MIGF 2014 Awards & Celebration Party
Attended by over 1,000 VIPs - including royalty, 23 foreign ambassadors, celebrities, captains of industry and international food writers - the MIGF Awards and Celebration Party, signalling the finale of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2014, was an explosive affair.
Attended by over 1,000 VIPs - including royalty, 23 foreign ambassadors, celebrities, captains of industry and international food writers - the MIGF Awards and Celebration Party, signalling the finale of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2014, was an explosive affair.
Smoke, flame, red hot dancers, magical tricks and
glittering awards ceremonies made it one of the most memorable finales ever - a
fitting and relaxing end to a month of scintillating dining, wonderful Festival
togetherness and countless servings of Festival Menus.
For the MIGF Awards and
Celebration Party, the Taman Mahsuri atrium within the Royale Chulan Hotel
Kuala Lumpur took on the appearance of a mystical enchanted garden, while the
adjacent ballroom was an even more lavish affair with giant candelabras and an
imposing stage.
In keeping with the Festival
theme of 'Red Hot Chefs!' the event began with fearless fire-eaters entering
the atrium twirling flaming batons and swallowing flames whole. The Festival
Chefs then arrived on stage with much fanfare presenting a picture of happy
camaraderie until suddenly eight 'chefs' broke forward, threw off their chefs'
garbs and transformed into red hot dancers.
The crowd burst into excited
applause!
Master magician Moudini –
also disguised as a chef – then burst forth, setting the Festival Magazine on
fire before turning the flames into a shower of red chillies and doves.
A black
curtained box was wheeled onto the stage, the curtain pulled and then, with a
huge bang and burst of flames, MIGF Organising Chairman Dato' Steve Day made
his appearance.
After more tricks from the
mischievous Moudini (including two ducks making a cameo appearance!) Dato'
Steve was cajoled back into the box where he was shrunk until his head and feet
were less than an arm's length apart!
Once restored to full height,
Dato' Steve thanked the Red Hot Chefs, fire eaters, dancers and the magical
Moudini before going on to praise the 'collective effort' of all the Festival
Restaurants, Festival Sponsors, Media Partners and Festival diners in making
MIGF 2014 such a success.
“Let the party begin!” he
enthusiastically concluded, and so it did – with good food, drink, and friends.
It was the restaurants' night off and courtesy of the Vision Four Media Group,
Festival restaurants and guests enjoyed the best of traditional cuisine from
each state of Malaysia.
A lively Latin band, energetic salsa dancers and
free-flowing drinks made sure it was a long night of continuous revelry.
It was soon time for the MIGF
Awards Ceremony. Accompanied by Dato' Steve, Festival Royal Patron Tunku
Naquiyuddin ibni Tunku Ja'afar presented medals to the Festival Chefs followed
by golden statuettes which the winners jubilantly thrust into the air to
raucous cheers from their supporters. All aspects of the Festival Restaurants'
participation, from the menu and marketing down to the quality of service and
the best value offers were honoured.
The title of Chef Congeniality, presented to the most admired and amiable chef of the Festival, judged by a secret ballot among the Festival chefs, was awarded to Chef Valmurugam Subramaniam of Samplings on the Fourteenth.
"I
am amazed and proud that my fellow chefs should vote for me,” said the popular
Chef Val.
The best was saved for last –
the Golden
Cauldron Award, which honoured the best all-round restaurant in
MIGF. All restaurants had performed splendidly, but there could only be one
winner; and that was announced as Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie.
The modest Chef
Nathalie, an MIGF regular for the past few years, was a popular winner.
"I'm so proud of my team,” said the petite French maestro. "Nothing
would have been possible without them. This is such a fantastic honour and a
great moment for us all,” she said amid tears of joy.
After Chef Nathalie
Arbefeuille was presented with the towering trophy, her excited
team rushed forward to make an impromptu appearance on the stage, screaming
themselves hoarse amid the applause of assembled Festival Chefs and cheers of
the VIP audience.
The celebrations continued
well into the night as the curtain fell on MIGF 2014, a perfect end to a month
of culinary creativity. Look out for MIGF 2015 – it only gets better from here!
MIGF 2014 was sponsored by
Tourism Malaysia with The Vision Four Media Group as the Principal Festival
Partner. The Official Imaging Partner was Fujifilm Malaysia and Official Beer,
Kronenbourg 1664. The Festival Media Partners were Astro, Asian Food Channel,
Astro Radio, Seni Jaya, Vision Four and Vision KL
Recognition
for All
The MIGF Awards and Celebration
Party is a rare time, not only for the Festival Chefs, but also for the
restaurant management, kitchen, and service staff to enjoy the limelight due to
their traditional behind-the-scenes roles.
