How Malaysia Can Lead the Next F&B Wave: Insights from FutureFWD 2025

Nicholas Ng

As Southeast Asia’s food and beverage sector grapples with rising costs, labour shortages, and shifting consumer behaviour, Malaysia stands at a turning point. The country’s rich culinary heritage, growing urban affluence, and increasingly sophisticated diners give it the potential to lead rather than follow. FutureFWD 2025, taking place on 25 September at EQ Kuala Lumpur, is a new industry forum organised by Informa Markets and delivered by Saladplate, created to explore how operators can build businesses that are not only future-proof but future-defining. Bringing together leading voices from across Asia’s F&B and hospitality sectors, the one-day programme focuses on strategies shaped by local relevance, operational agility, and cultural precision. Continue reading →

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025: What The New Entrants Reveal About The Future of Cocktail Culture

Nicholas Ng
A50BB2025 | Tipple International | Food For Thought

The 2025 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards was held at Wynn Palace Macau on 15 July 2025, with Bar Leone from Hong Kong securing the first place for the second consecutive year. This prestigious gathering of Asia’s top bartenders and industry leaders celebrated innovation, creativity, and community across 20 cities, with 20 new bars joining the list. We’ve also listed the current bars’ highest rankings ever in the history of Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Continue reading →

Asia’s 50 Best Bars Lands In Macau This July

Nicholas Ng

Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace will host the tenth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars from 11 to 19 July 2025. In the lead-up to the main awards night on 15 July, both resorts will present a full week of cocktail-fuelled events, featuring over 25 guest shifts, bar takeovers, chef collaborations, and exclusive pairing dinners. This marks the first time the prestigious awards are held in Macao, further cementing the city’s growing reputation as a cocktail and culinary destination. Continue reading →

Shanghai City Guide: An Insider’s Guide To China’s Most Cosmopolitan City

Nicholas Ng
Shanghai Skyline

Shanghai continues to evolve as a culinary metropolis, where global luxury collides with regional heritage. The city’s food scene reflects its layered identity: old-school Shanghainese, experimental bistros, coastal Chinese cuisines, and ambitious fine dining projects from international heavyweights. From lanehouse eateries in Jing’an District, the Former French Concession, to skyline-facing hotel restaurants in Pudong, this is a city best explored through its plates and pours. Continue reading →

The Bridge: Cathay Pacific’s Business Class Lounge

Nicholas Ng

The Bridge, Cathay Pacific’s Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, sits near Gate 35 and remains one of the airline’s most distinct offerings. Designed with a warm residential feel, the split-level lounge features cherry wood finishes, black granite, and curated art from Cathay’s own collection. It caters to a quieter crowd than The Pier, offering a more structured experience. Continue reading →

A Culinary Retreat at Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau

Nicholas Ng

Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau is a destination that defines hospitality through design, dining, and detail. Spanning three individually styled towers—Grand Lisboa Palace Macau, THE KARL LAGERFELD, and Palazzo Versace Macau—the property presents an immersive experience that blends high fashion, curated gastronomy, and access to Macau’s slower, more cultural side. Whether it’s a kappo-style omakase or a fashion-branded suite, every element is designed with clear intent. This is a resort that doesn’t just house experiences—it orchestrates them. Continue reading →

Oh Chong Hau Wins Hennessy MyWay Malaysia 2025

Nicholas Ng

At the Hennessy MyWay 2025 Malaysia Championship, Oh Chong Hau of The Nest Cocktail Bar in Penang claimed the national title with a cocktail that told a layered, locally rooted story. Presented at the finals during Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week (KLCW), his winning drink, “The Golden Fondue”, stood out for its bold composition and distinctive narrative. Continue reading →

Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week 2025: The Complete Events Calendar

Nicholas Ng

Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week 2025 marks a new chapter for Malaysia’s evolving cocktail culture, bringing together some of the most innovative bars, chefs, and spirits brands from across the region and beyond. This year’s edition promises more than just guest shifts—it presents a curated celebration of flavour, craftsmanship, and collaboration across five vibrant zones of the city: Bangsar, Damansara Heights, PJ/TTDI, KL City Centre and Chinatown. Continue reading →

Eastern & Oriental Express: Wild Malaysia’s Luxury Passage

Nicholas Ng
Eastern & Oriental Express | Wild Malaysia | Food For Thought

There are few experiences that capture the romance of rail travel quite like the Eastern & Oriental Express. On its latest iteration, the Wild Malaysia journey, Belmond reimagines the golden age of slow travel with a four-day adventure that traverses rainforest-cloaked terrain, cultural capitals, and coastal towns. From the moment the forest-green train glides out of Singapore, guests are ushered into a different pace of life—one where brass finishes glint under soft lighting, where velvet upholstery invites pause, and where the landscapes beyond the carriage windows become meditative theatre. In this world of teak and time, there is nowhere to rush to. Continue reading →