Abe praises Japanese food in KL

Right on time: Abe looking at his watch at the Asean Plus Three Leaders’ Interface.

KUALA LUMPUR: The quality of Japanese food in Malaysia has recei­v­­­­­­e­d the thumbs up from Shinzo Abe.

In a light-hearted moment while delivering his address at the Asean Business and Investment Summit yesterday, the Japanese Prime Minister confessed that he had been missing the food from his home country.

He said that counting his visit here to attend the Asean Summit, he had travelled a total of 24,000km to attend the G20 meeting in Turkey followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in the Philippines.

“It won’t be long before I start yearning for Japanese food but whether sushi or grilled teppanyaki, we can still enjoy delicious Japanese food here in Malaysia as well,” Abe said.

He told his audience how ramen noodle meals, which comprise soup, noodles and toppings, had also become popular here recently.

“Japan’s famous ramen noodle restaurants are setting up branches in Malaysia, one after another.

“If any of you have yet to try ramen, I recommend you head to ‘Tokyo Street’ in Bukit Bintang after today’s sessions,” said Abe, referring to a Japanese food enclave at a mall here.