Holiday in Malaysia brings luck to Syrian chef Mahmoun

He has more than 35 years of culinary experience and is skilled in middle eastern cuisine, having travelled to most part of the world, including Europe, to earn a living.

However, when Mahmoun, 52, set foot in Malaysia in 2010 for a holiday and to spend a few weeks with friends in Kuala Lumpur, it never occurred to him that he would remain in the country for so long, and now become his home.

His life changed when he accepted a job offer and served about five years as a personal chef to the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Muhammad V.

"It was an honour and a great experience for me to serve Tuanku as a personal chef. Alhamdulillah, thanks to Tuanku, I have settled down and am now living with my family. 'Ore Kelate' (the Kelantan people) are also my family," said Mahmoun, who now operates a restaurant here.

The restaurant, "JustDoner", is located next to the Kelantan Public Library here.

Recalling his arrival in Malaysia in 2010, Mahmoun said he came to meet up with friends in Kuala Lumpur.

"Apparently, my friend who owns a restaurant at Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, asked me to help one of his regular and best customer, who was then looking for a chef to work at his restaurant, Arabest, in Lundang, near here.

"I agreed to help and one day, after a few months of working at the restaurant, Tuanku, who was then the Crown Prince, came to the premises and ate my food. The next day, Tuanku came again to dine-in and ate the same food.

"Then, one of Tuanku's aides contacted me and told me that Tuanku wanted me to work at Istana Telipot. So, I went to work at Istana Negeri, even after Tuanku was crowned the Sultan of Kelantan," said Mahmoun, who speaks fluent Malay and able to speak the Kelantanese dialect.

Mahmoun said he was the Assistant Food Nutritionist at the palace until 2015 and was closed to Sultan Muhammad, describing the ruler as friendly.

"I have a good relationship with Tuanku. He is a very nice man and a kind person. He even went to the kitchen himself, sometimes.

"He would come to my kitchen station, looked at me and greeted 'Assalamualaikum' then asked me what I was cooking for the day," he said, adding that the sultan's favourite dish is mutton.

Mahmoun said he would always be grateful to Sultan Muhammad V, who was also the person who met him with his soul mate, a Kelantanese woman who is now is his wife.

The couple got married in 2011 and is now blessed with three daughters aged between three and seven years.

"Tuanku suggested the person for me to marry. Tuanku also sponsored everything for my wedding which was held at Istana Kota Lama because I had no house then," he added.

Mahmoun, who now lives with his family in Taman Uda, Pengkalan Chepa, said his income working in the palace kitchen was lucrative, but he decided to quit the job and opened his own restaurant to share his dishes with the public.

JustDoner, which serves a variety of Saudi Arabian and Turkish dishes, opens its doors more than a year ago. Among the popular dishes at the restaurant is "nasi mandy" and kebab.

"I want to connect with people. I want to make something special that is affordable for everyone, like RM5 for mutton kebab and RM4 for chicken kebab.

"In a way, I can bring the 'whole world' at one table," he added.