Since the first flames were sparked off rocks in the days of the cavemen, people have cooked over fire, and even today, nothing can beat the warmth, smell, and excitement of grilling food over an open flame. We have now advanced somewhat since our earliest ancestors huddled around campfires, and barbeques are the modern man’s way to maximize flavour and enjoyment with less fuss, less fat, and much more fun than cooking in a kitchen.

The first place for any avid griller should be BBQ King, a one-stop store which opened its doors as Malaysia’s first specialist barbeque retail shop back in 2002. Thanks to the rush of interest, BBQ King now operates a number of stores all over the country and brings the best imported and branded equipment to those who have discovered the joy of sizzling food.

It is much more than a business for the owner of this barbeque paradise, and he can still recall his first experience of cooking over an open fire during his travels around the world. “The first time I saw people gathering for a barbeque, I was hooked,” he says. “It wasn’t just the techniques; what appealed most about barbecuing was seeing people gathered around with a drink in hand, talking, laughing and enjoying themselves while the food sizzled over smoldering logs.”

So charmed was he by his experience, he determined to bring the practice and pleasure of outdoor cooking back to Malaysia with him, and within three years, he had succeeded in introducing the barbeque phenomenon to the nation!

While our lives are increasingly filled with technological gadgets, there remains something elemental about open-fire cooking. Even those people who groan that they can’t cook can easily excel with some well-chosen ingredients and the warmth that comes from sharing a charming evening with fine friends or close family.

Whatever you seek, from the full kit to just a spare pair of tongs, BBQ King has all the supplies you need to enjoy a perfect evening with excellent food cooked just how nature intended. Just make sure you raise a glass to our long-forgotten ancestors who, thanks to some stone rubbing, provided us with the wonderful, timeless pleasure of freshly grilled food that sizzles seductively over the flames.

There are currently four branches of BBQ King in the Klang Valley, one in Penang, and two in Kota Kinabalu. For details on the store locations or the products available, visit www.bbqking.org.

Source: The Expat July 2012
Click here for your free print subscription and free delivery of The Expat.