Invited: Patin Place @ Bandar Puchong Utama

Patin Place has 3 secret weapons:

• Fresh Patin river fish from Temerloh
• Tempoyak (Fermented Durian) Sauce (Temerloh Specialty)
• Special Charcoal + Special Oven which have Dry Steam (Sauna) effect on the fish, allowing the fish to maintain its original form and slowly releasing the moisture (“sweating”) after the fish is served

Patin Place is located at Bandar Puchong Utama, about 300 meters from the Famous Batu 14 Puchong Yong Foo, near the rows of shops. The shop is at a quiet corner lot with plenty of parking, and it does have an attractive exterior especially during the night.

Bandar Temerloh tanah kelahiranku,
Sungai Pahang tempat bersiram semua,
Patin Tempoyak santapan rajaku,
Resipi temurun khas dari kota.

From the above pantun, the royal dish of Patin Tempoyak is something everyone must try if you are at Patin Place. The friendly and chatty owner, Jerry, is very proud of his masterpiece of “3 Secret Weapons” for Patin Place with good reasons, which shall be unfolded through the food offered.

The recommended drink is Guava Assam Buoy, which is very nice, refreshing and appetizing.

Guava Assam Buoy

The first dish is Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam (RM 8.90), which is superb in both aesthetic and taste. To complement this dish, you need Gulai Assam Tempoyak, which are too strong to be consumed alone, but goes perfectly with the rice. Fermented Durian in my rice? I have to admit that tempoyak is an acquired taste, but the smell of durian is mild, and it’s very tasty when mixed with rice, or fish. We had some Sambal Sotong (Dry Cuttlefish) and Rendang Beef to go with the rice, and Chinese Kailan which is fresh and crispy. For a better taste of the tempoyak during lunch, Nasi Lemak “Dry Steam” Ayam Tempoyak is a better choice.

Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam

Nasi Lemak “Dry Steam” Ayam Tempoyak

Chinese Kailan

The highlight of the day is the Royal dish of “Dry Steam” Patin Tempoyak with Petai (RM 68). What is this “Dry Steam”? The Japanese call it “Sauna”, and it’s the pride and joy of the owner, where he invented a new cooking process using a special charcoal and a special oven. The charcoal is smokeless and odorless (like those used in Korean BBQ), which last longer and cooked the meat without spoiling the texture. What about the Special oven? It’s a trade secret, but one of the usages is “Dry Steam”, allowing the fish to maintain its original form and slowly releasing the moisture (“sweating” ala Sauna) after the fish is served. The moisture slowly bubbling up after you tear opens the fish, which maintain the nice texture and taste of the Patin. The Tempoyak cooked with Lemon and Petai provided a very refreshing taste for the fresh river Patin, it’s like a match made in heaven, Perfecto! It’s very tasty and appetizing, and you probably won’t notice it’s fermented durian if you are not told about it. Fermented durian or not, it’s definitely an eye-opener dish and a must try!

“Dry Steam” Patin Tempoyak with Petai (RM 68)

Moisture is slowly released due to the Sauna / Dry Steam effect

The second main dish is Smoked Patin Salai (feels like Ikan Bakar, but not really grilled) with a split skin effect (the flesh detached from the skin easily), and spicy sauce on top of it. The flesh manages to retain its moisture, and I personally enjoy the smoked-style with spicy sauce. You are advised not eat or break the skin, as after you finish the flesh, they will “fried” the skin and you will have another round of crispy fish skin (like the fried salmon skin served in restaurant). Double enjoyment for the price of one dish, yeah! The salai is served with a special peanut sauce, which is really nice.

Smoked Patin Salai

Peanut Sauce

Crispy Fish Skin

The third dish is Talapia wrapped in Lotus Leaf served with special in-house sauce, with no trace of tempoyak, a great choice for those who can’t accept the idea of durian in their meal. Though this is a good dish, but my taste bud is overtaken by the Royal “Dry Steam” Patin Tempoyak with Petai and Smoked Petai Salai.

Talapia wrapped in Lotus Leaf

There have 3 special sauces for sauce lover, the orange one is quite spicy, but all three of them are really refreshing. I found the sauce redundant as this stage as the fish are already very tasty in their own special way, and the sauce would probably spoilt them, best to keep them for other dishes.

Special Sauces

The Patin Place is a very unique place, with their fresh patin, royal tempoyak sauce, and special cooking method. I would probably bring my parents to give it a try, to double check if the tempoyak is really as authentic as it’s claimed (it’s the first time I heard of and tasted tempoyak, so I’m no expert, though I’m from Kuantan, paiseh!). Definitely should give this place a try, and the tempoyak is best served with the Patin (with Chicken is okay, but Patin is much better). Have you tasted a tempoyak yet?

Special Charcoal

Special Oven

Durian Cendol

PATIN PLACE RAMADAN BUKA PUASA TEMPTATIONS
DATE : 15 JULY – 4 AUGUST 2013
Adult: RM 49.90 nett per adult.
Kid: RM 29.90 nett per kid, from 4 to 12 years old.

Patin Place
31, Jalan BPU 5, Bandar Puchong Utama,
14 Mile Jalan Puchong, 47100 Puchong
Tel: 016-208 9012
FB: https://www.facebook.com/PatinPlace

Invited: D'Bakul Indonesian Cuisine @ USJ Taipan

D’Bakul serve authentic Indonesian cuisine from various regions under one spacious roof where the interior decorations resemble a real Indonesian restaurant which I had visited in Indonesian. The owners are Indonesians with branches in Jakarta such as Makan Makan.

