One night in Ramadhan

It was nearly 2 am by the time we left Tuk Din's . Outside the air was cool and refreshing and if not for the distance, it would have been nice to walk home. We went to have late night coffee at Tuk Din's which dragged on to Terawikh and if not for work, we'd have stayed for sahur.

Since the opening of Tuk Din's at 41 Craven Road, Paddington, we had been there twice to break our fast and then proceeded to Terawikh at Malaysia Hall, but most of the time, we'd prefer to break fast at home and then have a short rest, watching the very knowledgeable Dr Zakir Naik on Islam Channel.

But that night after iftar, while waiting for the mee bandung to settle, I suddenly missed the company of Tuk Din and his wife Midah. Since the opening of their new restaurant, they have been sorely missed in the surau and it hasn't been the same. We are happy that their restaurant is doing very well, especially during iftar. People come from near and far and the clients are not just Malaysians but locals too. Our children needed no persuasion or blackmail to go to Tuk Din's and we piled into Nona's new old Honda Civic and off we went.

Tuk Din's reputation for his culinary skills; his koayteow goreng, mee goreng mamak, nasi lemak, just to mention a few, is legendary. People just keep coming back for more.

Those of you who frequented Malaysia Hall canteen before the move to the present site now, would remember Tuk Din's famous dishes and hospitality. And now, he has his own restaurant. The food is just as good if not better, the only difference now is that it is no longer government subsidised!

That night, when the last customer had paid his bills and the 'closed' sign was put in place, we sat around talking about old times; about the good old times at the old Malaysia Hall canteen in Bryanston Square. That was where the children spent time working to earn some pocket money and more importantly to mix around with other Malaysian children. They helped to clear tables and served behind the counter. I too helped out while waiting for the children to finish their work. It was fun. The children met a lot of Malaysian friends and got involved with activities organised by the MSD. I too met a lot of interesting people with interesting stories to tell.

We made friends from near and far. Many friends became more like family. Among them are blogger Melayu di London and husband who left us briefly to go back to Singapore. And now they are back! That night, they too walked in with their children to join us for late night coffee. And we had an impromtu birthday celebration for their youngest. It was just like the good old days.

So that was where we had our terawikh that night, at Tuk Din's led by my husband. It was like having one big family in the congregation and it was nice. The little boys who used to run around in the canteen, are now grown ups praying with us that night in Ramadhan.

So at almost 2 am, we drove back from Paddington on the A40, the full moon shining down on us as we listened to Mesut Kurtis' Qasidah Burdah. It is one of my favourites. Listening and singing along its beautiful words and melody with the children, reminded me of those days driving along listening to Raihan's beautiful nasyeeds. We couldn't get enough of Raihan's nasyeed. They are so beautiful.

So, if you've not been to Tuk Din's, do go and you wont regret the experience, and if you've not heard Mesut Kurtis' Qasidah Burdah, here it is:



Thanks to blogger atok who reminded me that my other half, has had this song in his head for some time now and here is the link in his kecek-kecek. You can also find the lyrics there.