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someone wise once sang, or at least I imagined he sang – I got that suppertime,
suppertime sadness. I find myself feeling that way, albeit not exactly with
that tune in my head, but more so than not when I find myself wanting company
of friendly faces and guilty pleasures I want in my mouth. The latter being
food.
I
wrote not too long ago on the allure of cheap and tasty food at odd hours in a
piece right HERE and Minggu Café run by Mr. Minggu is no exception.
Charming
is the way I’d put this stall, as it neither is a café nor does it run
throughout the “minggu” (Minggu is week or 7 days in the Malaysian language).
What it is good for, is an interesting take on frozen paratha and sinful
filling. Oh yes, frozen.
Throw
your perception of “authentic” Indian food out of the window, as this simple
guilty pleasure is something of an Indian meets Grilled Cheese kind of meal. “Tasty
food is tasty” is a phrase I’d use to shield myself as I imagine you foodies
out there rolling your eyes at how I can willingly put such inauthenticity in
my mouth. That is the thing about Minggu Café though, as authenticity is not
something it promotes. What you see is what you get.
The
most common and sought after items in his menu are what we will be talking
about today. What Minggu does mostly with what you order is toast two parathas
and once adding the filling (usually with cheese); he sandwiches and covers
them under a lid to allow the filling to heat up. This process is very much
likened to that Grilled Cheese experience I talked about.
With
whatever filling you choose to have, the paratha skin will be as you imagined.
It’s thin and lightly crisp, while being soft on the inside and as you get into
the filling, what you will find is gooey cheese. For those wondering, yes it is
sliced cheese and not cheddar so you will be missing the sharp saltiness that
cheddar brings.
One
of the things I did try was the Kaya and Cheese Paratha. If you are wondering
if it tastes strange, then yes. I have to admit it does taste strange as the
gooey slightly salty cheese and sweet kaya does not blend as well as Minggu
recommended. What is recommended when available is Kaya and Bananas as the
classic pairing always makes for a good combination.
Finally,
the Mushroom and Cheese Paratha is a good pairing with the rich and smokey
flavours of julienned mushrooms complimenting the slightly savoury cheese. Once
hot, what you have is gooey cheese and mushrooms sandwiched together by thin
crispy and yet chewy parathas that makes a rather interesting take on a Grilled
Cheese Sandwich.
Places
to go in Kuching during the supper hour can be scarce, but if you’re into weird
food and cheese paratha sandwiches that can be sliced into pizza shaped bites
to be shared with friends, then you may just be in for a treat.
Minggu
Café is opened daily except on Mondays from 6am to 3pm and 5:30pm to 11pm. It is found in Lorong 10A of Sungai Matang Kanan in the map or opposite E-Mart Batu Kawa.