“Majestic” bamboo cage entrance

The exterior of restaurant might seem quite intimidating at a large corner lot shop in USJ with a “majestic” bamboo cage entrance. Will it burn a hole through my wallet? They serve rice set from RM 9.90 to RM 12.90, and some “luxurious” dishes for 2-4 people to share; I would say there is something for everyone and every budget. The interior is spacious and brightly lit, suitable for gathering and family dinner, plus some solid wood table which weight 200kg and some corners of the place are well decorated, and there is a second floor and balcony for exterior seating.

Fandi the manager (looks like Chinese, and he is Indonesian) introduces Crispy Fried Spring Duck, Ox Tail Soup, Crispy Fried Talapia, Coconut Fish Soup, Crispy Fried Soft Chicken and Gado Gado as their signature dishes; Soursoup Juice, Avocado Juice, Teh Kotjok Cincau and Teh Rempah Serai as their signature drinks.

I was tempted by the Nasi Goreng D’Bakul (RM 13) rice set, but decide to go with individual dishes instead since there are two of us. Our main dish is Ayam Komplit (RM 37), which is 4 pieces of chicken, each cooked in different styles: Ayam Presto, Ayam Penyet, Ayam Bakar and Ayam Goreng. I can’t really identify each chicken properly (all seems yellow to me), but they are definitely tasty (the rempah works well), the meat is tender and there are slight variations (some crispy, some dry, some with sauce, and some spicy).

Ayam Komplit (RM 37)

Our second dish is Talapia Saos Kaki Lima (Crispy Fried Talapia in Plum Sauce) for RM 28. The plum sauce is a good complement to the fried fish, and it’s really crispy and the meat is fine (not funny taste or texture). The Chinese believed fried-method are reserved for fish which are not so fresh, but I believe the Indonesian probably like their fish crispy.

Talapia Saos Kaki Lima (Crispy Fried Talapia in Plum Sauce) for RM 28

We decided to skip plain rice and try the Nasi Bakar (Grilled Mixed Rice with Chicken Chunks and Anchovies) for RM 7.50 (enough for 2 person unless you are a big rice eater). It looks like a pulut, but not glutinous rice; it’s grilled rice wrapped like a pulut, there is a nice fragrance from it, but I could hardly see the chicken chunks and anchovies, and it’s slightly dry due to the grilled nature.

Nasi Bakar (Grilled Mixed Rice with Chicken Chunks and Anchovies) for RM 7.50

We try the Avocado Juice (RM 8.50), with green avocado and some chocolate stripes (I remember the drink is quite popular when I visited Surabaya). It’s refreshing, slightly bitter (Avocado duh) with some sweetness from the chocolate (I assume the brown color stripes are chocolate). Soursoup Juice (RM 6) is refreshing as well.

Soursoup Juice (RM 6), Avocado Juice (RM 8.50)

Overall I would say it’s a tasty and satisfying meal, and with 4 people we would be able to try more variety of the dishes available. The restaurant is more suited for family and gathering rather than for couple or the younger crowd. How is this place compared to the famous Balinese restaurant in town? The Balinese restaurant serves more western dishes to cater for local taste, and you can’t mix Authentic with Fusion together. Indonesian food is not in mass appeal like Italian or Japanese food, so it might take a while for the local to get a hang of it. It’s refreshing to try Indonesian cuisine once in a while, and the food is indeed tasty, but I am still not addicted to it or go crazy about it.

Photo Opportunity

If you want to have some kind of celebration or gathering, this might be a good choice due to the space and high ceiling. They even have Nasi Tempeng (traditional Javanese food) for RM 300 which is suited for a party with 20-30 people: consist of Nasi Kuning, Ayam Goreng, Perkedel Kentang, Sayur Urap, Orek Tempe, Sambal Kentang and Semur Telur Puyuh. One day before reservation is required.

D’Bakul is running a Ramadan Dinner Buffet from 14 July to 7 August, from 7pm to 9.30pm. RM 65 for adult and RM 35 for children. I was told they serve special dishes like Roast Lamb and Beef on weekend :)

This place is Halal with their Halal certificate at their door front.

Indonesian Authentic Cuisine
55 A Ground Floor
Jalan USJ 10/1F
Taipan Business Center
Subang Jaya
Tel: 03 80206813
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DBakul-Indonesian-Cuisine/485492534841920?id=485492534841920

Protect Malaysia’s Internet Freedom: STOP 114A

How 114A Evidence Act will affect you? 

I am not a lawyer, but I assume the following scenarios are possible

• Someone post some defamatory comment on your blog or Facebook wall/timeline, you are in trouble with the law (guilty until proven innocent)
• Someone hacked into your email, Google, Twitter or Facebook account and start posting some bad stuff, you are in trouble (guilty until proven innocent)
• Someone use your computer or share/steal your Internet connection to do some bad stuff, you are in trouble (guilty until proven innocent)
• Some post some bad stuff on your favorite blog, forum and website, the website could potentially be prosecuted and shutdown  (guilty until proven innocent).

What the consequences?

In order to protect oneself from getting into trouble with the law

• User would withhold from posting “criticism” comment against the government or corrupted parties, afraid being prosecuted under the new law (guilty until proven innocent)
• Website, Facebook and Blog owner would need to filter and moderate every comments (it could mean spending hours filtering through hundreds or thousands of comments everyday), and some might choose to disable commend or feedback due to the lack of manpower and time.
• People who are not too IT-savvy (could be our parents and family) suffer the high risk of online identity theft (someone stole their email or Facebook password to do bad stuff) or stolen Wifi password could suffer the consequences of others’ irresponsible action.

