There is a somewhat positive buzz in the air, rising out of the gloom and doom of the pandemic.
This being the fasting month of Ramadan, Malaysian restaurants in London are reporting a full house almost daily.
This, of course, can be contributed to the fact that Malaysian travellers have returned to British soil, some for a much-needed holiday since the pandemic more than two years ago and others to attend their children's graduation.
Many, after travelling from Malaysia, would still seek Malaysian food — nasi lemak and the like.
Whatever the reasons, they are back to add to the excitement that we can all feel in the air as we learn to live with the virus which is not going away anytime soon.
Two years of uncertainty and restrictive measures to curb the virus transmission had resulted in closures of many restaurants.
While they, like other businesses, enjoyed the lifeline offered by the government's furlough scheme that was extended to lessen the hard knocks suffered by workers and staff, many just could not survive.
However, as long as people are returning to the habit of eating out, restaurants and eateries will be open.
It is good to note the mushrooming of a handful of new Malaysian restaurants which added to the existing ones in London.
Satay House, easily the oldest Malaysian restaurant in London (established in the early 70s), had long planned to open another outlet. The epidemic had a lot to do with the plans being delayed and now the popular eatery, listed recently as one of the best Malaysian restaurants in the capital city, has opened a sister outlet called Sudu in Salusbury Road in North-west London.
Gopal's Corner, which has two outlets in Market Hall Victoria and Market Hall Oxford Circus that had to close down because of the pandemic, came back with a vengeance by opening a new outlet in Canary Wharf, part of London's central business district.
The proprietor, Sugendran Gopal who opened the popular Roti King in 2014 to carry on his parents' legacy, is not stopping there. He has also set his sights on The Battersea Power Station's first completed chapter, in the £9 billion Battersea Power Station regeneration project.
He will bring more than his roti canai and mi goreng mamak to this iconic site owned by a Malaysian consortium, reported to be opening later this year at the Malaysia Square.
A few nights ago, I took my family to Halia, a newly-opened restaurant at the Grand Plaza Serviced Apartments in Bayswater, which used to be Uncle Long.
Noor Amy Ismail, who was running Putera Puteri, also located in the same area, has taken up the challenge to run Halia and now is opening its doors to a full house every night since Ramadan.
"It's rezeki (blessings) Ramadan," said Amy who plans to bring a Madam Kwan (popular Asian restaurant chain) equivalent to the restaurant.
The opening of these new eating outlets in London, mostly concentrated in the Bayswater area, has given food lovers more choice to explore their cravings for Malaysian food.
However, problems are a plenty.
As far as I can remember, under the premiership of Theresa May, there had been suggestions that restaurant proprietors train local people, i.e. the British, to cook ethnic food, such as Malaysian food.
Although some Malaysian eateries had done so out of the frustration of finding authentic Malaysian chefs, customers are often not satisfied with the taste.
There is now a shortage of Malaysian-trained chefs, and owners who managed to employ good ones are holding on to their chefs for dear life.
After the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, the British government made significant changes to the immigration system that impacted the recruitment of chefs from overseas.
Malaysian restaurants and hotels which depended on staff from the EU could no longer find staff from the region, and during the pandemic, they couldn't depend on Malaysian students to wait on their tables as most had gone home.
The country, post pandemic and post Brexit, had to face many problems other than having to live with the virus.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict persists, another problem now bears down hard on the UK — petrol prices.
"We have to think twice about going out to get food supplies, because the price of petrol has gone up. The price of food stuff has also gone up, as well as the energy bills," lamented a Malaysian restaurant owner.
To survive, new menus with hiked-up prices will have to be made. But as long as people are still eating out, these restaurants will still open their doors and cook their specialities.
London now can boast of Satay House, Bonda Kitchen, Ibu, Melur, Tuk Din, Norma Café, Halia, Dapur, Putera Puteri and many more.
It is good to see that many have survived the hard knocks of the pandemic, which encouraged others to open as more British become more adventurous in their choice of food.
And, as long as Malaysian travellers still yearn for Malaysian food after arriving here, having flown 13 hours from home.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times