When we first saw Agrobazaar Malaysia getting its colourful exterior painted pre-opening, we knew it was going to be cool. What we didn’t expect was for it to get a grand opening attended by both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.
Operated by Malaysia’s Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), Agrobazaar is designed to showcase the best produce from our neighbours up north. Everything on sale here is provided by agriculture-based entrepreneurs selected by FAMA and the aromas of the goodies within hit you even before you walk through the front door — cempedak, durian and freshly-brewed coffee. It’s an inviting welcome.
Agrobazaar is divided into three components, a retail space, a café and a restaurant. The retail section is well-stocked with an unrivalled range of Malaysian products: beverages, jams, spreads, sauces, pastes, chocolates and all kinds of snacks (including every kind of fruit you can imagine converted into chip form).
You’ve heard of walk-in wine cellars, but this place has walk-in cold rooms where their more, shall we say, ‘fragrant’ fruits are stored. Throughout the area, you’ll see many helpful signs explaining the provenance of the goods on offer. You’ll be familiar with many, but you’ll also find out about many others you might not have heard of before.
Take tualang honey for example. Sourced from Kuala Nerang in Kedah, this ‘liquid gold’ is collected from the hives of honey bees who live 250 feet up in the branches of tualang trees. This honey, with its unique flavours and texture can be used as a healthy sugar substitute.
The café meanwhile uses FAMA’s own brand of gourmet coffee, KopieSatu. The baristas whip up all the standards you’ve come to expect of third wave coffee; espresso, macchiato, long black, Americano, cappuccino – you get the picture. Complementing the coffee are pastries like durian chiffon cake and cempedak cupcakes. And if you enjoy a bit of classic Malay rock, then you’ll love the playlist here – they’re all about Search, Kembara and Alleycats.
Finally, there’s the restaurant, located on the rooftop and accessible by a narrow doorway outside. The restaurant features a menu filled with the diverse dishes of Malaysia like “tiga rasa” sea bass, asam pedas fish, stir-fried kampong vegetables, young mango kerabu and crispy banana fritters. What it also provides is a unique view of Kampong Glam, which is worth the visit on its own.
Agrobazaar Malaysia is at 37-43 Sultan Gate, 6391-9841. Open daily from 10am-10pm (restaurant from noon-3pm and 5:30-10pm).
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