“Guilty until proven innocent” is an act of laziness and irresponsibility meant to intimidate and prevent the public from using the Internet as the platform for freedom of speech and expressions.

What is 114A Evidence Act?

If an online post is traced back to your username and is considered seditious or defamatory by the government, you are guilty until proven innocent.

(1) If your name, photograph or pseudonym appears in a publication, which depicts yourself to have some connection with the publication, either you as the owner, editor or etc., you are presumed to have published or re–published the contents of the publication;

(2) If a publication originates from a network service that you have registered and subscribed to, you are presumed to have published or re-published the contents of the publication; or

(3) If a publication originates from a computer which you have custody or control on it, you are presumed to have published or re-published the contents of the publication

What are the problems?

i) It presumes guilt rather than innocence, which contradicts the basis of many justice systems.

ii) It makes Internet intermediaries–parties that provide online community forums, blogging and hosting services–liable for content that is published through their services. This can result in the removal of comment functions, which has a huge impact on the interactive nature of online media favoured by Malaysians.

iii) It threatens freedom of expression online through fear. It also reduces the spaces for posting legitimate comments and opinions.

iv) It allows hackers and cyber criminals to be free by making the person whose account/computer is hacked liable for any content/data which might have changed.

v) It reduces opportunities to be anonymous online which is crucial in promoting a free and open Internet.

vi) It is a bad law passed in haste and does not take into account public interest and participation.

Support Internet Blackout Day (14 August 2012)

• Stop Section 114A Evidence Act
• Protect Internet Freedom
• Say No to "Guilty until proven Innocent"

Sources

• What is Section 114A?
• Evidence Act Section114a FAQs
• The Implicit Message of s. 114A of Evidence Act 1950 to All Malaysians
• Govt stealthily gazettes Evidence Act amendment, law is now in operation

Ramadan Special: Buka Puasa Guide

Wish all our Muslim friends 

Selamat Berpuasa and Ramadan Mubarak 

(Have a happy and blessed Ramadan).

Malaysia Most Wanted's guide to Berbuka Puasa:

• Malaysia Foodie Digest: Ramadan Special
• Recommendation by Cuisines: Malay, Halal, and Arabic (Middle Eastern)
• Location of Ramadan Bazaar
• and plenty of Ramadan Promotions

Invited: Ramadhan Preview “A Feast Full of Indulgence” at Seri Pacific Hotel

Malaysia Most Wanted Team was invited to the have a sneak preview of the Ramadhan Buffer offered by 5-star Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur (SPHKL) at Jalan Putra (next to PWTC, a stone throw away from the PWTC LRT station): A Feast Full of Indulgence.

The Ramadhan Buffet does live up to its reputation, offering a wide variety menu featuring over 500 different dishes every day. Chef de Cuisine Chef Saad Bin Othman (27 years of experience) and his team offer some of the best “must try” Malay dishes such as Pucuk Ubi Lemak Pedas Dengan Tempoyak, Daging Berlada Deng-Deng.

Chef de Cuisine Chef Saad Bin Othman 

The highlights of the buffet would be Sup Gear Box ‘Power’ (stewed for 6-7 hours) and Roasted Marinated Whole Lamb (kambing panggang). Chef Saad personally recommended assam pedas and kari kepala ikan.

Personally, I like the Fried Kway Teow, which is soft and tasty. The Kebab, Satay and Ikan Bakar are superb, while Nasi Briyani and the Western Dessert are equally delicious.

Other delights include Pasembur, Laksa Johor and Ulam-Ulam Kampung. There are variety of desserts to choose from such as Bubur, Air Batu Campur (ABC), assorted pastries and lots of local seasonal fruits including Durians. Cold beverages to quench the thirst such as Soya Bean, Air Kelapa, Bandung Syrup, Nescafe Tarik and Teh Tarik at “Latar Kijang Beverage Station”.

Live Music

LOS GOMOS

Besides great food and a real fantastic environment, diners are able to enjoy their breaking of fast in a cool and cozy atmosphere while being serenaded by their regular live musicians known as 'LOS GOMOS’. SPHKL also provides surau to enable visitors to perform Maghrib and Isha’ prayers without leaving the hotel.



A Charitable Course
Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur is also involved in their “Sentuhan Kasih Ramadhan” by selling Raya cookies at RM20.00 per jar with choices of 6 types of cookies (famous seri, chocolate chips, corn flake, peanut butter, pineapple tarts and cookies almond) where some of the proceeds of the sale will be channeled into the "Go Green Fund" of SPHKL and Sek Keb. Tanjung Pati Dungun, Terengganu. The disable kids of the school is also being adopted by SPHKL recently. There are 27 students with disabilities, aged from 7 to 14 years of down syndrome, autism, slow learner and slow development who come from families of low income. The hotel will assist in financing the needs of the disabled students.

Mrs Zarina Jaafar, Marketing Communications Manager of Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur, said that this contribution is in line with SPHKL commitment to bring cheer to the less fortunate, especially during festive seasons. "We hope this small contribution will ensure that children who are less fortunate can enjoy and celebrate this holy month just as everyone else," she said.

Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur believe these activities will continue to nurture the spirit of togetherness and cooperation among communities and SPHKL management. Ramadhan is a holy month and time to carry out charitable work, helping those less fortunate. SPHKL is proud to uphold religious values and social contributions to benefit the local community.

Ramadhan Buffet

Roasted Marinated Whole Lamb (kambing panggang) 

The Ramadhan buffet served from 23rd July till 16th August 2012 priced from RM80.00nett per adult, offers a wide spread of delicious exclusive range of dishes that will definitely satisfy your hunger pangs.

SPHKL is also offering a fantastic promotional rate for diners during the period of 23rd July to 25th July and 14th August to 16th August 2012. Buffet starts from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Ramadhan meeting packages are also available at RM330.00nett per person for one night accommodation in Superior Room including, Sahur, unlimited free internet usage of broadband in the room, use of meeting rooms, and PA system. Guest who want to spend the night are offered a special package of Ramadhan with RM185.00 ++ per room per night.

For dining reservations, please call 03-4042 5555 / Tol Free: 1800 888 555

Check out more detail and delicious photo at:
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/promotions/1685/seri-pacific-hotel-a-feast-of-indulgence

 

Malaysia Most Wanted Infographic: Story of a Food Nation

Who are we?
Malaysia Most Wanted Food is a restaurant review and social app for food, to help you discover good restaurants and share your gastronomic adventure with friends. It nurtures a social network for passionate foodies to share food reviews, photos and videos.

A look at the numbers?
270,000+ monthly visitors
1 million+ pageviews per month
8000+ restaurants
85,000+ photos
20,000+ reviews

Demographics
Gender: 43% Male, 56% Female
Age Group: 25-34

Mommy I Love You

The Great Things Mom Taught Me

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION...

"Just wait until your father gets home."

My Mother taught me LOGIC...

"If you fall out off that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE...

"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD...

"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."

My Mother taught me HUMOR...

"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

And last but not least...

My Mother taught me about JUSTICE...

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you....Then you'll see what it's like!"

Source: Aha! Jokes

In the meantime, don't forget to show your love and appreciation for mommy by spending time with them

For suggestions, check out 

Malaysia Foodie Digest: Mother's Day Special 

or 

Mother's Day Promotions

Restaurant Owner Guide: Minimal Guide to Online Presence

It is a fact that the younger generations rely on the Internet for a lot of things, including searching for restaurants and check out it’s reviews. In fact, more “not so young” generations are starting to embrace the Internet. With the mass adoption of smart phones and tablets, now we could access Internet anyway and anyplace. As a restaurant owner, you could no longer afford not to have an Internet presence, else you would risk “not to be found” online. Luckily, it is fairly simple and affordable (free for most of the time) to have an online presence.

Website or Blog
Every restaurant should have a website or blog, so that your potential customers could find out basic information about your establishment, such as cuisine, menu, photos, contact number, address and a map. A website might be slightly more complicated, costing at least RM600 to design and develop (could cost up to a few thousand, depending on your needs), with a yearly hosting fee of around RM 300. A blog on the other hand, is easier to setup (and update), and it’s FREE! You can try Blogger (also known as Blogspot) or check out Get Malaysian Business Online.

Facebook (Social Media)
Facebook is something which you cannot ignore, and you could use the Facebook page to connect with your customers. Facebook allow you to inform your customers about your latest offerings, and the customer could feedback directly to you. Setting up a Facebook account and Facebook Page is the easy part (most people below 25 knows how to do it, ask them for help if necessary). You should update your Facebook page with something new or interesting at least once a week (preferably 3 times a week).

What should restaurant owner update about? Perhaps new menu, new decoration, new dishes, festive promotions, or just showing the photos of happy customers or delicious looking food to get your customers interested. Besides updates, you should look into customer’s comment, complaint or inquiry and respond accordingly (be humble, and don’t try to delete all the bad comments; try to understand and improve). If you created a Facebook page but couldn’t be bothered to login frequently to shower it with some love, then you would end up with low “likes” and no customer participation, which means less people would care about your restaurant.

If you have extra time and energy, you could explore Twitter and Google+ as well.

Malaysia Most Wanted Food (Restaurant Review)
You should list your restaurant with a local restaurant review site or directory (usually free), such as Malaysia Most Wanted Food (ahem, shameless plug here). Up to 270,000 readers use our site to discover restaurants for various occasions every month, and it’s vital to keep your restaurant within their radar. Provide the complete information to avoid frustrating your potential customer due to missing address or contact number. To make your restaurant standout among the competitors, you should provide beautiful photo of your restaurant’s environment and delicious-looking food, as most customers do make decision based on visual appeal (and reviews) when dealing with a new restaurant. If you restaurant page isn’t complete or seems interesting, people will assume your restaurant have the same characteristics.

Marketing and Advertising
After you have established some online presence, you should embark on some online marketing campaign to attract visitors to your website or Facebook, so that they become aware of your restaurant and its offerings. How to do online marketing is a long topic for another time, but you could look into Google Adsense or Facebook Ad for your basic advertising needs.

Awesome Programmer, Co-Founder wanted for Food Sharing App

Looking for a Awesome Programmer + Co-Founder

to develop an awesome food sharing app, and change the world together :)

I read somewhere that co-founder is not someone you can find (but earned), and this post sounds like a “Girlfriend or Wife wanted” ads, but I still believe there is a good reason and purpose behind it. I know it’s not easy to build a team that jelled, and most start-up would probably fail, but I still think it's worth pursuing since I can't shake the idea (start-up and co-founder) off my head. I choose the path to go far.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” - African Proverb. 

