It is not very often a state leader visits Jakarta and the first thing he looks for is a local eatery.

But that is exactly what Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob did soon after he arrived in town on Tuesday.

"The first thing that I did after arriving was order [food] from Garuda," Ismail Sabri said in a meeting with the media, referring to the popular Malay food joint in Jakarta, known for its spicy and coconut milk-heavy offerings.

The newly sworn in Prime Minister Ismail spoke of the popularity of Malay and Padang food in Malaysia, especially in the capital. "There’s so many Malay and Padang restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, so we're no stranger to that," Ismail Sabri said, adding that Malay culture had also become part of the country's cultural fabric. 

And just like other Malaysian prime ministers who claimed to have roots in Indonesia, the 61-year-old politician was more than happy to show off his own connections to the country.

"Malaysia and Indonesia have had a long history and large numbers of Malaysians can trace their roots to Indonesia. My son-in-law in fact comes from Manado [North Sulawesi]. So my granddaughter is half-Indonesian, half-Malaysian," Ismail Sabri said, speaking about his daughter Nina Sabri's marriage to 35-year-old fashion designer Jovian Mandagie. 

The Indonesian-born Mandagie is one of Malaysia's top designers who has been married to Nina since 2013.

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