“He said, if you can survive this month, then you can survive anything that comes,” Zareef Thajudeen says, half laughing. 

He’s talking about his Uncle Chris, the original proprietor of Mum’s Place in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya.

It was his Uncle who persuaded the new team to reopen Mum’s Place during one of the busiest periods of the year: during Ramadan and Chinese New Year.

“For lunch, you'd have the Chinese New Year reunions. Then dinner would be the buka puasa crowd. And then at 8:30, after that crowd, would be people coming after prayers. And then there was an earlier dining slot, for people who were not fasting.” 

Previously a neighbourhood institution in Damansara Perdana, Mum’s Place was beloved for its homey Nyonya and heritage Malaysian menu. It was open for twenty years before the owners, Christopher de Mello and Jennifer Tee, decided to retire and emigrate in 2021. Although they had survived the pandemic lockdowns, the period had taken its toll, and they were ready to hang up their proverbial aprons.

De Mello wanted to sell the business, but couldn’t find the right buyer. 

“It started as a joke,” says Zareef. “I said, ‘Give it to me, lah’. He said, ‘You sure?’ Then I started to panic.”

This year, the doors reopened in a new lot in the same neighbourhood, with Zareef (28) and his sister Nureen (33) at the helm. They learned the ropes from Uncle Chris and Auntie Jennifer, along with the rest of the original team, Uncle Ken and Auntie Iris. Nureen personally leads the kitchen as head chef, while Zareef manages front of house. 

“The most I’d ever cooked was for my family, 40 to 50 people maximum,” says Nureen, recalling the overwhelming opening days. “Suddenly, I'm like cooking non-stop for two hours because he's flipping tables outside like nobody's business,” she says.

Not so long ago, Nureen was working as a lawyer. Her brother Zareef was a finance and actuary graduate. He’d started his own food business, Bob’s Steak Away, selling marinated steaks. But for both of them, this is their first time running a restaurant. Not just any restaurant, either: one with a family legacy and an existing fanbase. 

It’s a legacy they don’t take lightly. 

They learned how to cook 130 dishes before curating their own version of the menu. Signatures from the old Mum’s Place remain, like the chicken Devil Curry, and the famously spicy Cencaru Cili Padi Petai. But not everything is back.

They will slowly add more old favourites to the menu, Zareef says. But for now, the pair are pacing themselves. They’re overseeing everything, and they want to get it right.

“Our attention to detail was drilled into us by Auntie Jenny and Uncle Chris,” says Nureen. “Stuff like the batch of soy sauce that comes in. Is it too salty? Is it too diluted? It changes the entire dish.”

“They told us, you guys have to get your hands dirty, be the ones that peel. Touch grass, literally; touch the vegetables.”

One example: as seasons change, the taste and intensity of the chili changes, and it means recipes need to be modified. So Nureen takes a bite of every new batch of cili padi—raw. “That was the worst part of the training, when Auntie kept on making me bite,” Nureen laughs. “I’m not even a spicy person.” 

But she’s determined that Mum’s Place will carry the original recipes forward. As she told the kitchen team, “What's most important is that the food tastes exactly the same as it did, however many years ago. What Auntie Jenny's mum cooked is the same as Auntie Jenny cooked, and it’s the same as I'm gonna cook.”

“Air tangan comes from your intention, from your love and your care,” she says. “So that’s why I feel like I have to be in the kitchen.”

Like his sister, Zareef is guided by the principles of the original founders. During shifts, he’s seen checking in on tables, chatting with customers. There are no QR codes for ordering. That way, when customers order, they can ask questions about the food, or simply have an excuse to say hello.

“Uncle Chris used to say, ‘Treat your customers like they're coming to your house’,” he recalls.

The convivial atmosphere is boosted by the team, which include staff from the old Mum’s Place. The siblings have also enlisted cousins and friends to work with them. There’s a sense of ease and intimacy here. The shoplot is much smaller than the original Mum’s Place, but the wooden tables and colourful artwork feel like a callback. 

“We are grateful to all the regulars that came back and still remember the brand after so many years,” says Zareef.

“We are grateful to all the regulars that came back and still remember the brand after so many years,” says Zareef. He’s especially touched when customers can’t get a table because it’s a full house, but still respond graciously. “They say, ‘Wah. Good business, huh? Keep it up’, and then they wait. These customers are so amazing.”

There are, of course, questions of what they will do differently. 

In the future, the pair have plans to expand to the unit upstairs, and potentially to open a few more branches. Zareef’s hope is for Mum’s Place to become a “top of mind” place for Nyonya food—“stomach warming and heart warming food”.

They are also proactively marketing Mum’s Place on social media. In the past, it was more of a “if you know, you know” place, with a minimal online presence. 

But the connection to the history of the restaurant is everywhere: from the wooden peg system they use for orders, to the photos on the walls. In these photos, Uncle Chris and Auntie Jenny stand with former notable customers, including at least three Prime Ministers.

“Uncle Chris called me mad,” says Zareef. “He's like, ‘Are you crazy or what? This is your place now. Put my face there for what?’ I'm like, ‘You built this. People know you.’”

“We are who we are today because of the people who taught us,” Nureen says.

What would they tell others who are taking the leap into this business? “To me, it's honestly, trial by fire,” says Nureen. “Like, you just have to jump both feet first.”

“I would have never thought myself the type to be standing for 12 hours cooking in the heat of the kitchen, nonstop. I am like a tofu, I am so weak,” she jokes. 

“But the human body and the human mind is actually a very great mechanism, right? You never know how much you can actually go through until you actually put yourself through it. And when you have not just the monetary stake in it, but a sentimental stake, it really does push you to do better and to be better. So, honestly, jump in straight. You can do it.” 

“The hardest part about anything is starting, and you cannot go in with the mindset that everything is gonna be perfect,” adds Zareef.

While the original Mum’s Place was named in honour of Auntie Jenny’s mother, today it’s Nureen and Zareef’s late mother who guides them in spirit. They recall how she supported their decision to open the restaurant, even when their father had his doubts. 

Today, a family photo with their mother hangs by the door. 

“Our mum was the hostess with the mostest,” says Zareef. “She used to say, ‘I better not hear anybody complain about your service.’”

“We’re always thinking about her, through our successes and everything,” says Nureen. “We’re living in her prayers, because she manifested this for us.”