For starter, let's learn something together about Co-Founder and Partnership through the following wisdom:

• The Co-Founder Mythology
• Choosing A Minimally Viable Co-Founder
• Dear Co-Founder: Open Letter to your Co-Founder
• Co-founder or employee? 

What is Malaysia Most Wanted?
Malaysia Most Wanted started as a property website 6 years ago, and Food & Restaurant is the second product. We developed an event listing and a price checker, and almost went on to do travel website. Our current plan is to focus on Food; she serves as a restaurant review and directory site at the moment, but we plan to slowly transform her into a food sharing app. [some snippets]



Some statistics: Malaysia Most Wanted food is hovering around 250-300K unique visitors per month, almost clocking 1M page views with 8000+ restaurants listed coupled with almost 20K reviews. Arguably, we are the No.1 restaurant reviews website in Malaysia.

Cruel fact: we have no business model except some AdSense dollar. Why do it? There must be some values when 1 million people use our app to search for restaurants every month.

What’s our target? Double everything within a year: 600K unique visitors and 2M page views per month, 16,000 restaurants listed, and 40K reviews. With you on board, we hope to make some inroad for mobile app.

Who should apply?

• Motivated to do a tech start-up, and ready to take on the hardship and uncertainty of start-up.
• Like the idea of food review & sharing app; better than Yelp in terms of usability, something nearer to the domain of foodspotting. 
• A passionate programmer, enjoy hacking on iOS and Android, and perhaps Facebook development as well.
• Decent UI/UX/Design sub-skillsets: the app needs to be useful, creative and beautiful, right? 
• Expected to work on the product for at least 2 years (expected to achieve business sustainability), and probably extend up to 4 years (if you are looking for a greater exits). Vesting is expected.
• We can’t afford to payout salary, but pocket money is possible.
• We are looking for a co-founder, not an Engineering Bitch.
• Part-time? As long as you can churn out a MVP iOS product within 3 months, make it really cool within 6 months, and make sure it kick-ass within a year. Don’t forget about Android as well.
• Preferably staying around Puchong, Selangor; ease of meet up and communication is an important part of bonding.
• No CS degree required.
• No monetary investment required.
• Do not apply if you are looking for short-term monetary remuneration; or have personal cash-flow issue. 

Why choose Malaysia Most Wanted? 

• You believe in the idea, right?
• We have good traction, and possibly market leadership position.
• Our current product doesn't sucks too much, and determined to improve it further.
• Perhaps you might like me? I have been going from freelance to developing Malaysia Most Wanted for past 6 years, so I have a bit of experience and perseverance in doing startups.
• Making millions is still a possible dream, but we shouldn't knock our head against the wall if we don’t make it.
• The business should be able to sustain the co-founders plus expenditure within 2 years (even though we do not have a business model). 
• Perhaps it could help to understand why are we looking for a co-founder.
• Just in case you missed out, I'm a coder as well :)
• One more thing: to change the world together :) How people look for good food, and share them with  others, shall never be quite the same again.

How it works?
Start-up partnership is like a marriage and courtship, and we are not going to get married on the first date. We would need to know each other, understand each other, respect each other and eventually trust each other. We shall go hangout and yum cha, talk about start-up and technology, and start working with each other by starting in some small ways. Besides passion, work compatibility and culture fit is equally important, IMHO :) (how can we work together if I hate your guts, or you found me annoying).

Though it might not sounds like a "passionate" affair, do consider the following:

It is increasingly popular to have “founder dating” or “startup weekend hackathons” of some variety or the other. We get cast together with a team of people we barely know and if we win we gleefully announce we’re going to do a company together. We don’t even know whether they snore. – Mark Suster, Both Sides of the Table


Feel free to drop me an email (the worse thing can happens is that we end up as friends, not partner, but preferably both):
desmond [dot] lua (at) malaysiamostwanted [dot] com


Forrest Gump: My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." 

It is time for a Malaysia Most Wanted Co-founder

It had been 3 months since Silicon Valley Comes 2 Malaysia, where during a discussion our team told Jawed Karim (co-founder of YouTube) that we are going to push through with Malaysia Most Wanted Food for another 3 months, before deciding on our future directions. After a few pitches and meet-ups, I think the general consensus is that we should be focused (preferably laser-focused); and I agree (we just don’t have enough resources in terms of time and money), thus I have leave the idea of Travelopy behind, cut down on Property, Event and Price, and focus on Malaysia Most Wanted Food. Why Food? It had gotten some good traction, an interesting market and plenty of ideas flushing out of my mind to make it better :)

After going fulltime on Malaysia Most Wanted for about 3 months, we manage to create a new UI for the entire site, keep track of restaurant promotions, allow restaurant search by map, fun ways to write reviews and do a monthly newsletter. I found that the progress is not quite up to par (could have more releases), the amount of work in the pipeline could easily take up another 6-12 months, and our mobile version (Android) haven’t quite got an update for almost a year (this is really bad). I have to accept the fact that the scope of work is beyond one person’s capability, and delaying for another 6 months to 1 year is not a good idea. I need a technical co-founder.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen, ca. 1980. Courtesy, Miller-Nagan Wealth Management Weblog
Source: High Tech History

Why not a business co-founder? I always imagine I would have a business/marketing co-founder, to complement the skills which I don’t have, inspired by the dream team of Steve Jobs/Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates/Paul Allen and Max Levchin/Peter Thiel. I notice an article which mentions that “MBA etc are actually worth -$250k to the valuation of a startup whereas an engineer is worth +$500k”. I am guessing unless we have a solid business model in place and ready to monetize, we don’t really need an MBA; I believe a business model is settled through iteration, trial and exploration, not from the magical light bulb of a business person.

