If you yearn for Melanau food while in Miri City, you can contact Selihah Tarbi, 42, owner of Selihah Cafe & Catering.
The Melanau food she usually sells includes linut or ambuyat, tumpik (coconut and sago lemantak), umai, tebaloi and selisih.
Special food items during this Ramadan are ketupat, tumpik, kelupi and grilled glutinous rice.
“I have been in the food business for a long time since 2006. After three years of selling food at Telekom Miri, I opened a restaurant at Saberkas in 2009.
“I am thankful my business has continued despite various challenges and trials. Customers’ response to my food is encouraging,” said Selihah.
She revealed that her daughter Nur Widyamirza Hassan, 20, often helped her in her business.
Her family’s support and encouragement, she added, motivated her to remain enthusiastic in the business.
“So far, we have not hired any employees to do the work in the restaurant. Previously, my restaurant operated from 6.30am to 3pm on normal days.
“However, since the start of Ramadan, we only run the business from home by using the delivery service.
“This is to give our customers the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere at home while breaking fast with their families,” she added.
“For customers who book online, we usually deliver their orders from 3.30pm to 6pm.
“We accept orders from customers throughout the city by charging delivery charges based on their respective locations,” she added.
Selihah also explained that the prices of food depended on the quantity ordered.
She added that she was running her business according to the standard operating procedures set by the government.
“Throughout the pandemic, the number of customers visiting restaurants is down.
“This may be due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases. Many people are afraid to leave their homes because they feel unsafe,” she said.
Selihah said in future, she planned to set up more branches of her restaurant in Miri. She also planned to set up a stall in front of her house.
Customers are encouraged to visit Mirza Hassan’s Facebook page, to see the Melanau food that she sells.
