DOHA (Qatar), Oct 10 (Bernama) — Sunyta Ali, 38, from Penang, defied the odds to be the only Asian lady to operate a restaurant in the established area of Souq Waqif here. The Sri Kebaya Malaysian Restaurant is a reflection of the sheer determination of Sunyta who saw the potential in Qatar’s development. The gutsy lady is former stewardess with British Airways and had also worked on the private jet of the Emir of Qatar. Sunyta said she saw the need for a Malaysian restaurant in the capital city as there were already Indonesian and Thai restaurants around. “I have been here for 10 years and when I saw Qatar going through its recent development, I seized the opportunity,” she told Bernama in an interview at her restaurant recently. Sri Kebaya opened for business on Jan 11, 2008, with a capital of 1.7 million Qatar Riyal 1 Qatari Riyal = RM0.934) in a joint-venture with a Qatari. The two-storey restaurant can accommodate 150 people and is frequented by Malaysians and European expatriates. The Arabs are slowly attracted to the restaurant. Its menu ranges from curries, laksa, satay, nasi lemak, mee goreng mamak, char kuay teow to teh tarik and ais kacang with Malaysian delicacies such as the seri muka and kuih lapis, at reasonable pricing.
Her 17 staff include Malaysians, Indonesians, Nepalis, Filipinos and Sri Lankans.
She got her ingredients from the markets but the basic necessities such as ikan bilis, kicap manis, belacan and udang kering, are flown in from Malaysia. She lamented the absence of a Malaysian supermarket here when there were Filipino and Indonesian supermarkets in Doha, expressing hope to be able to promote Malaysian products as well. She said not many Malaysian dignitaries had visited the restaurant despite her efforts to promote the country. Surprisingly, she said, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had lunch there previously, while the Emir of Qatar and his wife had also been to her restaurant. However, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who was leading a trade mission there early this month, had lunch at the restaurant. The traditional setting includes a tall glass casing displaying a nyonya kebaya with the wall hung with batik paintings, tudung saji, nyiru and other traditional Malaysian items. “Interior-wise, I want it to be as Malaysian as possible, putting all items from the different states of Malaysia,” she said. Sunyta said it was her dream to start her own business. She was inspired by the sheer guts of Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, the “Iron Lady” Datuk Maznah Abdul Hamid, former MITI Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz as well as Her Highness Sheikha Mozah, the wife of the Emir. Sunyta said she has done her part to promote Malaysia and even brought tourism brochures to her restaurant eventhough many of these were not updated.
To complement the Hari Raya mood when the interview was made, was P Ramlee’s song “Suara Takbir”. Sunyta has not gone back home to Malaysia for the past three years to ensure the running of her business.On why the name Seri Kebaya, she said: “Well, it’s part of my Peranakan heritage,”. Wearing a kebaya herself, she ended the interview with a smile on her beautiful face
By Siti Hawa Othman