Point aka KL Night View, Hajime the High Class Japanese Food, Neway Karaoke in Cheras (for some odd reason), Yuen Buffet the Affordable yet Delicious Steamboat, Sky Bar the Classy Bar, the Shabby William Mamak and Lemon Garden Café the Shangri-La Buffet.

We have the usual old timer like Bavarian Bierhaus (German), Bumbu Bali (Balinese), Shabu Shabu (Japanese), Marco Polo (Chinese), Tupai-Tupai (Malay) and SS2 Murni (Mamak). A good variety of cuisine huh!

Other notable mention is The Cave @ SS2 - kind of like a concept restaurant for couples, Rakuzen at Chulan Square and Boat House at TTDI. Ninja Jones at Mid Valley is back to the list, with the ever fast and affordable New Paris Restaurant @ SS2.

Check out the Top 50 most popular restaurants for the month of November 2008 yourself.

Malaysia Most Wanted MAP is ALIVE!

After months of preparation and testing, Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) is proud to launch Map of Malaysia, to help you reach the destination and understand the surrounding neighborhood.


How does it work?
We have an online map (using Google Map Technology) which shows proper street maps and satellite images of the area. We added in Placemark (small little meaningful icons to indicate the nature of the place) which label the surrounding buildings and area, such as Banks, Parks, Offices, Shopping Malls and etc to help you easily identify and understand the area. You could search for any address or name of places / buildings / business to find your desired map with its surrounding places clearly marked.

Why do I need it?
To help you find your away around unfamiliar places by showing the correct map with proper landmarks. Especially when I want to find a particular shop or attend an interview in unfamiliar address, or finding good food around Ipoh or places to travel in Penang.

To help you understand the neighborhood and surrounding area better, such as what are the public amenities around, or are there any hidden lake or places that I never noticed before. I might be considering of moving to Bandar Baru Klang, and I am interested to know how developed is the place and what shops are available within walking distance.

Why is certain map empty without any Placemark?
We are currently working on marking as much of Malaysia as possible, so quite a number of places are not fully covered yet. You could do you part by helping us to mark area you are familiar with, by clicking on “Add Placemark” at the left hand corner of the Map.

We hope Malaysia Most Wanted Map will make Malaysia more accessible and make finding places as easy as 123.

Malaysia November Weekend Happening: 14-14 Nov 2008

Ever wonder what to do during the weekend, and always thought that there is nothing to do in Malaysia. Think again, as we open up for options to ease your dry weekend.

On Friday
We have the 19th Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta starting this weekend (hopefully it’s still on) at Port Klang, BAKUC – Bandai Action Kits Universal Cup 2008 at Sungei Wang, ASIMO Roadshows at One Utama. For Art and Music, check out Francissca Peter @ NBT, Bangsawan Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup at DBKL City Theatre and Rhythm of the Soul at Dewan Sivik.

On Saturday
For those into performance and music, we have T4YP Sweatshop at KLPac, Hacken’s Concert Hall Live In Malaysia at Genting, KL Hip Hop Festival at Sri Hartmas, U.O.X Play: Block Party at Capital Square or Fly FM 3rd Fly-aniversary at One Utama.

On Sunday
Penang Bridge International Marathon is on this Sunday, too late to register but still okay to join the crowd. We have CREST (Crisis Relief Services & Training Berhad) charity dinner at Sunway Resort Hotel, and the happening and very fun (yet affordable) Music Against Racism at Menara KL.


For a complete list of event, checkout our Monthly Calendar or Weekly Event Listing.

Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) Upgrade

Thanks to your support and frequent visit, Malaysia Most Wanted (MMW) had upgraded to a bigger and better home to serve you better (hopefully more uptime and faster speed).

Some might experience problem in accessing the website due DNS Propogation, but it should be solved by now since we had moved for more than 48 hours. If you had any difficulty accessing the website (or found the website misbehaving), leave a comment here and we will certainly look into it.

Malaysian Food & Restaurant Review: October 2008

The October 2008 Most Visited Food Venue (based on Google Analytics pageview), brought to you by Malaysia Most Wanted Food and Restaurants.


This month, the top 3 spot went to Buffet (Malaysian sure is Tham Jiak), and Japanese food influenced buffet. I realise Shogun and Saisaki are probably sister company, and it is good value for money at the moment.

