On 20 May, the Mercado Colón restaurant Ma Khin is hosting a private party, where each chef will prepare a tapa from their country. Zaw Mahesh (Lahpet, London), Toshi Kai (Toshi Restaurant), Haesung Yoon (La Taula de Yoon) and Kristian Lutaud (Oligarum/EL Bulli) are some of the renowned guests who will participate in the event, along with the chefs of the house. The event will also serve to present the remodelling of Ma Khin’s dining room, as well as its new brand of Vietnamese street cuisine: Bánh Mì by Ma Khin, located in the restaurant’s adjoining premises.

If there is one thing that is clear to anyone who visits ‘Ma Khin’, it is that it is an absolutely unique restaurant. Steve Anderson, founder of the project, as well as the whole team he has surrounded himself with, have created a meeting point for the culture of Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean itself, a space where different languages dialogue, listen to each other and embrace each other on a daily basis, giving rise to a culture of their own. Its eleventh anniversary is a tribute to its trajectory and, of course, to all the people who have been part of this journey. To this end, on 20 May, Ma Khin will bring together eleven chefs, friends of the house, who will cook dishes from eleven different countries, always integrating ingredients from the local pantry, and giving rise to an unforgettable encounter between the gastronomies of the world.The eleven food stalls will be distributed between the dining room and the terrace of the restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of the emblematic Mercado de Colón, transforming the space into an effervescent compendium of street stalls. A culinary tour of the world that reaffirms the diversity and cuisine without frontiers that have characterised the restaurant since its origins. ‘After eleven years on the road, we have managed to consolidate the ‘Decolonial Food’ philosophy, which is nothing more than the embrace of different gastronomic histories and cultures’, says Steve, adding: “For this very reason, we can think of no better way to honour the cuisine of encounter than by bringing together friends and staff from other countries, each with their own background”. The selection covers all five continents and maps out a map of tapas from many different backgrounds. Specifically, the participants will be:

Javier Lajara, executive chef of Ma Khin, who will pay tribute to Indonesia.

Haesung Yoon, originally from Korea, from the restaurant La Taula de Yoon (Valencia).

Toshi Kai, Japanese, former head chef of Seu Xerea, from the restaurant Toshi (Valencia).

Zaw Mahesh, chef at Lahpet London restaurant, with Burmese cuisine.

Kristian Lutaud, from the Oligarum restaurant (Jávea) with French cuisine.

Yuan Qiansheng, chef at Ma Khin with a dish from his native China.

Niccolo Cusatis, chef at Ma Khin with an Italian dish.

Oumaima Elrhati, cook of Ma Khin with a dish from Morocco

Sonia Tobar, cook of Ma Khin with a dish from Colombia

Leyre and César Gómez, from Les Perles, Valencia. They are suppliers to the restaurant and will be offering Valencian oysters with a Thai twist.

And closing the list is Guillermo Álvarez and the kitchen team of Bánh Mì by Ma Khin, who will represent Vietnam, with a tapa of their own from their new line of street cuisine.

Of course, as in any great celebration, on 20 May there will be live music by the band ‘Dixie Jumble’. Those attending will also be able to take home various gifts, such as the new edition of the Decolonial notebook or exclusive discounts for Bánh Mì, among other small details designed for the occasion. There will also be a solidarity corner with copies of the book A History of Burma: Cooking, Family and Rebellion, all proceeds from which will go to Action Against Hunger, in support of its emergency work after the earthquake that devastated Burma last March. Finally, guests at the party will receive a gastronomic passport with the eleven countries represented: as they try each dish, they will have to identify their country of origin and, if they get all the answers right, they will be entered into a draw for a special prize.

Butter masala of Santa Pola prawns, an original dish from India, which Ma Khin makes using local ingredients.

In addition to honouring the cuisine of encounters, Ma Khin also takes advantage of this event to look back, analyse the road travelled and celebrate its trajectory. Especially in a context like the current one, in which openings are happening at a dizzying pace and fashions change from one month to the next. “In these eleven years we have seen a great transformation of the gastronomic map of the city. When we started, it was very difficult to find cuisines from other countries, but now there is a great variety”, Steve admits. Far from seeing it as a stumbling block, this expansion “nourishes and inspires them”, although they are aware that to keep moving forward it is essential to gather momentum and know how to renew themselves. Under this premise, ‘Ma Khin’ has undertaken a complete remodelling of its space, accompanied by a new visual identity and the updating of its website.

Since its opening, the restaurant has become a benchmark for exotic cuisine in Valencia. Now, true to its essence, but with its sights set on the future, it is embarking on a new stage to offer an experience that reflects with greater intensity the values that have defined it from the beginning – diversity, integration and a cuisine without borders. Because Ma Khin was never just a restaurant. It is a place where gastronomy weaves an invisible thread around different voices. The new visual identity accompanies this transformation with a more contemporary, versatile graphic design, coherent with the concept of ‘Decolonial Food’ that defines Ma Khin. A cuisine that originates from Southeast Asia, but is influenced by the ingredients, stories and people that live in Valencia.

Bánh Mì by Ma Khin: a new journey

As part of this new phase, Ma Khin has just launched Bánh Mì, its new brand of Vietnamese street cuisine, which is also located in the premises next to the restaurant. It is a more informal proposal, available in take away format or to enjoy outdoors on the terrace of its Mercado Colón premises. The name refers to the iconic Vietnamese snack that fuses baguette bread, inherited from the French colonisation, with different fillings from Southeast Asia.

At Bánh Mì by Ma Khin, the versions of this classic are made from local produce: chicken satay, char siu bacon, marinated tofu, Vietnamese meatballs or cuttlefish and sriracha mayonnaise. In addition, the menu includes salads with ingredients of the day, desserts and homemade drinks, such as mango or coconut lemonade. This new brand is not just an extension of the restaurant. It is a project with its own identity, which connects directly with Ma Khin’s youthful, travelling spirit. A way of approaching other audiences, exploring new formats and continuing to discover other traditions and corners of the world through cuisine.

So the restaurant celebrates more than a decade of trajectory, always with a map of what is to come and expanding its universe. Because Ma Khin has made curiosity its compass and the encounter between cultures a language of its own. An encounter that goes back 150 years, when Ma Khin, Steve Anderson’s great-grandmother, met the young Englishman William Carr in a bustling market in Moulmein. From that crossroads to the present day, their story has grown in different countries, until it has taken root in Valencia.

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

Ma Khin Café

Web: https://makhincafe.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makhincafe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makhincafe/