We have seen it much loved restaurants say goodbye to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, and now another family business has made the tough decision to call it up to date.
Oriental anxieties say goodbye to his followers as he closes the chapter of his 17 years of operations in 1 Utama. The restaurant served Chinese food at home, reminiscent of the dishes Grandma cooked at home.
Her farewell post on social media thanked customers for her patronage over the years, which has helped support the team’s families and allowed her seniors ’recipes to live on.
He also expressed his gratitude for the shared memories, such as birthdays, first dates and friendships lived in the restaurant. The small business was even able to see some of its employer’s children grow up.
Transmitting traditions
Oriental Cravings was founded by friends Doreen Tan, Fay Cheng and June Yap in 2003. The trio reunited during Taman Tun’s now-defunct 18-20th Centuries restaurant founded in June that used to serve Western food. When the popularity of cooking declined, they decided to move on to something different.
Because non-halal restaurants were rare at the time, he said Malay mail—The women saw a gap to fill the F&B scene. When they launched the idea in the direction of Utama, they were surprised to learn that the seniors were also on board to welcome this restaurant to their premises.
Oriental Cravings offerings featured the dialectal food recipes with which Doreen, Fay, and June grew up as children. Doreen is of Heng Hwa heritage, Fay has a Hainanese and Cantonese background, while June is Hakka.
Many recipes like their unusual chicken curry you also have (canned vegetables) have no different origin, but are only part of their family history.
Although the mothers of the trio predominate, these recipes have been passed down from previous generations. They were used to feed their numerous children and grandchildren; they were the source of the bread and butter of the families.
The centerpriece of the restaurant was a wall of black and white photographs that proudly displayed the restaurant’s heritage. They were made up of friends and family, one of whom was a group of 3 women at the center showing off Doreen, Fay and June’s mothers who taught them how to cook.
“As we take photos of these walls and turn off the switches one last time, we are filled with sadness and overwhelming gratitude for all the joy this space has brought us,” they said goodbye to Oriental Cravings.
It will be missed
The restaurant’s closing announcement on Facebook has received more than 100 customer reviews thanking Oriental Cravings for their dishes and hospitality. On Instagram, his post has received more than 200 comments doing the same.
Based on the shared feelings, it is clear that the restaurant was an ideal place for large and small customers who frequented it.
“At the moment it’s a farewell and we sincerely wish you all the best,” the team wrote to customers in the post on social media. Since we are a business with loyal followers and many much-loved family recipes, we wondered if they would come back with a new name when things would have improved and stabilized in the future.
Only time will tell, but we are sure that if they decide to do this, the families will once again come to their doors, eager to enjoy the food as Grandma does.
Editor’s note: We have contacted the Oriental Cravings team for more information on their situation and will update this piece accordingly.
- You can learn more about the closure of Oriental Cravings here.
- You can read about more F&B brands from Malaysia that we have discussed here.
Featured Image Credit: Chuang Lanying on Google Maps / Oriental Cravings
