Springleaf Prata Place has been quite a favourite of ours ever since the opening of the second phase of the Thomson-East Coast Line with the opening of stations between Springleaf and Caldecott somewhere in 2021. There are multiple mamak-style eateries serving up Roti Prata pretty much dots this section of the Thomson-East Coast Line — this includes The Roti Prata House, as well as Casuarina Curry to a certain extent (a bus transfer at Springleaf / Lentor would be required). One spot that we have had in our minds to check out would be Al~Sahira Restaurant Pte Ltd — occupying a fairly obvious spot just outside of Mayflower MRT Station Exit 3, the eatery used to operate on a 24 hour basis but had recently revised their operating hours to be from 6:30am to 11:30pm (at least according to Google; they have also struck off the “24 hours” wording off their signboard). The establishment does seem to be decently renovated — the mosaic and marble-esque tiles used on the walls and counter does give the decor somewhat of a style; same goes for the use of mirrors as well as a ceiling feature which we found to be relatively interesting. That being said, the upkeep of the furniture could be better — though still rather acceptable for those willing to turn a blind eye considering it is relatively minor. With both indoor and outdoor seating at the other end of the walkway, Al-Sahira pretty much serves what one would expect out of a typical Indian-Muslim cuisine eatery — think a large variety of items spread across multiple sections ranging from Prata, Mamak-style dishes, Thai cuisine and a whole variety of beverages.

One item that has caught our attention for quite a while at Al~Sahira Restaurant Pte Ltd that piqued our interest with them would be the Roti Banjir. A variant of the typical Roti Prata that we are familiar with, Al~Sahira Restaurant Pte Ltd is probably one of the rare few spots around that actually lists Roti Banjir as an item on the their menu (or at least so with the various establishments that we have came across — there are too many of such Indian-Muslim cuisine spots to track!). The Roti Banjir served at Al~Sahira Restaurant isn’t too far from the Tsunami Prata that some may be familiar with that is also served at certain establishments — the Roti Banjir here features elements such as sunny side-up, sambal chili, some greens and carrots with curry that drenching the entire ordeal here; it also interestingly comes with bone marrow as well, which comes as a surprise considering its price at $4.50. Served piping hot, we didn’t expect that we would be sweating profusely and sniffling whilst enjoying this during that wave of cold weather slightly after the Chinese New Year season — the entire deal was intense with the curry being of the right consistency carrying the notes of the various spices going into it; all that with a good punch of spiciness that tickles the tastebuds even for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Then there is that sambal chili that mimics the same level of spiciness to that of the curry; all that whilst carrying a note of sweetness that balances against the curry. There are bits of meat that came with the bone marrow; we weren’t too much of a fan of the bone marrow and the surrounding bits of meat considering how gamey they were — then again, this would be a matter of our preference though. We especially liked how they seemed to be able to do the sunny side-up just on point here — fluffy egg whites with molten egg yolk that eagerly flows out as gently pokes them with the fork or spoon. The prata carries a fluffy and soft consistency here — not that it matters though, considering how it is being drenched in all that curry and sambal here, though it is interesting to note how it didn’t turn all mushy and soggy with all that is above it.

When we posted the Instagram story for the Roti Banjir from Al~Sahira Restaurant Pte Ltd, we had mentioned how “Springleaf may be where our favourite prata is, but Mayflower’s prata game is sick …”; whilst Springleaf Prata Place does have an edge in terms of its creative approaches to Roti Prata in ways that one would not expect it to be, the Roti Banjir from Al~Sahira Restaurant Pte Ltd is the definition of “ugly delicious”. It bears somewhat of a resemblance to how Mixed Economic Rice is against Hainanese Scissors Cut Curry Rice — the Roti Banjir is pretty much the unglamorous, yet tastier and upsized version of the standard Roti Prata. It is our very first time having Roti Banjir, but it is pretty wholesome — that kick of spiciness, the sweetness and that gaminess of the meats; everything gels together to form that cohesive experience that one just gets a little bit of everything at one go. It is also especially worth mentioning that it is fairly affordable at $4.50 — no doubt pricier than a standard prata dish, but considering one is getting around three (3) egg yolks and the bone marrow, it is fairly reasonable. Skimming through the other Roti Prata items that Al~Sahira Restaurant Pte Ltd dishes out, we are most certainly interested in their Maggie Prata (done in the style of Maggie Goreng Pattaya; with the Prata being the “omelette” encasing the noodle, based on illustrations on the menu) and the ASR Ice Cream Prata — seemingly a signature considering how the prata is shaped like a big cone containing the ice-cream, based on illustrations on the menu). Definitely a spot worth checking out if one is within the vicinity on the Thomson-East Coast Line and just ain’t feeling like it to head to Springleaf Prata Place for Roti Prata — an interesting alternative for sure!