This is one breakfast that I will be remembering for a very long time to come.
Not because I haven't eaten a morning meal at this coffee house along Dunman Road close to Koon Seng Road and Joo Chiat Road before, but because in all these years I have never- not once- come here this early for a morning breakfast meal.
Don't ask me why.
It just never happened.
This morning, however, I woke up bright and early at 6am.
Well, I wouldn't say I was feeling really bright.
More like, I couldn't fall back asleep.
After discovering that my friend was also in one of those can't-sleep modes, we decided to make a change of routine and go out for breakfast instead.
It wasn't difficult to make a decision.
I mean, between McDonalds on the Marine Parade side of the road, the hawker center on the same side, or Mrs. Mohgan's, of course Mrs. Mohgan's prata won hands down.
Her prata is well known all around the country after all.
Life is such that you don't perceive just how much of a privilege you have to get all these at close access until you shift away from the area- and then you realize.
Until a couple of months ago did it dawn on me that we hadn't had prata at this place in at least three years. Somehow things happened that we did not have much of a chance to come back, and even when we did, life became a way where we had contemplate.
Maybe we contemplated too much.
I don't know.
But here we were- after what seemed like a very, very long while- at the coffee house of Tin Yeang right at the junction of Dunman Road, Koon Seng Road and Joo Chiat Road.
If Mrs. Mohgan was surprised by our early presence, she didn't show it.
Just did what she always did- wrote your orders down, gave you your number, and asked you to sit down.
This morning we ordered three different kinds of pratas.
One was what we typically call a egg plaster where a prata kosong is first made then added with a fried sunny-side type of egg on top. Some people call it a sunny side up. Some people call it a fried egg. It is very subjective what it is.
People are sometimes surprised when told that fried egg can go very well when eaten together with the crepe of flour.
But it's true.
Somehow the taste, and texture, of the fried egg white goes well when eaten together with the prata in one bite.
Same too for the yolk, never mind whether it is runny or otherwise.
Mrs. Mohgan's egg yolk here is done in the runny style, so out it flows onto the prata once you cut into it. Egg yolks and crepes do combine together exceptionally well.
Second order of the day was plain prata, which, like always, did not disappoint.
One thing about it though- you must eat it warm. Dont' leave it to the last. The taste doesn't change, but the crisp somehow disappears after a while.
Not that it changes the taste though.
Dipped with mutton curry, it tasted great all the same.
In hindsight, I wish I had had this prata with sugar.
So some people might consider it a very childlike way of eating it, but sugar does make one happy, does it not, and especially on a Saturday morning with good food?
Think I'll do that next time.
Our third order for this morning here at Mrs. Mohgan's was the cheese prata.
That one was a surprise.
Most of the time I am very happy with two types of prata, or even one- doesn't matter what sort it is- but having a cheese prata here was a first, and I was glad.
Maybe I'll order it again another time.
Maybe I'll have it with sugar too.