KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 — Amid busy lives and changing traditions, going to a restaurant or ordering takeaways for festive seasons, Christmas included, has become a growing trend in Malaysia.
While many Malaysians still participate in a communal preparation of the festive spread at home — which more often than not would include a curry or two — just as many households are opting out of hours spent in the kitchen and turning to gourmet festive offerings at local restaurants and hotels.
The menu offerings of roast turkey, roast lamb, wagyu steak and increasingly popular beef Wellington, priced from RM300 upwards, are now key players in many modern Malaysian Christmas feasts, with customers preferring the convenience of dining out or having a hefty spread delivered right to their doorstep.
“We’ve seen a 50 per cent increase in turkey sales compared to last year,” Chong Ai Lee, business director of Maria’s SteakCafe, told Malay Mail.
“We have sold 33 turkeys so far,” she added.
Originally from Ipoh, Perak, the steakhouse has since expanded to the Klang Valley and now boasts five outlets.
Maria’s SteakCafe, which first launched its Christmas delivery menu in 2017, has seen a year-on-year increase in orders, with families and corporate clients opting for high-end meals for year-end gatherings or as gifts.
It offers an extensive range of dishes beyond turkey, including Wagyu MB5-7 Tomahawk, Black Angus Tomahawk, Angus beef Wellington, and roast lamb.
“Our goal is to take the stress out of your Christmas celebrations by providing our customers with delicious, high-quality meals,” said Chong.
“We want to help make this festive season memorable so that people can focus on enjoying precious moments with family and friends.”
Botanica + Co, serving its Christmas menu since 2014, offers turkey and salmon as the main festive dishes, with a strong following among families and company groups.
The turkeys, imported from the US, cost RM680 each.
“Most who buy them are people who want to take them to family gatherings or company groups that hold their own Christmas functions,” a representative from Botanica + Co told Malay Mail when contacted, declining to be named.
“This year we have sold some 51 turkeys, which is more than last year, and the restaurant is always packed during this time of year too,” the representative added.
The Four Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur has reported strong sales, with around 50 orders, including turkey sets starting at RM588, prime rib, roasted duck, and smoked chicken.
In Penang, Smokepapa BBQ has been offering smoked whole turkey and smoked whole chicken sets since 2020, doing especially well during the lockdown years of 2020 and 2021.
“During MCO, we sold between 40 to 45 whole turkeys,” said Tan Eik Hong and Jen Phan, owners of Smokepapa BBQ.
“Since then, the number of orders has averaged around 30 turkeys every year.”
This year, Smokepapa BBQ received 35 turkey orders, along with 10 sets for ham and 26 chicken sets, with a majority of the orders coming from locals.
“Among those who ordered turkeys are expatriates, church groups, and some with big families,” said Phan.
“I would say 60 to 70 per cent are locals.”
At the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in George Town, Penang, general manager Alison Fraser said that festive goodies, including its roast turkey priced at RM980, have seen consistent sales over the years.
“We usually sell a good number of turkeys as it is a symbolic dish and must-have during this festive season,” said Fraser, who also noted that prime ribs (RM980) and lamb legs (RM780) were among the most popular items.
In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, local restaurant Limau and Linen has been offering unique festive options such as cherrywood smoked hams and truffle beef wellingtons, setting itself apart from traditional turkey-focused menus.
“When we were the new kid on the block, everyone was going turkey, roast beef, and lamb racks,” said Limau and Linen’s owner and creative chef Linn Yong.
“To set us apart, we did a whole suckling pig, house-cured hams, and wellingtons.
“We still get about 150 or so orders of our roasts,” said Yong.
Yong admitted that the turkeys are not as popular as its other dishes, with only about 10 per cent of orders from loyal, regular customers.
Limau and Linen’s turkeys cost RM568, the suckling pig costs RM498, the beef wellington RM458, and the ham RM148 per kg.
“It’s slower this year, but we anticipate last-minute rush orders,” Yong said.
Another Sabah restaurant, Happy Place, said its most popular offerings include spatchcock turkeys with sides for RM588++ and roasted lamb legs for RM328++, alongside beef wellington, roast beef, and salmon.
“We usually sell out every year, with a maximum of about 50 turkeys,” said general manager Kathie Renjus.
“December is our busiest month every year, and we have to limit our roasts to 60-80 per day.”
Renjus also noted that almost half of its orders come from non-Christians, who are looking for festive meals for their events or gatherings.
At Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort, there is a noticeable shift away from turkey, with roasted lamb leg and chicken proving to be more popular, as well as other festive specials like Angus beef en croute — it looks similar to beef wellington in that it’s enveloped in puff pastry, but comes with a topping of pate atop the steak — as well as gingerbread houses and stollen.
