What I Ate in KL (1) - Roti Canai, Teh Tarik and Limau Ais by the Pool

I watched the cultural theft across the causeway with amusement. For Pedra Branca, we lost our chilli crab and Hainanese chicken rice. Let's see whether we will lose all our food featured in Uniquely Singapore. Of course, the food listed are not uniquely Singaporean, I'm sure you can find them pretty elsewhere. Rather it is the way they are prepared and presented that's unique.

I enjoy my little gastronomic adventures overseas. I discover that other than preparation and presentation, the environment can make a difference to the experience. When I was at Gurney Heights Kondominium, I had good and cheap prata breakfast at the "24 Jam" Restaurant by the pool. It was a novel experience as their only customer, eating prata and drinking teh tarik by a pool of still water.

Breakfast by the still pool. From left to right: playground, 24 hours restaurant, convenience shop.

For such cheap breakfast, the scenery was breathtaking. I could see the KL skyline from my - Alfresco dining - table. The sun was not too high (at 8-9 am) and the surrounding blocks shielded me from the sunlight.

Roti Telur and Teh Tarik with KL skyline in the background. Truly Prata breakfast, Alfresco style.


With the waiter back in kitchen, I wasted no time in conducting "industrial espionage". I'm glad to have brought back Restoran Safa Marwah's menu.

Menu Makanan, Menu Roti and Menu Minuman. Food, bread and drinks menu. The menu is in Malay, but not fully. For example all the milk shakes are untranslated.

The food and drinks listed are much cheaper than in Singapore. For example, here's a breakdown of what I sampled and their approximate cost in Singapore dollars:

• Roti Telur (1.50 ringgit .. 65 cents)
• Teh Tarik (1.00 ringgit .. 45 cents)
• Limau Ais (1.20 ringgit .. 50 cents)
• Teh Ais (1.40 ringgit .. 60 cents)

I love the privacy afforded and the hassle-free breakfast. The air is fresher than in Kuala Lumpur without all the pollution. I felt like an emperor because I was their only customer. The waiter shuffled to and fro to take my and only mine order. A good place to start your day and to plan your subsequent itinerary.