Sri Lankan seafood restaurant brand ISSO has partnered with Luna Capital Partners to expand its presence in Malaysia, according to a report by the Colombo Gazette.

Under the partnership with Luna Capital Partners, ISSO plans to open its restaurant outlets at prime locations across Malaysia.

Luna Capital Partners is a Malaysia-based investment fund operating across various sectors.

According to the publication, the first ISSO international restaurant is scheduled to open at a site in Changkat, Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur.

At its new restaurant venues, ISSO will serve guests Sri Lankan black tiger prawns and crab.

ISSO was established in 2016 and currently operates four outlets in Sri Lanka, with three more outlets in the pipeline for this year.

ISSO founder and CEO Apinash Sivagumaaran said: “By establishing a presence in Malaysia, we hope to tap into regional markets like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and beyond.

“Malaysia is one of the largest consumers of seafood in the South East Asian market, with per capita consumption of 54.3kg per person.

“Now that we are tapping into international markets, the only question that remains is how long it’s going to take to get to the top, as the largest Sri Lankan restaurant chain in the world.”

Sivagumaaran explained that the company plans to further expand its footprint overseas over the coming years.

ISSO intends to open more than 25 restaurants in Malaysia alone over the next three to four years.