12/11/2007 :: The Royal Norwegian Embassy held its annual Seafood Gala Dinner at Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the 25th of October. More then 500 guests attended. The evening brought together Norwegians and Malaysians alike. All Norwegian or Norwegian related companies in Malaysia had the opportunity to invite clients, customers, contacts, partners or just friends. In addition special guests from the Malaysian government, media etc. were invited. The guest of Honour was Deputy Minister of International Trade & Industry Mr. YB Ng Lip Young.
The Norwegian Chef, Frank Naesheim, introduced Norwegian seafood at its very best, using Norwegian as well as Asian recipies. The center of the attention was an impressive buffet table presenting caviar, salmon, cod, halibut, shrimp, herring, sole, mackerel, …. you name it! All the seafood was brought in by air directly from Norway. With a huge backdrop at stage of the Geiranger fjord, with Grieg as background music and images of Norway as a screen show, a great Norwegian atmosphere was created.
The Malaysian Norway Business Council presented for the first time the Malaysian Norwegian Innovation Award, which will be an annual event at the dinner. The objective of the award is to stimulate business between Norway and Malaysia and recognize companies who have contributed in this area. The chairman of the MNBC, Mr. Egil Martinussen, introduced the winner Jotun, a Norwegian company established in Malaysia since 1983. Jotun got the award as a major international provider of high quality paint and protective coating to a variety of market segments and applications.
One of the highlights of the evening was the singer, Ms. Jaclyn Victor. She was the Malaysian Idol winner 2004 and gave the audience a grand concert with her fabulous voice. The gala dinner also included a ticket for the lucky draw. The price was a Stressless chair, produced by the Norwegian company Ekornes and donated by Macy’s Home Furnishing. Because of the lucky draw, about RM 5 000 will be donated to the Rumah Ozanam Charity project.
With the fantastic food and great entertainment, it was sad to see an exciting night come to an end. However the consolation is that all will look forward to the Seafood Gala Dinner 2008.
Royal Norwegian Embassy, Kuala Lumpur