Ottawa's Chahaya Malaysia, a Glebe-born restaurant, closes for good Sunday after 41 years

Chahaya Malaysia closes permanently on Sunday, Nov. 8, after 41 years in business. If you have eaten there, your favourite table is about to become someone else's space, and one of the few places in the Ottawa area that serves this menu closes its doors.

The restaurant opened in the Glebe in 1985 and later moved to Montreal Road. It has kept a menu of dishes that has barely changed since it opened. Diners have come for the fried mee goreng, beef rendang and the chef's special chicken, and the menu has stayed the same for as long as most of its regulars can remember.

Owners Margaret and Subut Abdullah say they are ready to stop. Margaret, who is 72, says work at the restaurant runs about 60 hours a week and is physically demanding. She said she is "gratified" by the rush of customers but "I need to stop. I need to do other things." She plans to spend time with her four grandchildren and take a trip to Southeast Asia.

The closure was delayed until the building could be sold. The buyers already operate a restaurant and are expected to do extensive renovations, according to Margaret. She said she does not know what they plan to open in the space.

Signs announcing the closure went up more than a month ago, and business has been heavy since, with bookings full through Sunday and takeout booked up. Margaret said word of mouth, social media and a CBC radio story have driven demand. "We're just so ridiculously busy... We're booked until Sunday," she said.

Reservations are still being taken for the final Sunday, Nov. 8, so anyone wanting one more meal should call before the books close.