1. Shogun, Japanese Buffet @ One Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
2. Saisaki Japanese Buffet @ Wisma UOA II, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur
3. Jogoya @ Starhill, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

The “Night View of KL” spot: Look Out Point is still pretty popular, followed by the ever affordable Yuen Buffet Steamboat with its hot chicken wing. It’s a surprise that Hajime is at the 6th spot now, either it is really good or people are more loaded during the bad economy time, or both. The Best Satay of Malaysia from the Satay Town: Restoran Sate Kajang Hj. Samuri is still holding strong, followed by the shabby Williams Mamak and classy Sky Bar.

Others notable mentions include the all time favourite Shabu Shabu and Bumbu Bali in Puchong, Delicious Café in Bangsar, The Cave and Murni in SS2, Chef & Brew in Bukit Damansara, Boat House in TTDI and Ninja Jones in Mid Valley.

Some not so new comers (for those who got tired of the good old food and want something fresh), you could check out Cupcake Chic (The Curve), Opus (Bangsar), Tasty Pot Restaurant (Taman Mewah Jaya, PJ), Agefuku Japanese Restaurant (USJ Taipan), Shilla Korean Buffer (The Curve), Big Plate (Subang Permai) and Nihon Kai Japanese Restaurant (Old Klang Road).

Bon Appetite.

Malaysia Halloween Weekend Events: 01-02 November 2008

What cooking for the halloween weekend? (Most parties are over by Friday, so lets see what we have over the weekend)

We have the all fun Eco Film Fest 2008 @ Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, don't miss the great party. At the same time, do visit the Bijou Bazaar for some good shopping. You could catch hold of Allan & Indi Hold Court in Putrajaya for some comedy, or party at Heineken Green Room. For children, don't miss the Toys"R" Us Halloween Costume Competition; For Film Buff, do catch the MASKARA Shorties.

For outdoor enthusiast, check out UFL Year End Sale in conjunction with ASTEX 2008, Adventure Sports & Travel Expo. For some great music and performance, don't miss the Dama Vocal Festival 2008, Acoustic Jaya All Female Weekend and Backyard JAMFest 2008.

For November, we have the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival @ Malaysia kickstaring, so be prepared for many affordable yet great food to pamper our precious stomach. The kick-off of Darwin-Bali PD-Langkawi Yacht Rally 2008 @ Admiral Marina & Leisure Club, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan might be interesting, and not to forget Langkawi International Fishing Tournament (LIFT) @ Tukun Perak Island, Langkawi, Kedah.

Others

• Rockcity Blazing Guitar Challenge @ Sungei Wang Plaza, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
• Genting Trailblazer @ Awana Genting Highlands, Genting Highlands, Pahang
• Sunday Sundaes Bazaar @ 3rd Mile Square Business Centre, Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur
• Elaine Kang "Concert Of Love" Live Charity Concert @ Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands, Pahang

Check out November Event Calendar or see the Full Weekend Event List for 1-2 Nove 2008

Belated Malaysian Food & Restaurant Review: September 2008

The September 2008 Most Visited Food Venue (based on Google Analytics pageview), brought to you by Malaysia Most Wanted Food and Restaurants.

I travelled into the mountains and out of Internet + TV for 3 weeks, and I really crave for some good old Malaysian food after that. Now I think no other country can beat the diversity and deliciousness of Malaysian food (of course, I am a Malaysian).

Not much changes to the Top 3 spots (and it ain’t easy to knock down the most popular place in town).

1. Tupai Tupai Restaurant & Cafe @ Jalan Bukit Petaling, Kuala Lumpur
2. Shogun, Japanese Buffet @ One Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
3. Saisaki Japanese Buffet @ Wisma UOA II, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur

Jogoya is still at the 4th place despite the negative reviews, so it proves that popular doesn’t mean good. We all like a good KL city night view together with out dinner, and Look Out Point could give you just that. Cheap and nice steamboat is available at Yuen Buffet Steamboat.

Big Plate Restaurant and Williams Mamak is doing very well this month in the Top 10 list. Some new comers includes Hartz Chicken Buffet, Chitralada Palace, Carnaval Churrascaria, The Cave, Little Penang Café, Al Diafah, Shilla Korean Buffet and Xenri.

Sometimes I just wonder where is the best Wantan Mee in town, and I will find out the answer for that soon.