THOSE who frequented the Bangsar scene in the early 90s will remember Navaratnam Sundram, or Lingham as he is known to all, for his scrumptious marrow bone curry and soft, sinful roti bom.
Tucked in Jalan Telawi 2 at the side lane beside the Jolly Green Giant, Lingham’s stall was the late-night hub for many of the Bangsar club crowd.
Signature dishes: Lingham with the restaurant’s Fish head curry, Pasembur and Lamb Chop Curry. A racket of a different kind would be made here as diners thunked bones against their plates in a bid to dislodge the thick, rich marrow which was then slurped up with great relish. Due to the brutal, unrelenting onslaught, Lingham’s melamine plates cracked and had to be replaced with metal ones – even those ended up with dents! Diners finally wisened up and asked for drinking straws to suck the marrows out.
Today, as Lingham sits in his brand new restaurant, Purnama Cahaya (Light of the Full Moon) in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, the 56-year-old father of four reflects on how, when he started making roti canai, he had to stand on a stool to reach the table. Lingham reveals that the past 42 years have not been easy.
“I started with a small stall in 1968 at Mile 4½ Jalan Kelang Lama in front of Yee Seng Rubber Factory. Roti canai only cost 10 sen then. Many asked why I had not pursued my studies or taken up a teaching course but I had four sisters to support so I had no choice but to work,” he recalls.
Lingham diversified to selling Indian rojak from the same stall and later moved to the canteen of Lever Brothers, where he served Malay and Chinese food to the corporation’s 1,100 staff.
When the contract ended three years later, he took up the stall space in Bangsar in 1992. Eight years later, when the area was being redeveloped, he set up a restaurant in Phileo Damansara but it was not until he opened a branch in Section 17 that Lingham found a place he could call “home”.
To get to the lamb marrow, a diner uses a straw to lessen the damage to Purnama’s dishes. Lingham reveals that while he was constantly flattered by the presence of famous individuals like Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, Foo Kok Keong and the Sidek brothers at his outlet, closing time was always spent in self reflection.
“I used long chains to secure my tables and chairs and as the metal links rattled, I would think to myself, ‘Back in Jalan Kelang Lama, I was doing this. Now, so many years on, I am still at the same task. Am I ever going to see a change in my life?’”
It did not help his self-esteem when he saw other food hawkers driving nice cars and enjoying the good life at Bangsar’s thriving night scene. Nevertheless, he was always aware that the income from a stall would not be permanent.
Exercising prudence, Lingham stuck to his Honda Civic and focused on securing a home for his family and saw to it that his earnings went towards his daughters’ education.
Today, two of them are currently pursuing degrees in neuroscience and actuarial science in the United Kingdom and New Zealand respectively.
Lingham now has time for yoga and evening walks with his German Shepherd. This is a far cry from how he had to toil when he first started out.
“In the end, running your own business is all about responsibility and looking at the long term. If you take the earnings and spend them on short-term things like expensive cars – which are high maintenance – and designer clothes, then you may have nothing in the end,” he warns.
Asked if he foresees his children continuing with the business, the doting father laments that his girls are not in the least interested in the restaurant line.
“I once asked my youngest daughter, who is 13, if she would like to come to the restaurant and help me out during the school holidays. She declined. I admit that I was a little disappointed but she is doing well in her studies. So for now, I would prefer that she focuses on that.”
At Lingham’s new Purnama Cahaya restaurant in Section 17, the diner can certainly expect the same mouth-watering curries which were once the rage in Bangsar, although the bone marrows have taken a back seat to a healthier option in tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb chops in a thick, spicy gravy.
One definite must-try is the delicious chicken curry. Imagine tender bite-sized pieces infused to the bone with flavour. Imagine a gravy so rich that a blindfolded diner could be fooled into thinking he is sipping thick chicken soup. The taste is so heavenly that diners ask for their roti canai to be flooded with it.
Another dish worthy of mention is the fish head curry. Laden with brinjals, okra and tomato wedges, the favourite choices are the red snapper and jenahak.
“Diners just love the jelly-like textured skin and many are known to suck the bones dry,” says Lingham, who still does all the cooking in his restaurant.
He says all his curries are the result of a personal blend, honed to his taste and perfected over the years. Never, he declares, has he resorted to artificial flavourings or ready-mixed powders. Nevertheless, the true test of a great curry lies in its ability to survive the “take-away” test: and yes, it is a good idea to pack home a portion of fish or chicken curry and let it mature for a day or two in the refrigerator. The result is a dish that has a “fuller body”.
Restoran Purnama Cahaya is in Jalan 17/10, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 012-6769310. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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