Rediscovering an old favourite
This writer gets an instant rewind when he comes across a new restaurant that has a surprise in store for him.
A SUDDEN illness in the family resulted in me not getting the tasty homecooked food which I had taken for granted. In addition, I was on a vegetarian diet as a vow for the Thaipusam festival. Not getting the tasty vegetarian dishes I was used to during my fast, put additional culinary stress on the carnivore that I am.
One morning, I had to go to PJ Old Town to run an errand. Next to the DIY shop, I saw a new Indian restaurant – the signboard got my memory wheels turning.
In the mid-1970s, as a fourthyear medical student, I had frequented a small stall sited within the Medan Selera (also in PJ Old Town) with my girlfriend Anjalai (we have now been married for 40 years). Anjalai’s eldest brother Maha, had taken her there for a crab treat and she had found the food to be very good.
We loved this eatery for many reasons: it was super clean, the food was tasty and was not expensive. We were also fascinated by the owner whose name we recently came to know was Govindarath Sinnasamy. This man was a disciplinarian. Contrary to most Indian restaurant owners, he was slim, always dressed in a crisp white shirt. And as we ate the food, our ears would buzz on hearing him repeatedly admonish and exhort his workers to clean the tables and serve his customers quickly – we just loved to see this man work!
The highlight of our visits was the crab dish available on Saturday evenings. Those days, one large crab cost RM2 – something we could afford on a frugal student budget. The thosai and sambar (dhall and lentil curry) were also very tasty. Anjalai and I used to share one large crab.
Another dish I enjoyed was their non-vegetarian masala thosai – you had a choice of chicken or mutton as a filling – very tasty.
In addition, we liked to see Govindarath’s family. His young son was about eight years old then and used to be running about and between the tables. Occasionally, Govindarath would call out to him to help serve customers – the name “Kanthe” which Govindarath used to call his young son has been embedded in our minds. We were to find out many years later that the young man’s full name was Jayacanth.
Govindarath’s wife occasionally made her appearance, to help. We would hear the name Pappathy, used to address her – this name too stuck in our memory. Anjalai liked Pappathy. She was the perfect complement to Govindarath’s fiery personality. Slim and pretty, she was calm and never raised her voice as she went about her work. We thus nicknamed this stall “Papathy’s”.
After graduating from medical school and entering the workforce, I returned to Papathy’s intermittently. I also brought my late father whenever he came up to Kuala Lumpur for meetings; Dad liked the thosai and sambar. But probably for the last 15 years or so, we lost touch with Papathy’s.
Fast-forward to 2021. As I walked towards this new restaurant, I could not believe my eyes – there was Govindarath standing right in front, taking orders. Physically, he had not changed – same slim man, same crisp clean shirt. He was wearing a face mask, reflecting current times, and I was wearing my face mask and face shield. But we recognised each other!
In Tamil, he said, “Neengal Dr Kannan, ah ?(Areyoudr Kannan)”? – reminiscent of another famous meeting centuries ago, in another part of the world: “Dr Livingston, I presume.”
We caught up with old times. He told me that the old stall in Medan Selera still existed but they had since expanded, and that this new branch was newly launched. He was pleasantly surprised with my knowledge of his family. His young son Jayacanth (Jaya) was all grown up, now 42 years of age and manager of the restaurant.
I told Govindarath my predicament. Because of the MCO, there was no in-house dining – a shame, because the newly renovated restaurant was beautiful. Takeaways were available.
From that day onwards, my culinary needs were more than adequately fulfilled: tasty vadai and soft idli, accompanied by excellent sambar. Thosai – the way they made it to go, was not crispy because the crispy variety would become soggy by the time you took it home. Their thosai was thick, soft, very nice and you did not feel bloated after eating it. And I had a huge variety of vegetarian dishes to choose from: various preparations of brinjal, okra, potatoes, cauliflower, long beans, new additions like palak paneer and much more. I was very happy.
Four days ago my vegetarian fast ended and I got to taste their prawn, chicken and mutton dishes, I told Govindarath that he had managed to maintain the quality and standard of his food for more than 40 years. He was pleased.
I went back to visit the original stall in Medan Selera, next to the the Old Town market. From one stall they had expanded to four stalls selling vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes and and snacks like muruku. Because of the MCO, there were no customers but the workers were busy preparing takeout orders.
Times are tough now but I believe Govindarath and Papathy’s will prevail. I am waiting for the MCO to be over. Then on a Saturday evening, I will take my wife on a date, go down memory lane to Papathy’s for a crab treat – this time we will have two crabs – one each.