Thursday, November 03, 2005

Sabah to reopen revolving restaurant


By Joniston Bangkuai

SABAH’S exclusive revolving restaurant on the 18th floor of the imposing 30-storey Sabah Foundation glass tower in Kota Kinabalu is reopening its doors.

The restaurant, which ceased operations some 20 years ago, will be managed by Atmosphere Restaurant Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Asia Extreme Sdn Bhd, a specialist in travel and tourism development.

Asia Extreme marketing and sales director Victoria Hilley said renovation works to give the restaurant an avant-garde retro look has begun and will be completed by the end of this year.

“We are spending about RM1 million for the facelift and we hope to start operations latest by January next year,” she said during a preview of the restaurant for members of the travel trade recently.

To be called Atmosphere Restaurant, it offers a spectacular view of Mount Kinabalu, Likas Bay, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, the State Legislative Assembly building and islands fronting the city.

“We chose the name ‘Atmosphere’ to describe its location that provides breathtaking view of the city and its surroundings,” Hilley said.

Asia Extreme has been granted a long-term lease from Sabah Foundation and both are working closely to develop the restaurant as a unique product for both local and foreign tourists.

Recently renamed Tun Mustapha Tower, the glass tower is among the landmarks in Kota Kinabalu, attracting between 20 and 30 bus-loads of tourists every day.

“We want to capitalise on this by bringing the tourists up to the restaurant where they can both dine and enjoy the most panoramic views in the city,” she said.

The restaurant would offer Pacific Rim cuisine including specialties from the Association of South-East Asian Nation countries and even as far as North America and Mexico.

Courtesy of Business Times