Khairul Aming’s first restaurant is already drawing crowds before opening its doors. When reservations for Rembayung went live at 9pm on Sunday, heavy traffic caused the booking website to crash. Still, around 3,000 diners managed to secure tables for slots starting Wednesday, January 7.
The Malaysian food creator, whose full name is Khairul Amin Kamarulzaman, addressed the issue shortly after midnight on Threads. He apologised to customers who were unable to make bookings and stated the volume of traffic exceeded expectations, despite preparations made by his team.
Khairul also shared that the situation took a personal toll, revealing he had little sleep as the team worked through the technical issues. While some users expressed frustration online, many responded with support, with jokes about missing out on tables and calls for patience ahead of the next booking round.
Rembayung is Khairul’s first move into the restaurant business following a year-long project and an investment of RM4 million. Located on an 8,000 sq ft site in Kampung Baru near Kuala Lumpur’s city centre, the two-storey semi-glasshouse venue seats more than 250 diners and has created 50 local jobs.
The menu focuses on traditional kampung-style dishes like masak lemak cili api, sambal udang, asam pedas and ayam rendang, alongside nasi lemak, roti canai and classic kuih. The restaurant will open daily from 11am to 10pm, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Despite the rocky start to bookings, the response points to strong public interest in the project and positions Rembayung as one of the most closely watched restaurant openings this year.