Why a technical co-founder? I think the most valuable assets of a tech start-up are its early programmers, especially in the consumer Internet space. We need to create useful, creative and beautiful product to gain adoptions, and that is not an easy task (I am still learning and iterating), and we need awesome programmers to do that. I wish I could do everything, but it’s just not possible due to time constraint and probably not advisable as well. I could manage the web-based side pretty well nowadays, could probably delve into the mobile web version as well; but I need help on the mobile side, someone to do an iPhone app, Android and probably an Facebook app as well. It’s time to harness the power of two :)

Why not employ a programmer? First of all, I don’t have the money to pay for the programmer. I don’t believe we should subcontract our core products to freelancer as well, as it sounds suicidal. I could probably raise some angel money and use that to employ a programmer, but I would prefer to give the equity to the programmer instead and let him or her to part of the family. For a small start-up like us, I need someone who could be my equal (or better than me), take initiative to suggest new ideas and says, “let’s do this!”; I don’t really need someone who ask “What do you want me to do” at this critical stage in time. I believe the first employee, should be a co-founder.

Why do it now? I guess I am a bit paranoid about getting a “stranger” as partner because breakup is hard, it’s like afraid of marriage due to worrying about a bad divorce. Partnership is like marriage, so it’s a big decision for me. Friends of my age prefer security, that’s why I went ahead solo; I need to explore beyond my usual social group, meeting people I don’t usually hangout with. It might sounds risky, but I believe it’s the right thing to do. Another reason I didn’t try to get a co-founder in the early stage is that I don’t have the heart to ask my friend to quit his job and so something crazy with me, with no promise of success or money. Now, we are slightly better off with something viable in hand.

Picking a co-founder is your most important decision. It’s more important than your product, market, and investors.
The ideal founding team is two individuals, with a history of working together, of similar age and financial standing, with mutual respect. One is good at building products and the other is good at selling them (ops!). - Venture Hacks

Will you be my co-founder, so that we can change the world together?
Email me:
desmond [dot] lua (at) malaysiamostwanted com

PS: will do a courtship write-up next courtship write-up is ready :)

What is Malaysia Most Wanted Food?

Malaysia Most Wanted is a restaurant review and social app for food (yet to be done), to help people to find good restaurants or share their gastronomic adventure with friends, by building a community of passionate foodie to share reviews, photos and videos.

You can

• Search (find a specific restaurant or dish).
• Discover (explore through location names, map, cuisine, top 10 listing; follow a food guide which suites your personal taste or select a place based it's delicious-looking photos).
• Share (writing reviews about your favorite restaurants, or snapping photos of your highly recommended dishes, and create your personalized food guide).

270,000 people use Malaysia Most Wanted to discover makan (eating) places every month, with 8000+ restaurants listed complete with 85,000+ photo and 20,000+ reviews.

Happy Hunting with Malaysia Most Wanted Food

Food Hunting with Google Map

Do you know that Malaysia Most Wanted helps you

• Easily Search for Food or Restaurant (or Google it)
• Browse for Restaurant by Location or Cuisine
• Check out our Best Of list: Top 100 Restaurants in Malaysia or something Romantic for valentine? 

Now, you can easily browse for food & restaurant using Google Map. Search for a particular place and it will show all the nearby restaurants. In fact, it'll automatically show all the restaurants near you. Cool?

Have fun :)

Malaysia Food & Restaurant Map

Wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 新年快乐，心想事成

Malaysia Most Wanted wish you a very

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

May all you wishes come true :)

新年快乐，身体健康，财源广进，心想事成

Looking for some 

Chinese New Year Restaurant Promotion?

Iteration of the One-Sentence Pitch

It seems the simplest thing is the hardest is true, and to create the “perfect” one liner pitch. I am thinking about how to simplify it while adding more information into it at the same time, for quite a while now. Inspired by “Startups: Give Us Your Best One-Sentence Pitch”, I’m going to give it some time to try it out.

The basic format is: 
My Company, (Company Name) is developing (a defined offering) to help (a target audience) (solve a problem) (with secret sauce).

At the end, the final polished example is: My Company, Socialista, is developing an ecommerce site to help new parents, who are female, shop for hip baby products at wholesale prices with automated ordering of diapers and other staples. (Lesson learned: drill down with more specific and detail).

1st Draft:
My Company, Malaysia Most Wanted, is developing a restaurant review site to help food lover discover good restaurants based on recommendations from food reviewers.

When people ask me what is Malaysia Most Wanted, I would say, “It’s an online food guide, like Yelp”. Sadly, very little people from this part of the world heard of Yelp. Then I would add, “It’s like TripAdvisor, but for Food.” Most people head of TripAdvisor, and I guess most would relate that it’s a website to help you look for food and restaurants, perhaps some would understand the community reviews part. But today the one-sentence pitch is not targeted towards the average Joe.

