It's not often I frequent a Malaysian place, although each time I seem to remind myself why some of the flavours put me at ease. The most recent places have been C&R in London (before the months long renovations) and Roti House in Canberra, with a special mention to Chef Lagenda closeby. I do have a place in my stomach for PappaRich but that's mainly to do with the Entertainment Book and their sweet drinks (most of their product is premade and even precooked... apparently).
Nonetheless as close as Lagenda is, Roti Road is even closer and walkable. I've heard some mixed reviews but on the whole informed their laksa is a decent rendition in town.
- Deepfried Squid Tentacles $7.8 - not too bad, a bit chewy, quite heavily salty, could have used more chilli;
- Curry Laksa Seafood $13.5 - a real Malaysian curry mee with strong flavour and only a hint of coconut. Not the Singapore or Thai laksa style that most people might be used to with the salty/sweet/sour combination, but a good straight forward Malaysian type. A small amount of seafood (squid, prawns) and some eggplant rounded out the ingredients;
- Roti Chanai with Ayam Masak Merah $10.8 - a nice wispy roti with a bit of chew to it. The chicken reminded me of tandoori and I'd opt for the rendang beef next time (as I feel that should be the roti default, but not my choice this time...).
07-2016
I came back again a few weeks later to try a few other things (no photos):
- Roti Telur & Bawang $7.9 - a roti made thicker with egg and onion, although I felt didn't add much to it. I prefer the simple roti from the first time;
- Har Mee $12.9 - I've always had trouble choosing between this lesser eaten dish, Assam laksa (which isn't on the menu) and laksa at any Malaysian restaurant. On this occasion the har mee had a thin clear soup with mild prawn flavour. There were only a few small prawns and some chicken. I preferred the thicker laksa (maybe a reflection of my recent tastes changing);
- Ipoh Fried Noodle $12.8 - also generally known as Ipoh combination hor fun. This was a good sized serve with nice ingredients and a very strong egg sauce. Not bad at all;
- Fish Head Noodle $12.9 - I'm usually having this as a clear thin sour(ish) broth, but this was a milky consistency (not strongly coconut that I could tell) with a little bit of tang. There were a nice amount of fried fish swimming within. I was pleasantly happy with this.
Next time I would order the Curry Laksa Seafood with the backup options of Fish Head Noodle (if I'm feeling healthier) or Roti Chanai with Rendang Beef (if I want bread and curry). I still am interested in testing the standard breakfast of Nasi Lemak and some of the sweet drinks, if I get around to it.