The Serai

The Malaysian Treat

Established only a few months ago, the Serai in Heidelberg is fast catching up with the locals.

Juliah, a Malaysian married and settled in Heidelberg is the mother of one of the youth choir members and was instrumental in this join effort between Seafield and the music school of Heidelberg. An architect by profession, she switch camp and went after her heart's passion; opening a food outlet.

She serves typical Malaysian cuisine but admits that she has to adjust her preparation to meet the taste buds of the local folks...not making the curry too hot; sago in gula melaka is not a hit but bread pudding in whipped cream as a dessert draws the crowd; so it's a mix and match and finding the right match.

Her reception counter is manned by polite receptionists including her daughter, Mina.

Her oriental tastes are seen in the decor and see that framed batik piece on the wall? Her own handiwork.

At another part of the restaurant is a more private room where it is opened up if customers appear in throngs or even for private celebrations.

Here we see her daughter Mina dressed in yellow waiting for her protege to be picked up by his parents. She babysits for extra pocket money. How diligent.

Our last evening in Heidelberg could not be made any better; we had a Malaysian treat from the Serai.

Parents of host families came in full force and support for the farewell dinner and it was indeed a meaningful exchange of friendship, kindness and good feelings.

Here we see Sharifah, a mother of one of the boys and Khasniyati; the choir adviser chatting with parents and sharing thoughts.

These 2 beautiful young girls occupied the principal the whole night with their dreams of visiting other parts of the world and having a deep desire to study elsewhere just to see the world. They say they don't condone the works of Hitler and were not exactly proud of him. I observe the local youths are humble, well-mannered and warm.

Suzana Saw the music teacher with Regina, her assistant were very much part of the family and stood by the choir through thick and thin. Their choreography of the concert drew much praise.

The Eastern and Western boys and girls did not take long to warm up to one another but before long; they had to leave one another. They exchange gifts, feelings and many teared at the the end of the party finding it tough to grasp the flying moments. It was an evening of songs, rhythms and celebration at the Serai; a perfect ending to a perfect collaboration.

To the extreme right is Juliah's husband who took in the fun and joyful partnership with a great attitude through his hospitality. So spoken but firm, we can see his role in the nurturing of his children who are very well brought up.

All good things must come to an end. The children bade their goodnights to rush home for a deep sleep to be up at an unearthly hour for their journey to Berlin; a total of 629km the next day.

The Serai was what I wanted to see; grateful I had the chance.