KUANTAN, Jan 13 — “I was hesitant actually, to inform him that our names are the same. My name is Tengku Abdullah, but I only make ‘roti canai’ for Sultan Abdullah ...” said Tengku Abdullah Tengku Sulaiman, the owner of an eatery frequented by the new Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah.
Tengku Abdullah, 46, added that his ‘shy’ attitude meant he never revealed his name to Sultan Abdullah, although the ruler often acknowledged him when gracing the restaurant after the Dawn prayers at a nearby mosque.
The Kelantan-born said the food favoured by the ruler at the restaurant he founded three years ago is ‘nasi lemak’ and crispy roti canai with less oil, accompanied with dahl curry.
Looking back at Sultan Abdullah’s first visit to the restaurant located in Indera Mahkota here, Tengku Abdullah admitted to feeling nervous when he found out that the Tengku Mahkota Pahang (at the time) wished to visit his restaurant.
“The palace officer had called in the morning to inform me that His Highness wished to have breakfast here after Dawn prayers...at first I was stunned. I was worried if my food would not be good enough for him.
“The first time I saw His Highness at my restaurant, I felt proud and good as well, it’s as though I was dreaming,” he told Bernama when met at his restaurant here today.
Earlier, Sultan Abdullah, who will be proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang on Tuesday, had breakfast at the restaurant after performing the Dawn prayers at the Imam Ash-Shafie Mosque in Kota SAS here today.
Meanwhile, Tengku Abdullah’s wife, Rosnida Che Soh, 44, described Sultan Abdullah as a humble person who preferred casualness over protocol, making it easier for her to serve the VVIP guest.
“He is also very generous, because, every time he stops by here, it means good news for other patrons as well.
“Sultan Abdullah will pay the bill for all the patrons, including those who are buying takeaway food,” she said.
Rosnida was also impressed by Sultan Abdullah’s patience, often obliging to those who wished to snap a picture with him.
Once, she said, when Sultan Abdullah was ready to leave in his car, he alighted once again to take pictures with some people who had gathered there. — Bernama
