“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might as well stay home,” quoted James Michener.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 - Esso Malaysia Berhad (Esso) and ExxonMobil Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Mobil) are sponsoring Xandria’s Weekend Discovery, a 30-minute lifestyle programme that features the prolific writer, TV host and radio announcer, Xandria Ooi on her spectacular journey seeking the inside scoop on local activities and must-try eats in each town.  This new magazine show for foodies who also enjoy adventurous travels will premiere on May 7, 2009, every Thursday at 7.30 pm, only on Your Feel Good Channel, ntv7.

The programme also highlights the convenience of the Smiles Driver Rewards card and its use at Esso and Mobil stations while on the road.  “At Esso and Mobil, we designed our Smiles driver reward programme to provide greater value and convenience to customers," says Faridah Ali, Retail Business Director, Esso Malaysia Berhad.

"As viewers follow Xandria on her escapades, they will learn how the Smiles card can help them save costs.  Customers can earn Smiles points at our network of Esso and Mobil stations nationwide and enjoy instant redemption of mart items of their choice at the service stations.  For example, in our latest Smiles promotion, customers can instantly redeem their Smiles points for daily essentials such as coffee, Milo and sweetened creamer at special rates while other attractive items are available from the catalogue."

Focusing on the diverse cultures, tradition and practices in Malaysia, Xandria embarks on a weekend escapade across Peninsular Malaysia to promote the country through the one thing that clearly defines a country best – food! And as there is no better way to understand another culture than fully immersing oneself in their food, join her as she travels the nation to sample some of the country's best regional cuisine.

Unlike other travel and food programmes on TV, Xandria adds more zing to the show by unveiling the story behind the dish instead of simply reviewing it. As Malaysian food is a culinary melting pot originating from its multi-ethnic population, Xandria’s Weekend Discoverystrives to be highly unique by using food as the main motivator to prompt people to travel within the country.  

With the average holiday maker in mind, the show also recommends places to stay and promises fun, exciting and useful information for both local and foreign holiday makers. Spanning 13 episodes, Xandria’s Weekend Discovery plays a pivotal role in encouraging society to take a break and unwind from their hectic lifestyle. 

The first episode kicks off with Xandria  visiting Petaling Street, the Chinatown of Malaysia, where many businesses have been operating for over a century.  The engaging and charismatic host meets Uncle Ng of Kim Soya Bean who shares his experiences of making and selling soymilk and tau foo fa for the past 31 years. Uncle Ng even takes Xandria to his factory to show her the process and secret of making his popular soymilk.

Next, far away from the hustle and bustle city of Kuala Lumpur, Xandria takes viewers back to her mom’s hometown of Malacca, trawling through her favorite haunts and exploring the nostalgic street corners. She also tells the story behind Malacca’s famous chicken rice balls and nyonya kuih, getting up close and personal with its founders and creators.

According to Airin Zainul, ntv7’s General Manager, “Experiencing Malaysian food is a real gastronomic adventure as there is such a great variety; from savoury Malay Food to an endless smorgasbord of Chinese food, exotic Indian cuisines, as well as Nyonya and Portuguese food. Thus, ntv7 is proud to present yet another entertaining series, Xandria’s Weekend Discovery, which gives viewers an intimate look into the cosmic array of food which has been known all over the world as Malaysian food."

Adds Airin, “Further adding spice to the series is that as the show profiles favorite Malaysian foods concocted in local eateries, it will also offer advice and tips for a stress-free vacation in far off and exotic locales within Peninsular Malaysia.”

Are you a food lover who is also looking for awe-inspiring holiday ideas and destinations across Peninsular Malaysia? Don’t forget to tune in to Xandria’s Weekend Discovery, every Thursday, 7.30 pm – 8.00 pm, starting May 7, 2009 only on your feel good channel, ntv7.

About ExxonMobil

The ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia are a group of companies, which have business activities ranging from upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to the refining and marketing of petroleum products. In the upstream, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc. is one of the major crude oil producers and suppliers of natural gas to Malaysia.  Daily crude oil and condensate production is about 150,000 barrels of oil while natural gas production is 1.3 billion cubic feet a day.   In the downstream, three ExxonMobil subsidiaries, Esso Malaysia Berhad, ExxonMobil Malaysia Sdn Bhd and ExxonMobil Borneo Sdn Bhd operate a network of 530 Esso and Mobil service stations throughout Malaysia.  Esso Malaysia Berhad also operates an 88,000 barrel a day refinery in Port Dickson.

About ntv7

2009 marks the 11th anniversary of ntv7, celebrating “11 Feel Good Years” on air!

The station first came on air on 7th April 1998 and was Malaysia’s third private free-to-air television station. The station has positioned itself as a “Feel Good” channel, and along this tagline, has set itself apart from the other stations with an emphasis on branding. ntv7 is also synonymous with the urban viewers providing trendy, interactive and enriching content that transcends across various digital media platforms such as 3G and mobile content.

ntv7 is wholly owned by Media Prima Berhad, the largest integrated media house in Malaysia which also owns TV3 (first private free-to-air television station in Malaysia), 8TV (the first station for young viewers), TV9, Grand Brilliance Sdn. Bhd. (film production and distributor), 43% equity in the New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad - one of the largest newspaper production groups, three radio stations - Fly FM, One FM and Hot FM and three outdoor media companies - Big Tree Outdoor Sdn. Bhd., UPD Sdn. Bhd. and The Right Channel Sdn. Bhd.