Tuesday, October 14, 2008

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.

16 comments:

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

oh gorgeous MIA haha..u sure after the meal she didnt ask u whether u wanted to be treated like her Abang again?

Ciki said...

just the two of you ate soooo much kah... incidentally i love my tentacles too - the best part. speaking of tentacles .. how didja keep yours off that HOT chick..(she sounds hot from the way you described her ler).. since she was heartbroken and all.. u didn't go and kiss it, and make it better ah? hahaha (kidding la)

msiagirl said...

yeah lah what else is on your list of not doing for a long time? hmm?

ling239 said...

sardine roll !! o.O
i tot some kind of YTF hahahaaa...:p

HairyBerry said...

joe, haha! no lar, i think she's still keen on her Ah Bang. furthermore, i'm more interested in the food...*she's not reading this*...hehehehehehe....

cumi & ciki, wah, cannot lah...haha! at such public establishment, i'll be caught in no time! haha! actually, all my tentacles were on the food while she talks...hehe...yup, both of us ate that much...we could go on further..hehe

msiagirl, haha! good question! well, jogging around Titiwangsa Lake is one of them. and errrr...of course some other recreational activites as well...hehehehe...

ling239, haha!!! ya hor, actually, the roll does look like a YTF liddat! hmmm, i wonder how YTF with sardine will taste like... :)

J2Kfm said...

hmm, no doubt the roti canai was pretty 'garing' from the looks of it. and RM1 only, I think most Mamak restaurants in KL are charging the same price, more or less.

fatboybakes said...

GUFFFAW, hairy berry, the indisputable raconteur of culinary tales. i stand in awe! so farnee. took me awhile to realise that Mia is a real person, and not a food type. love the "Yes, cool he was and later, cold he became."
So classic.
How bizarre, I've been listening to a lot of billy joel lately, honesty being one of em! and i've been meaning to try out yusof haslam's place. i'm a big fan of his.

Xiu Long Bao said...

I was wondering if this Mia is another imaginary friend of yours, but then I realised that she is a real human being.

Way to go, hairy.

choi yen said...

I love sotong especially tentacles part!! But it's very high cholesterol :(

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Hey get yourself a Mia lar...populate the world with the true masyarakat Malaysia...our last hope....

Anyway, malay style roti canai is known for its garing-ness. It sure looks yummy!

Live2Talk said...

Food aside, at least I've a strong feeling that the owner of this blog who also has a sexy goatee is NOT a jerk ;)

Rarebeet said...

Oooh that roti looks delicious! Abang Buah Berbulu? haha! Hope Mia finds a worthy Abang soon. :-)

backStreetGluttons said...

we almost weeped aloud for her tragic mmmmisloves until the devilish cheating colors came. We know now even she the perpetual honorable couldn't forgo the unfaithful trysts for when can a woman refuse the scent of a real man ? and his deep thrustful lies ?

Kenny Mah said...

"Like her taste in men, they came in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavours."

Hehe, so instead of being one of her toyboys, one now can apply to be one of the Mysterious Ms. Mia's kuih-muih? LOL

HairyBerry said...

j2kfm, oh yes! definitely garing! those days, roti canais only cost RM0.50...how times have changed, eh?

fatboybakes, woah, raconteur somemore! thanks for the compliment, dude! but me thinks you are way better lar. really!!! oh, mia's definitely real. just that we werent THAT close lar..hehehe...
oh!! i love billy joel's song. piano man's another one of my favourites! but somehow, i dun like uptown girl..dunno why...wanna try haslam's? wanna go? btw, u are a fan? u mean you watched his films ar?

xiu long bao, of course real lar. talking about imaginary friends..hmmm...akan datang. :)

way to go where ar??? *confused*

mimi, yeah, they are definitely high in cholestrol :( so sad....then again, i think it's healthier than fried pork lard...argghh!!! both oso my favourites!!! *checking my heart*

lyrical lemongrass, my own Mia? hehehe...i think it'll be easier to get a Kia instead lar. who will like an old, wrinkly hairyberry wor.... :(

yupe, garing-garing belaka..hehe...when wanna go? can call fbb as well.

live2talk, awwwwwwww...you da bomb, dear! :) well, i guess the owner of the blog is kinda kind-hearted lar. it might not be a good thing though, cos can be eaten alive, like those sambal tentacles. :(

paprika, abang buah berbulu?? omg! haha! i'm speechless...well, i guess literally and figuratively it's kinda true lar! shameless revelation, this...hahaha! yeah, mia's quite optimistic in this sense! i think she already got some chases already...

backstreetgluttons, it's a shame that the thrustful lies were, despite being exhilirating and all couldnt just be thrusty trusts instead. a real man will surely come and come more her way as the crossings are such a spectacular sight to behold. yes, they will come.

kenny, haha! i never thought about kuih-muih liddat..i shudda put that on my blog hor? but i've always associated kuihs to girls. maybe cos the colours are bright and pastel-like. or maybe simply because they taste sweet...awwwwwwwww.......hehehe...

Big Boys Oven said...

I want to taste them from top to bottom . . . can argh?