Thai dining chain Coca Restaurant is returning to Malaysia with plans to open four outlets in the next three years.

First up will be an outlet in the Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur seating about 100 diners and serving an à la carte menu of Thai/Cantonese cuisine along with Coca’s signature hot pot, creative stock broths (including one being created exclusively for Malaysia) and suki sauce.

Chefs will focus on freshness, including live seafood and premium beef.

Absent from Malaysia for seven years after a 20-year stretch, Coca returns with a change of partnership and a new strategy to open in upmarket malls as well as introduce freestanding restaurants – a strategy it has used over the past seven years in Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia.