PUTRAJAYA: Patrons at the Umai Cafe here had a pleasant surprise last Sunday when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and his family decided to drop in during tea time.
Umai Cafe manager Amir Redza Mohd Tajudin, 37, said it all began when he received a call from the King’s special officer Colonel Nazim Mohd Alim at about 2pm saying that His Majesty would be dropping by at 5pm.
“(In disbelief) I asked Colonel Nazim again if what he said was true, and he concurred, adding that Sultan Abdullah would be accompanied by the Raja Permaisuri Agong (Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar) and their two princesses (Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan and Tengku Puteri Ilisha Ameera),” he added.
Amir Redza, who runs the cafe owned by his mother, Datin Jamaliah Ja’afar, said the royal family spent about an hour there and paid a bill of RM1,000 for all 60 patrons present there at the time.
“The royal family looked very cheerful and relaxed and really spent some quality time enjoying the dishes they ordered. I am truly honoured that Sultan Abdullah decided to visit Umai Cafe just after being sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Jan 31,” he said.
The royal family, among other things, treated themselves to local delicacies such as ‘cekodok pisang’, ‘lempeng pisang’, ‘lempeng kelapa’, ‘cucur udang’ and ‘roti jala’ with chicken curry.
Amir Redza said the royal family members also insisted on receiving the same service as other customers at the cafe, where the food and drinks were served using plates, plastic cups and the usual cutlery.
“Sultan Abdullah, Tunku Azizah and the two princesses were very friendly. While their orders were being prepared, the royal couple spent the time mingling with other patrons in the restaurant,” he said, adding that the royal family departed in a white Bentley vehicle driven by Tengku Puteri Ilisha Ameera. — Bernama
