The Malaysian Insider :: Food

McDonald’s reports dip in sales as competition beefs up

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 04:18 PM PST

NEW YORK, Nov 10 — Burger behemoth McDonald's is blaming increased competition from fast-food rivals and decreased consumer demand on a worldwide dip in sales last month, as mid-sized chains also make aggressive expansion moves abroad.

Sales at McDonald's dipped around the world in October compared to the same period last year. — AFP pic

According to the company's latest global comparable sales report, it seems consumers in Asia, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa are taking their money elsewhere, as sales in those regions fell the most at 2.4 per cent in October compared to the same period the year before.

The dip in sales, meanwhile, coincides with a few significant shake-ups to the fast-food landscape in Asia and the Middle East.

For example, after pulling out of Japan in 2009, Wendy's re-entered the market last year.

Other major competitors include MOS Burger, the second-largest fast-food franchise in Japan after McDonald's with 1,305 restaurants in Japan and 200 outlets in China. Last year, the brand announced ambitious plans to beef up its international presence by opening outposts in Europe and the US.

Meanwhile, popular mid-sized US burger brands like Smashburger, Shake Shack and Fatburger are also expanding beyond their borders.

Popular New York burger institution Shake Shack, for instance, opened its first international outposts in Dubai and Kuwait recently, while Denver-based Smashburger announced plans to take its brand to the Middle East as part of international expansion plans.

Fatburger likewise will be exported out to Asia, in countries like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

Sales also dipped in the US and Europe by 2.2 per cent, the company said, where mid-sized burger chains are becoming big-time rivals, and where alternative fast and casual foods including brands like Chipotle, Subway and Pret a Manger and fast ethnic fare are encroaching on their sales.

Overall, global comparable sales decreased by 1.8 per cent in October. — AFP-Relaxnews

An Indian celebration in Kota Damansara

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 03:46 PM PST

The Bangalore Fish Curry... my favourite at RK Restaurant. — Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw

PETALING JAYA, Nov 10 — The mango lassi came in a small earthernware jar and piqued my interest in what was to follow at RK Restaurant in Kota Damansara here. Our curiosity was further stirred by the appearance of a small charcoal brazier at the next table, skewers of meat placed across it, and the cloud of smoke that enveloped them.

That was what we were having for dinner too at this Indian restaurant. It turned out to be the RK BBQ Special. Threaded through the skewers were chunks of smoky boneless chicken, tender, moist and exploding with flavours of spices, herbs and garlic. It was so delicious.

RK Restaurant is just nine months old; it serves a range of Indian food from Bangalore and Goa to southern India. I'm always delighted to find a restaurant that has its own unique take on classic Indian dishes, and adding on some unusual ones as well.

RK BBQ Specila... skewers of marinated chicken finished over a charcoal brazier.

One of these is the Tandoori Aloo. A thin slice of potato is rolled up with a filling of chopped cashews, potato, chilli, carrot, onion and ginger. It yields nutty, fragrantly spiced bites, with the potato "skin" remaining crunchy. A mint raita dip is served with this, but it is already so tasty eaten on its own.

Another was the Vegetable Shami Kebab, made with potato, carrot, onion and cauliflower, with a cottage cheese ball in the centre. Eaten hot, you encounter melted cheese and a mushy centre after the crispy outer layer. It tasted good dipped in the mint raita.

The Romali Roti — a thin, handkerchief-like naan — came, and we ate this hot, with the Mutton Rogan Josh. It was superb, with every bit of the tender mutton imbued with the aromatic spice mix, with just the right heat from chilli. I had a second helping of this.

Mehti Chaman... one of the more unusual dishes at RK.

Methi Chaman is another unusual dish at this restaurant. Methi is fenugreek leaves which are cooked with tomato, onions and cashewnuts. Cottage cheese strands strewn across the dish. It's creamy, and it's a fine balance of sweet and sour.

The Special Chicken Bryani had been covered with a piece of dough and baked in the tandoor, as in a dum bryani. This thin dough was lifted up to reveal some of the longest grains of basmati rice I have ever seen!

The Special Chicken Bryani is a must-try.

Exquisitely spiced and tinged with saffron, they were almost two centimetres long. I loved the rice, that had buried within it chunks of well marinated, spicy chicken. The bryani was served with a yoghurt sauce and a tart curry which tempted us to eat even more rice.

Dhal Makhni has five different varieties of dhal in it, and I could pick out the black dhal and creamy red kidney beans in a texturally rich stew. It takes hours to cook this dish which originates from Punjab. It goes so well with the thin butter naan.

The RK Chicken Curry Special is a mild creamy curry, almost velvety in the mouth. It had hard-boiled eggs in it, together with chicken, and it is streaked with cream on top. Take a bite of the chicken and it delivers the oomph of all the spices in the curry.

The Bangalore Fish Curry stood out among all the curries we had, for its rich red colour derived from tomatoes and chilli. We ate this with white basmati rice, and I enjoyed the sour notes in the curry, and of course all the wonderful aromas of the spices in it.

The mango lassi comes in an earthenware jar.

The Pistachio Kulfi we had at the end was generously studded with the pistachios and cashews, and there were lovely perfumed hints of rose water in the milky ice cream.

These fine, well-cooked dishes are so reasonably priced. The RK BBQ Special is RM20.90, Vegetarian Sheesh Kebabs RM11.90, RK Special Chicken Curry RM18.90, Mutton Rogan Josh RM17.90, RK Special Bryani RM18.90, Mango Lassi RM6.90, and the breads are RM3.50 each type.

RK Restaurant is across the road from the brightly lit neighbourhood hawker centre in Kota Damansara. It is located at 16-1, Jalan PJU 5/7, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya (Tel: 03-6142-1314).

It is open every day from 11am to 11pm, and from 6pm on Monday. You can also have RK's food delivered to you by Kitchen on Wheels within the hour of calling 1700-81-7223.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Jumaat, 9 November 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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