By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- Following the establishment of Malaysian restaurants under the MalaysiaKitchen programme in Tokyo and London, its promoters are now eyeing the possibility of opening a similar outlet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"We're looking for Malaysians here, perhaps those already having some experience in operating a restaurant here, with a view to establishing a joint venture with them," said Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNS) business planning division head Shamsudin Amir.

As an agency under the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry and a franchise-led entity in the country, PNS, through its investment arm Malaysia International Franchise Sdn Bhd, takes charge of developing the franchise system for the development of MalaysiaKitchen restaurants, franchises and brands worldwide.

Alluding to the MalaysiaKitchen initiative, Shamsudin said: "It's quite new. Hopefully, we can have more such restaurants."

"Our immediate target is the United States but we're also eyeing the Middle East region," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Halal World Expo 2008 which concluded Thursday in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

According to him, the programme basically provided an opportunity for people to become entrepreneurs.

"But the most important thing is to get someone to run the restaurant because we can't do it ourselves. Basically we can facilitate, we can provide the capital and other incentives," he said.

Shamsudin said it would be good to open a MalaysiaKitchen restaurant in the UAE as there was demand for Malaysian cuisine in the country.

A national initiative by the government of Malaysia, the MalaysiaKitchen programme aims to strategically position Malaysian agricultural produce and agro-based products through the setting up of a strategic network of Malaysian restaurants and retail outlets abroad.

The Malaysian delegation comprising 10 companies and cooperatives as well as officials to the three-day halal show in Abu Dhabi was led by the ministry's secretary-general, Datuk Musa Muhamad.

-- BERNAMA