Yen, pictured in the pink-hued Miss Ao Dai, says his target is to attract the most famous restaurants and for the mall to become his charity arm.
One person who knows this story well is Ocean World chairman Datuk Steven Yen Wen Hwa, 76, the factory owner himself.“We made the boxes for a tobacco company that was just next door, which made delivery very convenient,” he said. Of the eight floors, three are occupied. Coming soon is a pillarless banquet hall which can accommodate 600 people, aside from a karaoke and cigar library.At present, 90% of the restaurants here offer cuisines from South-East Asia.Ru Xuan, which specialises in seafood claypot porridge, and Eerdun, a Mongolian hotpot restaurant, are brands from China that are expanding into foreign markets.
“We have a team liaising with Immigration Department’s expatriates submission division to apply for visas and work permits,” he said. Referring to Ocean World as his retirement project, Yen’s vision is for the food mall to become his charity arm.