“Everyone involved in MIGF is a winner.
Everyone deserves a medal. It has been a privilege to work with all of you!”
declared the Organising Chairman, Dato’ Steve Day.
As Chef
Nathalie was bestowed the Golden Cauldron
Award, her excited team rushed
forward to make an impromptu appearance on the stage, screaming themselves
hoarse amid the shower of confetti, applause of assembled Festival Chefs, and cheers
of the VIP audience.
MIGF regular, the modest Chef
Nathalie, was a popular winner and when she heard the result she was full of
emotion.
“I’m so proud of my team,” said
the petite French maestro. “Nothing would have been possible without them. This
is such a fantastic honour and a great moment for us all,” she passionately stated.
The normally
exuberant Chef Val of
Samplings on the Fourteenth had to wipe away tears as he was recognised by his
peers as the most congenial chef of MIGF 2014.
“Any one of my
brother chefs could have won this award,” he said. ”I am really honoured that
they voted for me.”
The Awards
The theme
'Red Hot Chefs!' provided the backdrop for the Festival Restaurants to test
their mettle against their peers in some of the most creative interpretations
of the theme, ranging from spicy servings and sizzling decorations to fire
breathers, fireworks and even a chef arriving
by helicopter!
Awards were given for creativity,
innovation, presentation and value of the Festival Menu, quality of service,
effective marketing strategies, best use of the Festival theme, best restaurant
station designs and the number of Taste Sovereigns and Gourmet Dollars
collected and portions sold during the Gala Launch and Taste MIGF.
Judging
Proving that it was a Festival for all, VIP judges and public
diners alike made their opinions heard by way of their votes, selecting the
restaurants that excelled in all arenas of MIGF – the Gala Launch, Taste MIGF
and the Festival Menus as well as at the restaurants themselves during the
month of October.
Festival Background
MIGF 2014
marked the 14th year of the Festival. MIGF began as the KL International
Gourmet Festival in 2001 with 13 restaurants – then about all the fine
dining restaurants there were in Kuala Lumpur. From humble beginnings, MIGF is
now one of Malaysia's most recognizable international tourist brands. It has
played a major part in helping Malaysia’s fine dining industry evolve from a
virtually zero base to the vibrant premium dining scene we see today. As a
result, it received international recognition by winning the PATA Gold Award
for Marketing for establishing Malaysia as one of the leading world
destinations for food tourism.
Full List of Award Winners MIGF2014
Golden Cauldron Award for the Best
All-Round Restaurant 2014
Overall Winner: Cuisine
Gourmet by Nathalie
Winners: La Scala, Marini’s
on 57, Tanzini, Ten Japanese Fine Dining, The Olive
Chef Congeniality 2014
Winner: Chef Valmurugan
Subramaniam
Special MIGF Festival Awards
Most Popular Overall Restaurant at
the VIP Gala Launch
Winner: Cuisine Gourmet by
Nathalie
Most Popular Overall Restaurant at
Taste MIGF
Award Winner: Ten Japanese
Fine Dining
Most Outstanding Marketing of the
Festival
Award Winner: Resorts World
Genting
Most Outstanding Overall Festival
Experience
Award Winner: Seasonal
Tastes, The Westin Langkawi
Most Popular Restaurants
Most Popular Restaurant at the VIP
Gala Launch Taste Sovereigns Collected
Winners: Chambers, Chynna,
Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie, Imperial Rama, Marble 8, Ten Japanese Fine Dining
Most Popular Restaurant at the VIP
Gala Launch Portions Sold
Winners: Charcoal, Chynna,
Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie, Imperial Rama, Samplings on the Fourteenth, Ten
Japanese Fine Dining
Most Popular Restaurant at Taste MIGF
Gourmet Dollars Collected
Winners: Chambers, Graze,
Grill 582, La Scala, Minori, Ten Japanese Fine Dining
Most Popular Restaurant at Taste MIGF
Portions Sold
Winners: Aliyaa, Cuisine