Target Audience
“A restaurant review” sites seems pretty accurately define the offering, but the target audience section could still use some work. Food Lover? Hmm, most people would qualify as food lover and on the lookout for places for lunch and dinner, one time or another. My initial shot is EVERYONE, which sounds even worse. Who wouldn’t use a restaurant review site? Probably my mom and dad, as they are not avid Internet users, and they get their feeds from newspaper and TV. So, the Internet Savvy? I guess 90% of the startup are doing something related to Internet, thus no one bothered to phrase “Internet Savvy” (there is a possibility for Mobile-enabled). Based on the demographic provided by Alexa, my users seem to be female, childless, age 25-45 with postgraduate educations, and browse from work (I could agree with that). Does that mean my target audience is young working adult? It still sounds funny. And not to forget about country specific: Malaysia.

Solve a Problem
So what kind of problem am I solving? The basic idea is to make it extremely easy to find suitable restaurants for daily lunch or dinner, and some place special for anniversary, birthday, etc. If I already know the place, I wouldn’t need this application, so “discover” sounds suitable. Discover what? Discover new restaurants? Discover suitable restaurants for specific occasions? Discover suitable restaurants for daily gastronomic satisfaction or special occasions? I am not sure that it’s getting better or worse.

Secret Sauce
What is the Secret Sauce? On the basic level, we would need large quantity of data, so that there is a good pool to choose from. Then we need quality reviews, so that we could separate the good from the lousy ones. Then we need either more features or user experience enhancement, to make it really easy to use and relevant (something which really work, and users would return to use it again). Yelp probably nail the data quantity part (in US, at least), and high number of reviews (quality is debatable), and user experience should be ranked “standard” (nothing to wow about, but it is usable and works well). So, how could we be better than Yelp, or being different? I really hate this question at times, where in my mind I would be tempted to say “we are simply better, look at our numbers (for Malaysia market); we must be doing something right, right?” But in reality, I know that wouldn’t work: No one shall believe Malaysia Most Wanted is better than Yelp, and better in what? Data? Traction? Reviews? User Experience? Relevant Results? Branding?
Malaysia Most Wanted beat other competitors in Malaysia market in terms of data quantity and user traction, but the market leadership is not really “tested” because no big players invaded the market yet: Yelp had yet to come, HungryGoWhere is still very much a Singapore thing, and Google Places is still a potential threat (not immediate). So our secret sauce is that we are the best in Malaysia? Sounds good, but not quiet suitable. Google+ succeeds because of Circle and Hangout, or because Google have the talent, money and user base to leverage on?

Personally, I know Malaysia Most Wanted is good (data and traction), but not great (a lot more to be accomplished). An army of startups storm into the market (idea), a handful come out alive (data and traction), and very few became victorious. What is the secret sauce to become victorious? After data and users, I believe the next step would be quality and user experience (and profitable is the story for another day). Quality Recommendations from Food Expert, like the Michelin and Zagat guide? If so, how are we better than these guides? Power of pooling a larger community with better transparency? Talking about Power, Google just acquired Zagat and integration with Google Places is just a matter of time. But if Google is doing it, there must be good value in quality and branded recommendations. Let focus on what Zagat (or Michelin) is all about? Based on the about page, I picked up the following keywords: Gastronomic Bible, Influential, Trusted, “Frequent, Knowledgeable and Experienced Surveyors”, Up-to-date, and Reliable. On the downside, these guides could be “closed” (book only, or pay to subscribe) and not widely accessible through the Internet, and sometimes less coverage on commoner’s food (e.g. Michelin's Red Guide).

Conclusion of Secret Sauce: Trusted Recommendations by Experience Food Reviewers validated by consumers. Though it might sound confusing, but it means not only the reviewers rate the restaurant, but the consumers will rate the reviewers rating as well (whether they agree or disagree with this reviews).

Final Draft
My Company, Malaysia Most Wanted, is developing a restaurant review site, to help young Malaysian discover suitable restaurants for daily gastronomic satisfaction and special occasions, based on reliable recommendations by trustworthy reviewers validated by consumers.

This is what Malaysia Most Wanted aim to be. Like our pitch at TechCrunch if you like it (though TechCrunch selected some of the best once-sentence pitch).

Let us know how to make it (the pitch or the idea) better :)

2012 is the Beginning; not the End

May 2012 be a great year, with a fresh start and new hope for all of us.

Stop giving excuses, step up the action and make a better tomorrow for ourselves, and everyone.

May all of us have a prosperous and fruitful 2012 :)

Merry Christmas :)

Merry Christmas

keep sharing the love for food in 2012 :)

stay hungry, stay foodie

check out some Christmas Promotions

Press Release: Malaysia Most Wanted joint ventures with Worthy Media

16 Dec 2011, Malaysia – Worthy Media, publisher of Worthy Book (www.worthybook.my), has formed a joint venture with MalaysiaMostWanted.com which will see the pair offering a complete online and offline advertisement and promotion (A&P) offering to F&B brands in Klang Valley.

Worthy Book is a discount voucher booklet with over 100 top Malaysian brands, with the likes of Kenny Rogers, Sushi Zanmai, Krispy Kreme, Manhattan Fish Market etc in its 2010/2011 edition and will soon be releasing their 2012 Food & Beverage (F&B) edition in all major bookstores by first quarter of following year. Food enthusiasts can expect more attractive food vouchers (including free samplers) in the book, valid for the whole year long.  MalaysiaMostWanted.com attracts approximately 300,000 unique visitors per month and owns the number one online food & restaurant guide in Malaysia (http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com), helping people find great places to dine based on reviews and recommendations of a vibrant and active community of locals in the know.

