KUALA LUMPUR (April 3): Upholding the legacy of their family patriarch is all that matters for Lim Bee Bee and her niece, Lim Ru Po. The daughter and granddaughter of the late Datuk Lim Foo Yong, one of the country's renowned self-made tycoons and the man who established the once-iconic Merlin chain of hotels, are determined to preserve the memory and legacy of his prized establishment, Marco Polo Chinese Cuisine. Located on the first level of Wisma Lim Foo Yong, the building that bears his name, Marco Polo used to be the preferred dining room of the city's elite.

Due to a surfeit of new restaurants and a whole new generation of customers with different ideas on how to enjoy Chinese food, coupled with the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on the F&B industry as a whole, things have not been as rosy for the venerable dining room. Undaunted, the aunt and niece team have made it their mission to keep things going while evolving to ensure Marco Polo maintains its place in Kuala Lumpur's culinary annals.

In an excerpt, Bee Bee says: "Marco Polo was very dear to my late father's heart and that's what drives me today — keeping his legacy alive. What also keeps us going is our staff, all of whom have been so loyal despite having to ensure pay cuts and all that. They remain our encouragement and inspiration. We also love having people come up to us and say how they remember eating here as a child or celebrating their wedding and other happy occasions. To this day, I am always surprised and touched whenever people say they know Marco Polo."

Also in this issue: The newly opened Oasis Deli in TTDI that provides flavourful dishes from the Middle East, small businesses serving Malay food that caters to the vegan community, as well as the best buffet and dining deals for an unforgettable iftar feast with your loved ones.

Read all of this in the latest issue of Options, available with the April 4 issue of The Edge Malaysia weekly.

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