Gourmet by Nathalie, Minori, Nerovivo, Samplings on the Fourteenth, Ten
Japanese Fine Dining
Taste MIGF Awards - Judges’ Choice
Most Creative Restaurant Station at
Taste MIGF
Winners: Hilton KL, NEO
Tamarind, Resorts World Genting, Signature by the Hill, Tanzini, The Marini’s
Group
Most Creative Food Presentation at
Taste MIGF
Winners: Cuisine Gourmet by
Nathalie, La Scala, Marble 8, Nook, Seasonal Tastes, Signature by the Hill
Most Innovative Cuisine at Taste MIGF
Winners: Aliyaa, Cuisine
Gourmet by Nathalie, La Scala, Marini’s on 57, Nook, Tanzini
Taste MIGF Awards – People’s Choice
Most Creative Restaurant Station at
the Gala Launch
Winners: Aliyaa, Hilton KL,
Nook, Resorts World Genting, The Marini’s Group, Zender’s Bar & Grill
Most Creative Food Presentation at
Taste MIGF
Winners: Graze, Marini’s on
57, NEO Tamarind, Nook, Seasonal Tastes, Tanzini
Most Innovative Cuisine at Taste MIGF
Winners: Imperial Rama, La
Scala, NEO Tamarind, Tanzini, Ten Japanese Fine Dining, The Olive
Festival Awards - Judges’ Choice
Best Marketed Restaurant
Winners: Dynasty/Sagano
(Renaissance KL Hotel), Imperial Rama/LTITUDE/The Olive (Resorts World Genting),
Seasonal Tastes (Westin Langkawi), Signature by the Hill, Tanzini, Bunga
Emas/L’Heritage (The Royale Chulan KL)
Best Value Menu of the Festival
Winners: Aliyaa, Bunga
Emas, Charcoal, Chynna, Dynasty, L’Heritage
Most Creative Menu of the Festival
Winners: Bunga Emas,
Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie, Marini’s on 57, Tanzini, Ten Japanese Fine Dining,
The Olive
Best Festival Offers
Winners: Aliyaa, Charcoal,
Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie, Dynasty, Tanzini, Ten Japanese Fine Dining
Festival Awards - Diners’ Choice
Best Festival Dining Experience
Winners: Hilton KL, La
Scala, LTITUDE, Marble 8, Marini’s on 57, Seasonal Tastes, Tanzini, The Olive
Most Outstanding Service Team of the
Festival
Winners: Bunga Emas,
Charcoal, Hilton KL, LTITUDE, Renaissance KL Hotel, Samplings on the
Fourteenth, Seasonal Tastes, The Olive
Most Outstanding Canapés of the
Festival
Winners: Cuisine Gourmet by
Nathalie, Grill 582, LTITUDE, Maison Francaise, Ten Japanese Fine Dining, The
Olive
Most Outstanding Soup of the Festival
Winners: Dynasty, Imperial
Rama, L’Heritage, Maison Francaise, Marble 8, Samplings on the Fourteenth
Most Outstanding Palate Cleanser of
the Festival
Winners: Bunga Emas, Graze,
Grill 582, La Scala, L’Heritage, Ten Japanese Fine Dining
Most Outstanding Starter/Appetiser
(Warm) of the Festival
Winners: Cuisine Gourmet by
Nathalie, La Scala, LTITUDE, Marini’s on 57, Samplings on the Fourteenth,
Zender’s
Most Outstanding Starter/Appetiser
(Cold) of the Festival
Winners: NEO Tamarind,
Nook, Samplings on the Fourteenth, Tanzini, Ten Japanese Fine Dining, The Olive
Most Outstanding Mains of the
Festival – Meat
Winners: Chambers, Chynna,
Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie, La Scala, Marble 8, Ten Japanese Fine Dining
Most Outstanding Mains of the
Festival – Fish/Poultry
Winners: Charcoal, Dynasty,
Imperial Rama, Marini’s on 57, Sagano, The Olive
Most outstanding Mains – Others
Winners: Aliyaa Island Restaurant & Bar,
Chynna, La Scala, Marble 8, Marini's on 57, Nerovivo
Most Outstanding Dessert of the
Festival
Winners: Cuisine Gourmet by
Nathalie, La Scala, LTITUDE, Marini’s on 57, L’Heritage, Minori
Most
Outstanding Wine Pairing
Winners: Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie, La
Scala, Maison Française, Marini’s on 57, Seasonal Tastes, The Olive
Best Value Menu of the Festival
Winners: Aliyaa, Chynna,
Dynasty, L’Heritage, Seasonal Tastes, Ten Japanese Fine Dining
Best Use of Festival Theme
Winners: Bunga Emas,
L’Heritage, Nerovivo, Seasonal Tastes, Samplings on the Fourteenth, The Olive
Best Restaurant Ambiance
Winners: Chambers Bar &
Grill, Chynna, LTITUDE, Marble 8, Marini’s on 57, Tanzini
LONG LIVE FOODIES!
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