Healthy food that is tasty, too
By CHOW HOW BAN
hbchow@thestar.com.my
Photos by GLENN GUAN
ALWIN Tan is going beyond the call of duty in his job at Kafe Zing Zang. The chef is creating awareness of the importance of cooking and eating healthy food –food that is prepared without monosodium glutamate (MSG) and only minimal salt.
Tan and his wife are promoting their restaurant as a MSG-free restaurant and almost every page of their menu contains information on a healthy diet and the disadvantages of using MSG.
“I am doing all this for health reasons. My son and daughter are hyper-allergic, and I want to create awareness of these issues as I feel that Malaysians should be given the choice of eating healthy food,” he said during a recent food review.
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Kafe Zing Zang is a no-frills outlet that offers MSG-free food. |
Tan has years of experience working in Malaysia and the US. He took over his brother's restaurant in Ipoh after the latter succumbed to cancer about 15 years ago.
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 Lobster Triplex Flavours. |
He also learnt the correct way of handling food, maintaining a high level of cleanliness and washing dishes and utensils from a leading health inspector in Philadelphia.
To help get his message across to diners at the restaurant, Tan even provides reading materials that contain basic information on nutrition and diet.
The restaurant recently introduced an improved menu featuring a wider variety of innovative dishes. In line with the wider selection of food it now offers, the outlet has produced a new menu that features more colour and graphics.
“The old menu informed people about MSG but this new menu is even better,” Tan said.
As for the food, Tan said, “What can I do apart from showing customers that MSG-free food tastes as good as food that has added MSG? Good food is not always boring; it can be delicious and nutritious, too.”
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Tan at work in the restaurant kitchen |
The recommended drinks were Green Tea Cooler which featured a combination of cucumber, green tea and celery; Red Virgin containing betacarotene and lycopene extracted from tomatoes and carrots, and Strawberry Smoothie, a yoghurt drink made with evaporated milk and strawberry.
Tan said all these drinks were made fresh and infused syrup extracted from fruits was used instead of sugar.
He said he took care in choosing his supply of flavouring and seasoning to ensure they did not contain MSG and other harmful substances.
“There are now a lot more dishes in our menu. We would like to show our customers that our food can be fun and feature more varieties even though we don't use any MSG,” he said.
Despite his efforts at introducing MSG-free food, Tan, stressed that he was simply providing an alternative to his customers.
“I have informed my customer that if they wanted MSG in their food, I would oblige them. I do not force my customers to eat MSG-free food; I am just giving them another choice,” he said.
The restaurant mainly serves dishes inspired by premier restaurants in the US. Buffet is available from noon to 3pm every Friday and Sunday.
Among the items available in the buffet are omelette, fried rice, fried seafood meehoon, curry fish head, soup and porridge, nasi lemak, roast chicken and designer breads.
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