Diversity and Decency in Malaysia

Abstract

One evening in London, my wife and I enjoyed dinner at the Gay Hussar, a famous Hungarian restaurant in Soho. (It’s been open for 40 years. In that time the only thing that has changed about it is the meaning of the word gay.) My choices were pressed boar’s head with fresh horseradish sauce, followed by duck with red cabbage and apple, Hungarian potatoes, red pepper salad and smoked baked beans. The food is heavy, hearty and traditional. Surely a family-owned restaurant I thought. Possibly, the owners’ relatives from Hungary staff the kitchens. I did some research and discovered that I could not have been more wrong. The Gay Hussar is owned by the Corus & Regal Hotels Group, which is controlled by a company called London Vista Hotel Ltd, a part of Malayan United Industries (MUI) owned by Malaysia’s Khoo Kay Peng. So the Gay Hussar in London’s Soho — London’s most famous Hungarian restaurant — is owned by a Malaysian. It turned out that other restaurants in London shared the same ownership: Simply Nico, Nico Central, Elena’s L’Etoile and Thierry’s.