sharksfin and abalone soup

[Guest guest]

Friday November 18, 2005 - The Star

 

RM712 for a bowl of soup

 

BY CHOI TUCK WO

 

LONDON: A Malaysian chef has whipped up what has been officially

certified as the world's most expensive soup, costing a whopping £108

(RM712).

 

Alex Chow's Monk Jumps Over The Wall has set a new Guinness World

Record for The Most Expensive Bowl of Soup Commercially Available.

 

" I feel honoured, " he said and dedicated the award to his boss fellow

Malaysian Bernard Yeoh and his 30-member staff, including 10 other

Malaysians, of Kai Mayfair Restaurant in central London.

 

Despite the staggering price tag, the restaurant gets about one or two

tables of bookings for the delicacy, which has to be ordered five days

in advance as it takes that long to prepare.

 

And each customer gets about 20 mouthfuls, which works out to nearly

£5.50 (RM36.28) per slurp.

 

But the exotic dish is no ordinary soup, as its exquisite ingredients

include £30 (RM198) worth of abalone and a £25 (RM164.90) piece of

superior shark's fin.

 

Chow, from Cheras in Kuala Lumpur, said his traditional soup was also

available in other Chinese restaurants, including those in Malaysia,

with prices ranging from RM80 to RM200, depending on the ingredients.

 

" We use only the best ingredients prepared with the correct recipe.

There's no short cut,'' he insisted.

 

Chow, who had bagged the Chinese Master Chef of the Year 2005 Award,

said the soup was nutritious and healthy.

 

Penang-born Yeoh, whose restaurant has won a string of awards,

including being the best Chinese Restaurant here, said he stumbled

upon the world record by chance.

 

" I bought a copy of the Guinness World Records Book for my son two

months ago and spotted a section on the most expensive dishes, " he

said.

 

Out of curiosity, he submitted his entry and was surprised to receive

a letter last week confirming the soup had become a world record

holder.

 

" It's nice to have a world record in your name, but the soup has been

around for 12 years, " he added.

 

Yeoh, who is a member of the Malaysia SEA Games shooting team, will

fly home this weekend to join the country's contingent leaving for the

Manila games next week.