The Serai Group of Restaurants

April 03, 2021

The Serai restaurant group is a family business that was first started by an-ex Malaysian Airlines stewardess, Rina Abdullah, in 1990 in Shah Alam, Selangor. Serai Thai which served authentic Northern Malaysian and Thai cuisine gained a popular following from the time it opened its door for business. Today the Serai Group has 7 themed restaurants in its portfolio (www.seraigroup.com.my) Besides its signature brand name Serai, the others are Jibby & Co, Jibby Chow, Jibby East, Blonde and Jibby by the Park. Jibby by the Park took over the lovely glass house café at Empire Gallery, Subang that formerly housed the Korean french café called Tous Les Jours. The greenhouse ambience is also replicated in Jibby by the Park at The Waterfront, Desa Park City. The food served is antipodean (Australia & New Zealand) and the best of Asia.  

The Serai Group management is helmed by Rina’s son-in-law, Najib Abdul Hamid, who hails from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide, Australia. He is the Head Chef and Managing Director of the Serai Group.  Rina continues to be an integral part of the culinary team while her daughter Qistina Taff, a trained interior designer from Australia, is active in all aspects of the expansion of the restaurant portfolio. The artistic and beautiful ambience of the different thematic restaurants of the Serai Group is due in large part to Qistina’s touch.  

Serai’s cuisine is comfort food for Malaysians and Rina continues to excite her customers with new dishes that are delicately prepared with the choicest ingredients. The Serai Platter which comes with oxtail assam pedas, honey squid, fruit achar and ayam goreng berempah is Serai’s most popular dish followed by its fragrant nasi kerabu. While the pandemic has put a dampener in the works, the crowds are returning in droves as the situation improves.  

Read more 

  1. The Star Online. 3 October 2012. Esther Chandran. Homely restaurant serves up delicious nasi kerabu. https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/food/eating-out/2012/10/03/homely-restaurant-serves-up-delicious-nasi-kerabu 
  2. The Serai Group. About Serai Group. Made with Love. www.seraigroup.com.my 
  3. Prestige.  Julie Yim. 4 July 2018. Cover Story: Iron Chef Najib Hamid dishes up on his top life lessons. Cover Story: Iron Chef Najib Hamid On Cooking With Purpose (prestigeonline.com)
  4. Prestige. Qistina Taff. Serai Group. Qistina Taff - Prestige Online - Malaysia 
  5. Asean Food & Travel. 3 February 2020. A Dynamic Synergy. Sky’s the Limit for Serai group. A DYNAMIC SYNERGY – SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR SERAI GROUP- Asean Food Travel 
  6. Top 10 of Asia. Rina Abdullah. Top 10 Women In The Restaurant Business In Malaysia - Top 10 of Asia (top10asia.org)