Credit : Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof's X
KUALA LUMPUR, October 21 – Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof on Wednesday officiated the launch of Makamakan, a Malaysian food restaurant at the Merdeka Textile Museum in Look At 118, Merdeka 118, describing food as something that carries the nation’s stories and draws Malaysians closer together.
“Alhamdulillah, today I had the opportunity to officiate Makamakan at the Merdeka Textile Museum, Look At 118, Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur,” Fadillah said in a post shared on X on Wednesday afternoon.
“Food is not just a dish on the table. It carries stories, heritage and memories, and even becomes a bridge that brings us closer together as a people,” added Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation.
Photos accompanying the post showed the Deputy Prime Minister striking a ceremonial gong beneath the Makamakan sign to mark the opening, before addressing guests in the restaurant’s dining hall and joining them at the table.
Malaysian favourites under one roof
Makamakan is a restaurant concept under Serai Group, the Shah Alam-based food and beverage company. According to the group, the brand was born from a longing for the familiar tastes its founders missed while living away from home, inspired by a family journey across Malaysia, and brings those comforting flavours together for everyone to feel at home.
Its menu leans on everyday Malaysian staples, from nasi lemak and roti jala with chicken curry to mee rebus, char kuey teow, Cantonese-style noodles and roti bakar with pandan kaya. The menu describes the asking of “Dah makan ke?” – “Have you eaten?” – as a Malaysian love language, and frames the restaurant as a place where diners can taste the best of the country’s many cultures without having to choose.
The Look At 118 outlet sits on Level Two of the building, which offers a direct view of Merdeka 118, the tower at the heart of the precinct.
A new heritage destination at Merdeka 118
Look At 118 is a civic lookout and visitor destination at the end of Merdeka Boulevard within the Merdeka 118 masterplan, developed by PNB Merdeka Ventures. According to PAM’s Architecture Malaysia magazine, its first level is the main exhibition gallery of the Merdeka Textile Museum, while Levels 2 and 2M host food and beverage outlets and souvenir retail, and a rooftop observation deck on Level 3 looks out over the precinct and the tower.
The Merdeka Textile Museum was officially launched on August 21 by Raja Permaisuri Agong Raja Zarith Sofiah. Located beside the historic Stadium Merdeka and built around the theme “The Malay World in Threads and Tales”, the museum showcases the textile heritage of the Malay world across eight thematic galleries, with the collection of the late Puan Azah Aziz forming its core.
The galleries trace textiles from their roots in nature and centuries-old trade through to symbols of rank and spirituality such as the tengkolok, Songket Limar and Cindai, before turning to the Baju Kurung, Baju Kebaya and Baju Melayu worn today and to sustainability and contemporary design. The museum combines authentic artefacts with digital, immersive and multi-sensory displays aimed at younger and international audiences.
Fadillah’s remarks on food as a bridge between communities echo the museum’s own approach of presenting heritage not only as objects behind glass but as living traditions woven into everyday life. With Makamakan now open alongside the museum’s galleries and shop, visitors to Look At 118 can pair a journey through the Malay world’s textile heritage with a taste of the dishes that Malaysians of every background share.
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