A Malaysian Blog about Food, Family and Friends – by Lyrical Lemongrass
Only three things can make me get out of bed at 6 o’clock on a Saturday morning. The first is an activity that only 7 of my friends know of (an annual ritual that we have been doing for almost 10 years of our lives…i.e. since we were errrr….14), the second is the lure of a good breakfast, and the third is the lurer…preferably a Hot Sweaty Stud. Bald Eagle had no say, of course. Kinda. Sorta.
“What?!” he exclaimed.
“Breakfast at 7am,” I said.
“I’m okay, but I dunno about you,” he gave a wicked look. “You know how you are in the mornings.” He was right. I am definitely not a morning person. I am grumpy and foul-mouthed and hardly the model wife.
“It’s Kelantanese food, so I’ll make an exception. And Riz will be there…it’ll be fun!”
And that was how I ended up crawling out of bed at 6.30 am screaming “I’m late, I’m late!” and after scrubbing my skin off in a hot shower, we ended up speeding over to Riz’s place just 2 minutes away from our home. On time.
At Hatinie, one can get typical Kelantanese and malay goodies for breakfast. At 7am, the nasi dagang and nasi kerabu were freshly prepared and presented in food warmers. The various essential elements of the two dishes were available, from rich ikan tongkol curry to ulam (raw vegetables) and kerisik (grated coconut). The rice was steaming hot and fluffy…. literally a sight for sore eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied laksam being prepared at another serving table, all very tempting fare.
At another table, brightly coloured malay kuih and various buburs including pengat pisang were available. And outside, one of the chefs had just started the fire and was making fresh roti canai. It was more fun than rummaging through my parents’ treasure chest of love letters and other stuff that parents keep away from their kids.
The food was amazingly good. If you’re curious about their lunch menu, check out this blog.
No. 18 & 20, Jalan Selendang 10/10
40000 Shah Alam.
Tel: 017-256 2825 (Tinie)
Open 7.30am to 11pm.
Food, for me, is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
Food, for me, represents the love of family, the fellowship of friends, and the community and communality it brings.