"This partnership represents an optimal convergence of traditional and new media platforms and underlines our commitment to promoting the best F&B brands of Klang Valley, a region that we regard as a food haven and by joining forces with Malaysia’s top food portal, MalaysiaMostWanted.com, we take this to a whole new level, benefiting our clients as well as Malaysian consumers at large with greater impact," said Ken, co-founder of Worthy Book.

Desmond Lua, founder of MalaysiaMostWanted.com, shared “I am delighted to have found passionate food-lovers like myself in the Worthy Book team and I believe this partnership will fully complement and enhance our mutual offerings.  We look forward to continuously providing value-added, useful and relevant content to our readers.  ”

Interested F&B advertisers are welcome to contact the Worthy Media team at info@worthymedia.my or 03-2264-3115.

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12月16日讯，雪隆区 – 消费指南兼优惠礼卷手册Worthy Book (www.worthybook.my)出版商 – 我的媒体有限公司（Worthy Media）今日与MalaysiaMostWanted.com成立了一個合营企业，并将提供雪隆区一带餐饮业务完整在线与离线的广告与宣传（A&P）产品服务。

Worthy Book是个拥有超过一百家马来西亚顶尖品牌参与的优惠手册，在其2010/2011版本里包括了Tony Roma’s, Sakae Sushi，旺角茶餐厅，紫藤，Krispy Kreme, Manhattan Fish Market等其他品牌。公司即将在2012新春第一季在各大书店商推出最新的Worthy Book – Food & Beverage (F&B) 餐饮特版。美食爱好者可以期望在书中得到物有所值的餐饮食券（包括免费试餐券），有效期为全年长。MalaysiaMostWanted.com每月迎来近于300,000游客浏览，拥有马来西亚第一餐饮指南网站，http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/，专提供针对餐饮业的便利资料以及道地一带社区对餐饮所的评论。

“这次的合作意识着一个最理想的传统与现代媒体平台的结合，同时在有‘美食天堂’之称的雪隆区彰显出我们对促进餐饮业优良品牌的宣传热诚。” Worthy Book的共同创立者，Ken说道。“透过与马来西亚第一餐饮指南网站MalaysiaMostWanted.com的合作，更借此介入一个全新境界，让我们的客户以及马来西亚的消费者，得到最大的受益。

MalaysiaMostWanted.com的创立人，Desmond Lua也分享道，“我很高兴能在Worthy Book团员中找到美食爱好者的知己。此外，我也相信这次的合作能同时补助与加强彼此共有的产品服务。我们向往陆续提供有价值并且有用的相关内容予我们的读者。”

有兴趣刊登广告宣传的餐饮业者，可发电邮到info@worthymedia.my，或拨打 ：03-2264-3115，联系Worthy Media成员。

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16 Dis 2011, Lembah Klang – Worthy Media, penerbit buku baucer lumayan “Worthy Book” (www.worthybook.my), telah menyertai usahasama dengan MalaysiaMostWanted.com dimana pemasangan tersebut sekarang menawarkan peluang pengiklanan dan promosi (A & P) yang lebih meluas  kepada industri hidangan selera di Lembah Klang, biarpun online mahupun secara percetakan dan jerayawara.

Worthy Book adalah sebuah buku baucer tawaran dan diskaun yang memaparkan lebih daripada 100 jenama terkemuka di Malaysia, termasuk Kenny Rogers, Sushi Zanmai, Tony Roma, Krispy Kreme, Manhattan Fish Market dan lain-lain dalam edisi 2010/2011-nya. Edisi seterusnya merupai edisi khas jamuan selera yang akan dijual di semua kedai-kedai buku utama menjelang suku pertama tahun depan. Peminat makanan boleh menikmati baucer makanan dan minuman yang lebih menarik (termasuk hidangan percuma secara percubaan) dengan tempoh sah penggunaan baucer sepanjang setahun. MalaysiaMostWanted.com menarik kira-kira 300,000 pelawat unik sebulan kepada laman web halaman-nya, menjadikan http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com sebagai panduan makanan & restoran online yang nombor satu di Malaysia. Ia membantu pengguna mencari kedai makan yang menarik untuk menjamu selera berdasarkan ulasan dan syor-syor daripada pengunjung mahupun penggemar makanan yang terdiri daripada komuniti penduduk sekitar.

"Usahasama ini merupakan satu kombinasi yang optimum dengan gabungan saluran media konvensional dan Internet, dan ia menyatakan komitmen kami untuk memaparkan jenama hidangan selera yang terbaik di Lembah Klang secara meluas,” kata Ken Kho, salah satu pengusaha Worthy Book. “Seiring penghubungan portal makanan termasyur di Malaysia, kita menuju tahap yang baru dengan harapan ia akan memberi lebih manfaat kepada klien kami dan juga pengalaman yang lebih berkesan kepada pelanggan Malaysia".

Desmond Lua, pengasas MalaysiaMostWanted.com, berkongsi pendapat "Saya berbesar hati menjumpai peminat makanan seperti saya dalam kumpulan Worthy Book dan saya percaya usahasama ini serasi dengan matlamat dan hasrat kami selama ini untuk memberi tawaran yang lebih menarik dan lengkap. Dengan penuh ghairah dan semangat, kami akan senantiasa menyediakan kandungan yang lebih bernilai, berguna dan tepat kepada pembaca kami."

Pengusaha premis hidangan selera yang berminat untuk mengiklan dialu-alukan menghubungi pihak Worthy Media di info@worthymedia.my atau 03-2264-3115.