KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Previously available only online, Foodmarket has now opened their first physical store at Bandar Seri Permaisuri.
Started about three months ago, the 600 square feet store was opened as some of their customers prefer to touch, feel and see the products.
“At our pop-up stores, about 70 per cent of our customers are aunties who are not technology savvy,” said Foodmarket’s founder Engku Husam.
Set up back in 2016, Foodmarket’s online marketplace carries a large portion of Malaysian-made products that bring a taste of kampung straight to your doorstep. This brick-and-mortar shop also opens up the opportunity for more items, like freshly-made food and frozen products.
Walk into the shop to discover it stocked to the brim with all kinds of sambals (around 50!), spice pastes, snacks and the list goes on. You will be spoiled for choice as there are 12 types of budu, the must-have condiment for any Kelantanese.
There is even a mind boggling 10 choices of sambal hitam Pahang. Slowly browse through all the items as the shop has about more than 300 products available from 40 entrepreneurs.
One of the entrepreneurs is Budapest-based Mazna Merten from World Prominence, a local food manufacturer with 20 years’ history. With their Sudee range of seasoning powders, it’s incredibly easy to whip up something like gulai tempoyak or asam pedas in a jiffy.
The company also offers the Maznah range of sauces like mushroom, percik, rendang and masak merah which can be used as dips or marinades. Mazna tells us, the idea for these sauces started when a client requested for mild-tasting sauces to suit the European palate.
Exclusive to this shop is a small range of fresh edibles, like the traditional Padang delicacy, puding Raja. The rich-tasting dessert eaten with custard, combines jala mas or golden strands made from duck egg yolks, prunes, maraschino cherries and sweet bananas known as pisang lemak manis.
Husam tells us the sweet is brought in every two days from Pekan. This particular maker also supplies their dessert to the Pahang palace.
In addition, various cakes like kek pudding Raja Pahang, white chocolate cheesecake, jackfruit cheesecake, Malaysian teh tarik cheese cake will be made available.
These are all supplied by cake makers Mizie Roslan, Kunor and Azah Nur. You can also score fresh mieng kham, the popular Thai betel leaf snack here.
Be assured that only the best is sold on Foodmarket. “I am very strict... tak sedap, I don’t accept,” said Husam. He travels all over the country to source for items such as the popular Muar 434 local coffee, dodol palas from Terengganu and sambal durian meroyan.
Foodmarket also supports independent small batch food entrepreneurs. Wander to the back and you will discover a treasure trove of crockery, hand picked by Husam during a trip to Bangkok.
“Everything to do with the house, we sell it,” explained Husam. Decorating the shop is a wall mural depicting the distinct black-and-white Istana Kenangan in Perak with its delicate latticework. Husam explains to us that he chose the building due to its intricate details.
Fans can also look forward to a second shop set to open in Denai Alam. The Foodmarket virtual marketplace is also going through a design revamp that will be unveiled this month.
In addition, they will be releasing new phone apps for Android and Google shop.
Foodmarket
No. 17, Jalan Dwitasik, Dataran Dwitasik, Bandar Seri Permaisuri, KL
Tel:019-6664889
Open: 10am to 10pm
