KUALA LUMPUR: Inspired by the black and white era, a restaurant is bringing the nostalgia of kampung vibes with its traditional kampung house decorations to attract customers.
From its facade, Restoran White N Black Kampung Heritage, which adopted its name from the colours of the Pahang flag – black and white – and became operational last year, looks like nothing out of the ordinary.
But wait till you get closer to the double-storey restaurant. After stepping in through the wooden, specially bought from Kampung Morten, Melaka, visitors will be mesmerised by the decorations with a traditional kampung-style backdrop setting.
Located between a row of shophouses in Jalan Kamunting, Dang Wangi (near Shangri-La Hotel), its Chief Executive Officer, Mohd Firdaus Jamaluddin, 36, said to attract visitors, the restaurant created a traditional ambience by bringing in Malay cultural heritage such as lesung penumbuk padi (rice pounder), tempayan air tembaga (copper water jar) and batok (coconut shell water scoop), an old trishaw as well as a gramophone (record player), at the main section.
Besides batik decor table cloth and chairs to accentuate the aesthetics of the restaurant, other items such as wooden wardrobe as well as various coloured steel serving trays that were often used during gatherings in traditional villages, also line the walls.
Various traditional Malay kampung dishes are served with a set of classic crockery which is poised to be the main attraction for those who miss the kampung feel, vibe and environment while savouring the traditional cuisines with their family.
To capture the moments, visitors will be taken on a trip down memory lane with several evergreen songs like 'Bunyi Gitar' and 'Getaran Jiwa' by legendary entertainer, the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee, from his black and white films, filling the air.
Restaurant with a difference
Before starting the restaurant, Mohd Firdaus was working in the banking sector as an assistant manager and Restoran White N Black Kampung Heritage is his third venture.
His first outlet, White N Black Cable was opened for business in Kuantan, Pahang in 2019 while his second, White N Black Lakeside at Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur became operational last year.
According to Mohd Firdaus, he chose the kampung setting concept for his restaurant to relive the moments of his own village in Sungai Petani, Kedah, as well as the kampung menu that were often prepared by his mother, Wan Salmah Bt Meor Abul Hamid.
"Actually, the restaurant came about as I dearly missed kampung dishes such as lauk ikan pekasam and kerabu perut which were often cooked by my mother, but I have to go back to Kedah in order to satisfy my cravings.
"I believe that to date no restaurant in the Klang Valley offers kampung dishes with a full village experience as provided here," he told Bernama when met recently.
Driven by his love for traditional Malay food, the father of three decided to unleash the potential in commercialising the traditional heritage food to be enjoyed especially by those who share similar cravings but are reluctant to leave the city.
What's interesting is, the menu at the restaurant suits the taste buds of Malaysians of various races, by drawing the inspiration from popular dishes of each state such as daging salai and pucuk ubi masaklemak (Negri Sembilan), asam pedas ikan pari (Melaka), tempoyak patin, patin masak pais and ikanpari bakar (Pahang).
Reasonably priced between RM30 to RM70 based on the dishes ordered, Mohd Firdaus said customers to his restaurant comprise both locals and foreigners who appreciate the unique atmosphere at the restaurant.
Value added
"Since the restaurant became operational in Oct last year, there was a steady stream of visitors including popular artistes such as Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Adira, Melly Goeslow and Datuk Aaron Aziz.
"But I'm also proud to receive foreign visitors from embassies as well as investors who came over to savour our traditional delights," he said.
As such, he took the approach by consistently adding value to his menu to allow his customers to have a different taste every time they come to the restaurant.
Assessments will be made every six months on its performance and among the attractions to the restaurant are the interior decor and the varieties of traditional dishes.
"Within that period, we will see what can be done to add value to the restaurant. For example, in the near future, we plan to replace our roof with zinc attap to enhance the kampung landscape and feel.
"For food menu, we always add more to our list of dishes from the various states as well as traditional desserts such as pengat pisang and bubur cha cha. So far, we have been serving sagu gula merah as dessert. We have to constantly innovate so that our customers will not be bored of the same menu," he added.
Hard work key to success
Reflecting on his journey, Mohd Firdaus admitted that he had gone through various trials and tribulations to reach where he is today, including taking a difficult decision to close his first outlet, Restoran White N Black Cabin.
His first restaurant, which was based on the hipster concept, was opened after he had quit his day job.
Besides the black and white colours of the Pahang flag, the name was also adopted as his business was located in the F&B sector, that is, Kuantan and hence, the name White N Black Cabin, which uses the full concept of a cabin.
"I was actually following in the footsteps of my late father who retired from the army. He ventured in a business which is building cleaning services, but it did not last long. As business is in my blood, I also took the same route as my late father.
"My bold endeavour into the business world also provides personal satisfaction for me as I have been able to provide my favourite dishes to my customers, who also love them," said Mohd Firdaus.
However, White N Black Cabin was forced to close down due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the major floods which hit Kuantan district at end-2021 causing him to lose some RM500,000.
"After realising that I could no longer continue with my business in Kuantan, I decided to move on and open a second branch at Tasik Titiwangsa under the name White N Black Lakeside based on semi-fine dining concept and western menu.
"Since then, I took the initiative to revive my business and was able to finally open the third outlet, Kampung Heritage. This success would not have been possible to achieve without the relentless support and cooperation from the top management of the company and staff...Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today," he said.
Mohd Firdaus also advised entrepreneurs not to lose hope in difficult times, noting that there is a silver lining to failure in business as it can make them stronger and more resilient as they advance one step closer to success.
For more information, please visit White N Black Kampung Heritage Instagram @white_blackheritage, Facebook – White N Black Kampong at Heritage KL, and TikTok – wnbkampongheritage. – Bernama