MELAKA, Oct 28 — This is a true roti canai feast: roti layered with sugar and margarine, roti with barely set eggs in its centre, roti hiding slices of ripe bananas. A saucer of dhal here, a spoonful of sambal there. What more could one ask for?

Given that we are back in my hometown of Melaka, this scene could well be taking place in a neighbourhood warung, where we could also order nasi biryani with ayam rendang to go along with roti canai for breakfast. Even in the early hours of the morning.

Indeed, this is breakfast as it often is, the way it has always been for many families here.

But not today. Today we find ourselves in Melaka Raya, where banks and office towers dominate, where coffee chain cafés and hotpot restaurants seem to be the order of the day.

Yet tucked away along the somewhat secluded Jalan Melaka Raya 4 is a kopitiam that tells a different story.

Ah Koon Kopitiam looks like any other old-school coffee shop. No air-conditioning, so you’re more likely to catch a breeze sitting at the tables along the corridor outside.

There are only two stalls here, besides the drinks counter. At the back of the shop, one stall offers nasi lemak. Patrons at the other tables tell us the nasi lemak is straightforward but satisfying, the santan just fragrant enough.

But our attention is fixed elsewhere. We are here for the roti canai.

The stall located strategically at the entrance is run by Ayuzul and his family. He tells me he has been at it for more than 20 years, and I believe him.

His deftness with dough, his range of offerings — from the plain roti kosong (ask for “extra garing” if you fancy a shatteringly crisp version) to roti telur and roti bawang — this is the work of long practise, of mastery.

After placing our orders, we look for a table; there’s just one left available along the corridor, lucky us. While we waited for our roti canai, we sip on a teh tarik kurang manis and a well balanced cham panas.

First to arrive is the Roti Bom. Folded, refolded, layered almost sinfully with margarine and sugar. Crispy edges that yield a tender, buttery middle. Savoury yet sweet, its golden surface glistening as though brushed with sunshine.

Dhal and sambal accompany it, the latter leaning more towards salty rather than sweet, very much the Malaccan way. I am transported; this is a flavour combination that brings back so many wonderful childhood memories.

Every roti is made fresh to order. No pre-made stacks, no waiting under heating lamps.

The entire operation is the picture of efficiency. Ayuzul stretches and tosses the dough, before transferring it to the hot griddle, whereupon his wife takes over, turning and flipping with quick, precise movements.

Between the two of them, a quiet choreography unfolds, every roti plated at the precise moment it should be.

Next comes the showstopper: their signature Roti Sarang Burung, its name evoking the nest it so deftly resembles. In the centre, two eggs, yolks still molten, whites just holding.

The contrast is striking: fragile, feather-light edges giving way to a soft, runny heart that spills generously into the bread’s folds. Each bite slips from crunch to custard, a small theatre of textures.

I save the seemingly unadorned Roti Pisang for last. This has been my private indulgence ever since I first enjoyed a stellar version in Batu Caves during my university days so many, many years ago.

Beneath the lightly blistered surface, the banana has softened into a golden pulp, its sweetness deepened by the heat of the pan.

A quiet decadence in the way the sugars caramelise at the edges, an indecent stickiness that urges me to hurry back for another mouthful.

There is beauty in the details of Ayuzul’s diverse menu of roti canai — the hedonistic yet heavenly richness of his Roti Bom; and how piercing the yolks at the heart of the Roti Sarang Burung, first one then the other, can be so strangely satisfying; and the revelation that Roti Pisang is both bread and dessert, which makes for a complete meal, surely?

This truly is a roti canai feast, nothing less. One that we will return to everytime we are back in town.

And yet the best part may not be the food. It is the big smiles of Ayuzul and his wife: genuine, warm, welcoming. In a busy city, that might be rarer and more precious than any golden roti.

Ah Koon Kopitiam

5, Jalan Melaka Raya 4,

Taman Melaka Raya, Melaka.

Open Mon-Sat 7am-12pm; Sun closed

Tel: 017-5244783

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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