Rumah Makan Revives Traditional Tray Dining, Sitting Cross-legged

By Siti Fauziah Hasan

SEREMBAN, Feb 25 (Bernama) – The Malay tradition of sitting cross-legged and sharing meals with family members is becoming increasingly rare in households, evoking nostalgia, especially among those who once experienced it.

 Thus, the concept offered by Rumah Putih Makan Berjambar here might be the perfect choice for those wanting to relive those memories. This is especially true as the restaurant—originally a traditional Malay village house—serves Negeri Sembilan’s traditional dishes in communal trays (hidang dulang).

Its owner, Asmah Osman, 59, said she wanted to offer something different after noticing the abundance of hipster cafés and modern-themed restaurants that share similar concepts.

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“This eatery was actually my late aunt’s house, which was left to her children. However, since they live far from this state, the house had been abandoned for about 20 years.

“Rather than letting it go to waste, especially since the structure is still sturdy, I asked my cousins for permission to turn their mother’s home into a homestay. However, due to certain factors, we ultimately decided to convert it into a restaurant instead,” she told Bernama.

Asmah said she chose the makan berjambar concept because it is rarely embraced by food entrepreneurs.

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“There are many restaurants serving traditional village-style dishes here, but none offer tray dining like we do,” she said, adding that they also provide table seating options to accommodate customers’ preferences. 

Since its opening on Aug 31 last year, Asmah said the eatery has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both locals and visitors beyond Negeri Sembilan.

“We initially operated only on weekends, but after receiving such encouraging support, we decided to open daily except on Fridays starting last month,” she said, adding that the restaurant will also be open throughout Ramadan for customers to break their fast.

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As a mother of four sons, Asmah shared that they offer more than 30 types of traditional Negeri Sembilan dishes, including daging salai masak lemak cili api (smoked beef in spicy coconut gravy), daging jangek (beef skin dish), and tempoyak daun kayu (fermented durian with mixed wild leaves), all prepared by her third son, Muhamad Nur Fikry Sidek, 27.

When asked about her future plans, Asmah—who also owns another eatery with a conventional dining concept—expressed her intention to expand the makan berjambar restaurant to other districts.

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Meanwhile, customer Hanida Harun, 45, who visited with her family from Kuala Lumpur, described the cross-legged dining and shared tray meals as a unique and refreshing experience.

 “We love traditional village-style food, so travelling from Kuala Lumpur was well worth it to enjoy a meal in a setting that feels just like a kampung. They also offer a wide variety of dishes,” she said, adding that she was captivated by the restaurant’s classic decor.

-- BERNAMA