Suriani Hassan, 36, took over her father-in-law’s eatery in 2010. Seven years later, she introduced lontong darat to the menu, capitalising on the fact that few eateries were offering the dish at the time.
Traditional lontong consists of pressed rice cakes, vegetables in coconut milk, beef rendang, spicy sambal, grated coconut and peanut sauce. Lontong darat eschews the coconut gravy, so it is served dry; and Suriani shakes things up by offering a wide variety of side dishes.
“We serve lontong darat in several sets: ‘single’ with one side dish, ‘kahwin dua’, ‘madu tiga’, and the ‘special’ with four side dishes.
“Customers can choose from chicken or beef rendang, sambal paru, quail’s egg sambal, cockle sambal, or squid sambal,” she said, adding that prices range from RM8 for the “single” set to RM18 for the “special”.
The mother of two, who is assisted by six workers, says her eatery attracts not just locals but also tourists from Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and even Sweden, many of whom stop by before heading to the islands off Mersing.
“We also host motorcycle convoys and travellers heading to the east coast, and have received orders from government and private agencies, as well as the palace.”
Suriani pointed out that demand can be overwhelming during school holidays. “We have to prepare more so we don’t disappoint customers who travelled long-distance,” she said, noting that her eatery went viral after appearing on TikTok’s For You Page.
Besides lontong darat, the shop – which operates from 7am to 12.30pm daily except on Fridays – offers a range of popular dishes including roti canai, bihun soup, lontong laut, nasi lemak, and “soto kaki ayam letup”.
As part of efforts to represent the best of Johor’s cuisine, Suriani plans to expand the menu further by introducing additional side dishes, fried snacks, and satay in the mornings.
“I want customers to not only enjoy the food but also to experience the beauty and peaceful atmosphere of Mersing through Johor’s culinary variety,” she added.
Lontong Darat @ Cik Tik Corner
Simpang 3, Kampung Sri Pantai,
86800 Mersing, Johor