It was a day long adventure at our booth F1. 08 in Amcorp Mall.

Our, that is, my wife Jeannie’s, and my day; was busy meeting our friends and family, while we were there. We made load of new friends, while meeting with old friends and customers, too.

One of the (my) “old” friends that came by was ex-La Salle School Klang boy, Ronald Gomes. He is my junior, and was in my brother, Terence’s class/ year.

He brought over a big packet of muruku which he bought from the Ipoh Muruku guy who had a booth on the same floor as us.

We chatted for a while. He proudly don’s a head of pure white hair. He said it’s natural, not bleached. He left soon after.

“Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits is being Bluetooth-ed to the Marshall Willen 2 speaker, while I pen (more like thumb-type on my Samsung Galaxy Fold 5) this essay.

We packed up and closed our booth slightly earlier so that we could head back home, freshen up to come out for an invited dinner.

Dinner was hosted by Christopher and Evelina Nelliah, in honour of Evelina’s birthday.

We met at a little cosy restaurant, named “kumi.”; with the period (American) or full stop (British) after it. Located somewhere in Damansara Heights, an upmarket housing neighbourhood, it “sat” somewhere in between what looked like a single row of shops. On a Saturday evening, it was quiet.

Brendan, Evelina’s & Christopher’s son was there. So was Dato Ronald Gomes and his wife, Datin Debbie Gomes. Allen Jolly Sundar was there, too. It was great seeing him after a long time; the last time being lunch at his condo somewhere in the south of Kay El (also known as K.L. to the less “hip” folk or Kuala Lumpur to those who rather be formal). A newcomer to this usual group of ours, this being the first meet up after many, many years, was Kenneth Gomes. Kenneth and the rest of us, with the exception of Allen; are related – our grandfathers (my mother’s father) were brothers.

It looked like Christopher had arranged for the whole restaurant to be for us on that evening, as we were the only ones there. From the bits of information gathered, this place usually has a crowded crowd (? Is there a time when a crowd is not crowded? 🤔) The quiet of the restaurant was really good. It allowed us space to relax, unwind and enjoy the company).

It was good re-connecting with Kenneth, our families connecting from our grandfathers. The family history that we talked about was a span covering about 50 years, which itself, is a pretty vast period.

The food was all good. Very authentic Malaccan Portuguese Eurasian. I had to be specific as this restaurant prides itself in its home cuisine. Here, the emphasis is on “home” besides the “Malaccan Portuguese Eurasian” because the ingredients, spices and whatever else which goes into each dish, is prided to be balanced, meaning that you will get the same level of goodness, each time, every time.

We were met by restaurant co-owner, Chef Rueben Moissinac, who came to chat a bit with us, especially Christopher. Rueben has a history behind him with regards to the dishes kumi. offers and the differentiating factor of preparing these dishes.

We had a slice of suggee icing birthday cake, after singing three verses of “Happy Birthday”. The cake was made by a relative of the restaurant owner. I thought Allen, more fondly referred to as “Jolly” (his middle name); was going to sing an Alleycats number. He is an awesome singer. Don’t let him tell you otherwise.

Allen also acquired a copy of my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. First thing he asked, “is he in the book?” Haha. Allen has got a great sense of humour.

Like all evenings, this one came to a close. As we stepped outside the restaurant, another conversation was started up in two groups, the ladies on one side and the guys in another; like as though we did not have enough to say in the restaurant.

When in Damansara Heights or around these parts and you want to eat; drop in at kumi. Kumi means “eat” in Kristang. Kristang is generally spoken in the Malacca Portuguese restaurant.