Something about nasi kandar can make some people drive long distances just to get a dose of it. The cravers include former Malacca deputy police chief Datuk Kamal Pasha Jamal.

But his target, unfortunately, was Line Clear nasi kandar restaurant which was ordered to close for two weeks by public health enforcers.

“What? Why is it closed?” he asked while walking into the side alley at the corner of Penang Road and Chulia Street where the 24-hour restaurant is and saw the stainless steel racks devoid of food yesterday.

Kamal lives in Kulim now and drove all the way here just for lunch.

“I’ve been eating here since the 60s. I must come back every month or so no matter how far I am to get my nasi kandar. I crave for the prawns and fish head curry.

“I’m sure the health enforcers know what they are doing. I hope the closure will help the restaurant improve itself,” he added.

Another Line Clear patron of 40 years, R. Manoharan, 55, dropped by too.

“I know it was ordered to close. I came to give moral support. I hope authorities realise that Line Clear is our heritage food and a tourist attraction and will not close it down permanently,” he said.

Line Clear workers were spring cleaning when The Star visited yesterday, spraying every nook and cranny with a jet sprayer and scrubbing the interior of refrigerators, shelves and cabinets.

The unused cupboard under the stairs proved to be the restaurant’s undoing, because health enforcers had found a dried-up rat carcass and a layer of rat dung there.

Owner Sahubar Ali Md Haniffa, 59, tore apart that cupboard near the kitchen to sanitise the spot with bleach.

“We haven’t opened that cupboard in years or we would have disposed off the dead rat much earlier,” he said glumly.

They also smashed apart a kitchen counter near the gas stove.

Sahubar admitted his mistake, because beneath the zinc sheet on the counter-top, health enforcers discovered a thick layer of greasy grime that had been accumulating for a long time.

“We will build a stone counter with proper tiles.

“I feel sad because this is the first time that Line Clear had been ordered to close for public health violations since it began about 70 years ago,” he said.

Overcome by emotion when first ordered to close, Sahubar Ali and his associates had criticised the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and state Health Department. They even openly suspected sabotage.

“We take all that back. We admit we were wrong and will respect public health laws,” Sahubar Ali said.

He said after the clean-up they would appeal to MBPP to let them re-open earlier.

MBPP Public Health Standing Committee alternate chairman Ong Ah Teong said the inspection on Monday was not due to complaints against the restaurant.

Besides Line Clear, the authorities also ordered Yasmeen Nasi Kandar next door to close for two weeks and clean up.

“Since 2010, we have checked on a few thousand premises and we will go on checking once a week.

“We remind all food establishment owners that they have a duty of care to maintain public health,” he said.

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by ARNOLD LOH

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