Leeds restaurant Dapur Malaysia announces sudden closure due to pressures of cost of living crisis

The owner of Dapur Malaysia in Chapel Allerton posted an announcement on the restaurant’s Instagram page today. Valerie Kolat said the restaurant had closed with immediate effect, with rising prices making it “impossible” to keep running the restaurant.

Founded in 2015, initially as a street food business, the Chapel Allerton restaurant served recipes handed down through generations, as well as Valerie's adaptations of Malaysian food. Valerie launched the business in tribute to her mum, who taught her how to cook.

Making the announcement, Valerie said: “Since we opened our restaurant in August 2019, we have faced some challenging circumstances. We have been forced to shut or trade under some form of restrictions for approximately half that time. Ultimately, the price rises across the board this year have made it impossible to continue trading as a restaurant.

"I opened the restaurant in memory of my mum and found it comforting recreating the food I grew up with, I loved sharing these with all our patrons. The pandemic however showed us where our strengths lay, our takeaway and our Great Taste award-winning ready meal range will be our focus moving forward.”

Despite having no professional training, Valerie became a regular face at street food markets across Yorkshire, before opening her restaurant in Chapel Allerton in 2019. Her food combines the recipes from her childhood, such as lentil curry and a South Indian pork curry, with Chinese fried noodles and traditional Malay dishes, such as Nasi Goreng.

Dapur Malaysia will be reopening in Huddersfield, where Valerie lives and the business began, but on a “much smaller scale”. The business will also take over one of Trinity Kitchen’s street food vans in May. Valerie thanked her “loyal” and “hard-working” staff, past and present, for their support over the years.

She added: “Lastly many thanks to the Chapel Allerton community who warmly welcomed us and all our customers who have supported us from the time we opened. It was an honour to be able to share the food I love with you."