LANGKAWI: When restaurant owner Zaidi Hassan received a phone call from a customer, saying he would be coming by helicopter to dine at his restaurant, he dismissed it as a joke.
Zaidi, who runs the Dangau Langkawi restaurant on the island, said he received the phone call at 1.35pm today.
"I thought it was one of my friends having a joke. The caller said he wanted to have the 'set talam' for lunch at my restaurant, and that he and some friends would be coming by helicopter.
"I asked if he was being serious. He told me to wait as he would be arriving in 15 minutes. He also asked me if there was a spot nearby for the chopper to land," he said.
Zaidi said around 20 minutes later, he heard a helicopter flying overhead.
"It landed at an open space some 20-metres from my restaurant.
"At least six people stepped out and came to the restaurant. They were joined by around 10 to 15 other people who came by cars," he said.
He said the diners spent around RM500 on the 'set talam', which comprised fish curry, sambal petai prawns, grilled fish, ulam and sambal belacan as well as drinks.
"They spent about an hour here before leaving. I couldn't recognise any of them.
"I didn't ask who they were and where they were from. But I did hear someone refer to one of them as 'Datuk'," he said.
Meanwhile, Langkawi district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Shariman Ashari, said the helicopter's flight was logged and approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).
