'Deadpool' serves authentic Kelantanese dishes at Kedai Nasi Kertas

By Muhammad Saufee Rosman and Nur Rafiqah Mohamad Razi

KETEREH, May 21 -- While the majority of superheroes we know are on a mission to save the world, it is a different story for Kelantan's very own superhero, Deadpool, who has been busy providing entertainment with his antics, as well as serving customers at his restaurant, Kedai Nasi Kertas, in Kok Lanas.

Mohd Alif Aikal Mohd Nadzir, 30, who is also the owner of the restaurant, said he decided to don the superhero costume when serving his customers as one of his marketing strategies, and by doing so he would be able to entertain them at the same time.

“On top of that, I am also a big fan of Marvel superheroes, especially Deadpool, because of his funny and playful nature. Previously, I wore this Deadpool costume just for fun, when there weren’t many customers in the shop.

“However, I was inspired to don Deadpool costume full time while at the shop to liven up the atmosphere. This was when customers were allowed to dine in prior to the implementation of the current Movement Control Order (MCO). Many actually wanted to take pictures with Deadpool then,” he said when met by Bernama at his restaurant, located in front of the Petronas petrol station in Kok Lanas, recently.

The father of a two-year-old daughter said that, apart from the Deadpool character, his two employees also donned other superhero costumes, namely, Spider-Man and Black Panther, on certain days such as weekends and public holidays to attract customers.

He said that his restaurant, Kedai Nasi Kertas, sells a variety of authentic Kelantanese delicacies such as nasi kerabu and nasi berlauk, as well as nasi ayam kampung madu which is a favourite of a majority of customers, including various types of colek (dipping sauces), during the month of Ramadan, reaching almost 500 orders a day.

Commenting on the name of Kedai Nasi Kertas, which has been opened since 2016, Mohd Alif Aikal said the name was created to give it a uniqueness compared with other food outlets in the state.

“Nasi Kertas is actually rice wrapped in paper, and if I put other names such as Nasi Berlauk Pagi or Nasi ala Kak Wok, I thought it would be a bit of a cliché.

“When I named my restaurant Kedai Nasi Kertas, it piqued many curious minds, asking the story behind the name, to the extent of visiting the shop to see it for themselves by trying out the dishes, and most importantly the taste,” said the Bachelor of Arts degree holder from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Mohd Alif Aikal, the seventh child of eight siblings, recalled that he opened the restaurant after he graduated, using his own savings with help of his parents, with capital of about RM80,000.

“At first, my family was not convinced to open a shop with the concept of nasi berlauk (rice served with various side dishes), because there are several of those who are selling the same products, but I still tried my luck due to my interest in business since I was in the university.

“From the business that I did while still studying, I managed to save some capital. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), I can now generate between RM10,000 to RM15,000 a month,” said Mohd Alif Aikal, who currently employs 12 workers at his Kedai Nasi Kertas.

-- BERNAMA