BY: Jaswir Kaur

Officiating at the launching ceremony last month was Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Zainal Abidin Zain and the State Secretary of Bali Province Drs I. Nyoman Yasa.

The Lagenda, originally a 24-hour coffeehouse called Puspita Restaurant, was upgraded and fully renovated as a Malaysian halal restaurant offering authentic Malaysian and international cuisine.

Dancers from Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) entertained over 150 guests from the travel trade, airlines, government agencies and media reps from Malaysia and Indonesia.

The hawker-style stalls served Malaysian favourites like Penang fried kway teow, mamak fried mee, nasi lemak, chicken satay, curry mee, roti jala, ketupat, squid and cockle sambal, fruit rojak and spring rolls.

For dessert, there was wajik, kueh bahulu, ice kacang, fruit, lime syrup and the all-time Malaysian favourite, teh tarik.

The Malaysian chef also dished out Balinese-style fish satay. The marinated tuna, grilled over a charcoal stove and served without any gravy, was a top favourite with visiting Malaysians.

With its traditional Malaysian d?cor, the Lagenda restaurant overlooks the hotel swimming pool and can accommodate about 150 guests.

The buffet spread, served from 6pm to 11pm daily, is priced at Rupiah 80,000 nett (about RM30) per person.

"A person can fall in love with a nation because of its food. If the food is good, people will be drawn to come. The Lagenda Malaysian Food Garden lets both locals and tourists satisfy their craving for Malaysian food here in Bali," said Datuk Zainal.

"As Malaysians, we have an added advantage because of the uniqueness of our cultural diversity, not only in language but also the variety of food of the various races."

Malaysians topped the list of tourist arrivals from Asean to Bali, and were the fifth largest group in international arrivals from Asia after Japan, Australia, Korea and China.