TOKYO, Dec. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Universal Entertainment Corporation Group (hereafter referred to as the "Company Group") began operating three restaurants in Hong Kong through its local corporation K.O. Dining Group in May 2012. Located in the Harbourfront Landmark, a skyscraper in the Hung Hom area of the Hong Kong waterfront, the three restaurants have two goals: establishing the Company Group's own restaurant brands and earning recognition from the Michelin Guide (see note).

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Starting the restaurant business is one step to prepare for the opening of the Manila Bay Resorts, a casino and resort project in the Philippines, that is scheduled for 2014. Based on the concept of "Japanese Quality, Japanese Hospitality," the restaurants combine know-how involving restaurant and service businesses with entertainment in the form of cuisine. The Company Group plans to use the restaurant business to further upgrade the Manila Bay Resorts project, which is now under construction in the metropolitan Manila region. Restaurants are viewed as a key component for achieving the success of this project.

In December 2012, Yu Lei, a restaurant in Hong Kong serving Chinese dishes from Shanghai, received a one-star rating from Michelin. In addition, two other restaurants in Hong Kong operated by K.O. Dining Group were nominated for inclusion in the "particularly pleasant" recommendation list of the Michelin Guide: the Japanese restaurant Kazuo Okada and the Italian-Sicilian restaurant Messina. Receiving this recognition from the prestigious Michelin Guide is a great honor for these three restaurants, which have all been operating for only about six months.

We are determined to build on this accomplishment to earn even more accolades by providing customers with the highest levels of Japanese hospitality along with outstanding cuisine and services.

About K.O. Dining Group

K.O. Dining Group operates restaurant business in Hong Kong as a local corporation of Universal Entertainment Corporation. It operates three high-end restaurants with world-famous chefs: Kazuo Okada for Japanese cuisine, Yu Lei for Chinese cuisine, and Messina for Italian cuisine. It plans to extend operations beyond Hong Kong to include Japan, Shanghai and other locations.

Note: The Michelin Guide is a series of guide books published by Michelin, France. The best-known books are the restaurant and hotel guides, which award stars to outstanding restaurants. One star indicates "very good cuisine in its category"; two stars represent "excellent cuisine, worth a detour"; and a rare three stars are awarded to restaurants offering "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."