KUALA LUMPUR — A group of South Korean personalities got more than they bargained for while trying out Malaysian cuisine at a mamak restaurant there.

In a February episode of the variety show With Your Money We Go Travel, comedians Kim Jun-ho, Jang Dong-min, Yoo Se-yoon, Kim Dae-hee and Hong In-gyu were seen visiting TG’s Bistro in Bukit Bintang, located in Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur.

Upon calling over a waiter, Jun-ho proceeded to ask the man to recommend a “signature” dish. The waiter then pointed to a picture of “roti tisu” on the menu.

Roti tisu or tissue prata is a sweet flatbread that is commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore. It is a thinner and crispier version of the traditional roti prata. It is often shaped in a cone and served with sugar, condensed milk or chocolate syrup.

In the episode, Jun-ho took on the waiter’s recommendation and proceeded to enthusiastically order five tissue pratas for him and his buddies.

Taken aback, the worker tried to explain that each serving of tissue prata is big. However, Jun-ho insisted on going ahead with the order.

The rest of the cast then added fried rice, tom yum soup, pineapple juice and sweet lassi to their order. 

‘EVEN THE LOCALS ARE TAKING PICTURES’

Minutes later, the five men could not conceal the look on their faces when a line of servers approached their table with what looked like tall spires.

In-gyu asked in disbelief: “Jun-ho, you ordered five of these?”

Dong-min said, as each of them awkwardly held up their own tower of tissue prata: “Look, even the locals are taking pictures. Must be the first time they see someone ordering this.”

Flustered, Jun-ho could only reply: “It didn't look this (tall) on the menu.” 

To be fair, the tissue prata depicted on the menu did appear much more modest.

Jun-ho then tried to have a bite of his portion of tissue prata but the delicate structure crumbled in his hands.

Despite a steep learning curve, the men eventually figured out how to enjoy the paper-thin dish, even playfully feeding each other across the table.

‘INSTANT REGRET’

The cast’s encounter with tissue prata has gone viral in Malaysia, with internet users sharing clips from the episode across various social media platforms, Malaysian social news site Says reported.

Viewers seemed thoroughly amused by the reactions of the South Koreans and poked fun at the incredulous scene.

An Instagram user likened it to “instant regret”, while a TikTok user said: “One table, one roti tisu only. That’s the rule.”

Someone else quipped: “What they ordered was a pyramid. What they got was the KLCC”. This was a likely reference to the Petronas Twin Towers, the third tallest building in Malaysia.

Some people in Malaysia admitted that they, too, would not know how to handle an oversized tissue prata.

Others questioned if the restaurant typically serves tissue pratas of that size, suspecting that the staff members had made them extra tall especially for the show.

In Singapore, similarly tall tissue pratas may also be found at mamak stalls here. One of the most popular is near Serangoon Gardens — R K Eating House, which has been famous for the towering delicacy for almost a decade.