Nasi lemak restaurant visit a stroll down memory lane for Dr Wee

JOHOR BARU: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong took a stroll down memory lane and paid a visit to the owner of one of the famous nasi lemak spots in Taman Perling here.

The restaurant, known as Nasi Lemak Mana Lagi, has been operating for the past 26 years and was founded by a 71-year-old man named Sulaiman, who started the restaurant after retiring as a chef at Istana Bukit Serene.

"I first visited the place back when it started its operations in 1996.

"At that time, the owner, known as ‘Pak Cik Sulaiman’ or better known as 'Sulaiman Mana Lagi', had started his nasi lemak restaurant near the Taman Perling surau.

"His operating hours were from midnight until early in the morning," Dr Wee said in a Facebook post Sunday (Jan 30).

The Ayer Hitam MP explained that, back then, Sulaiman had just retired from being a chef at Istana Bukit Serene, and when his restaurant opened, it attracted a huge crowd that affected the nearby traffic.

"He had to relocate his restaurant to another nearby premises where it has been operating till today.

"Pak Cik Sulaiman also told me that his wife, who had been together with him since they started operations, had passed away two years ago. Now the restaurant is operated by his children," Dr Wee said, adding that he had visited after a meeting with several MCA leaders.

Present at the meeting and subsequent visit to the restaurant were Pulai MCA chief Wong You Fong, Johor Baru MCA chief Ang Boon Heng, Pasir Gudang MCA chief Tan Tuan Peng and Johor MCA secretary Datuk Ng Keng Heng.

The meeting was about the upcoming Johor election.