Restoran Haslam

"That bastard...", said Mia as she lit the first of her many Marlboro Lights to come. They've been together for almost six months. That Abang was all she ever wanted. Mature, good-looking and well, cool. Yes, cool he was and later, cold he became. Mia was (and still is) a smashing girl. With her long legs (always crossed), killer heels and translucent knee-length dresses (with contrasting straps), she was hot. A scientist and part-time model, this friend was every bit intellectually stimulating. Feisty as well, until that Abang turned her into this submissive little kitten.

In my half-awakened state of mind on a Sunday morning, the only sounds that caught my attention were the sial (accursed) and mampus (death) exclamations. Others just vanished into thin air with the smoke from the Marlboros. I could have said, "I sudah bagi tahu sama you (I told you so)" but refrained myself as this was not a good time to provoke the woman.

It’s so funny how (or why) they kept the relationship going despite the odds. While the rest thought that race and religion were their biggest issues, I always knew it was honesty.

...Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue...
...Honest is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you...

(Billy Joel's Honesty)

OH! THE DRAMA! THE DRAMA!

As much as I preferred talking about food, gadgets and other non-relationship stuffs, I guess it was not wrong participating in a little drama of life. Afterall, we were having breakfast at a prominent local director and actor, Datuk Yusof Haslam's restaurant. Remember the days of Sembilu (and sequel), Maria Marianna (and sequel) and Ops Gerak Khas (and sequel)? I bet Mia's sniggering reading this bit.

Well, I was glad she chose to overcome her heartache with a hearty breakfast instead of checking herself into the Tawakal ward, just steps away from this restaurant. Then, she had to say, "...this was where Abang and I would be having breakfast after our Titiwangsa morning walks..."

What?! Do I look like a substitute for you Abang??? (Her Ah Bang was afterall, Chinese…and had a goatee and moustache).

Celaka belaka. (Damnation galore)

The nasi lemak paled in comparison with Mia’s (mis)adventures. The rice had a nice coconut milk flavour and the sambal was the sweet type with a little heat. Not too bad but definitely not sexciting.

I could have ordered the lontong but since I’ve not eaten mee and mee hoon goreng in a long time (together with the list of other things that I’ve not been doing), I gave it a try. The mak cik (auntie) at the counter was impressed with the amount of sambal I put on the mee. I guess I don’t learn from mistakes. The gorengs were alright, though slightly wet while the cuttlefish tentacles were tender. None of those chemical tastes. At RM6.00 (with a fried egg), it was tad expensive for breakfast. Then again, those were some amount of tentacles I took there.

Mia chose the kuihs. Like her taste in men, they came in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavours. The sardine roll looked interesting with a whole cili padi shoveled up its rear (or front), which served no purpose except to add some heat to the roll. With a crispy egg-battered skin, it was quite delicious and most importantly, not burnt. Others like the kuih ketayap and kuih keria were generic in taste.

Then came the best piece of the day. The absolutely fantabulous roti canai. At RM1.00, the super garing (crispy) fried bread needed no condiment to go with it. The inner was soft and had a nice flour fragrance. It’ll go down my list as one of the best roti canais (pratas) in recent memory. I was told that it’s one of Haslam’s signature breakfast dishes. Sedap!

The lunch crowd can get rather maddening, apparently. Judging from the reviews and signboards shouting authentic Malay dishes, I’ll be sure of making a beeline here, for lunch. Mia's presence will double the fun, no doubt.

With current potential chaser, GadgetMan on hot pursuit, there might be a chance that the lunch will be of less sials and more sedaps.

Restoran Haslam
No. 8 & 10, Jalan Pahang Barat
Off Jalan Pahang
53000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (+603) 40237559/40252545

(The above breakfast cost RM16.90)

Check out SC's take on Restoran Haslam's lunch here.