Roti Road

In amongst the horde of Vietnamese, Chinese and African restaurants in Footscray is newcomer– Malaysian eatery, Roti Road. Formerly yum cha joint Yummie, Roti Road peddles Malaysian favourites such as char kuay teow, Hainanese chicken rice, nasi lemak and beef rendang.

The restaurant is spacious and brightly lit, with a glass pane separating customers from an open plan kitchen where chefs are kneading dough and spooning mouth-watering concoctions onto plates.

It’d be remiss to dine at Roti Road and not sample one of Malaysia’s most ubiquitous exports, roti canai. Crispy, light and affordable ($5.90), the roti canai with dahl, chicken curry and sambal did not disappoint.

Roti Road’s subsequent offerings were equally impressive. The chicken satay had hints of smokiness straight from the charcoal grill–a rarity for chicken satay in Melbourne that is typically fried instead of grilled or barbecued.

The nasi lemak was top notch, and accompanied by succulent and crispy “ayam berempah” (spiced chicken fried on the bone). Their mee goreng – a popular offering of piquant egg noodles, seafood and egg with additional tofu was full of flavour.

A few slight quibbles; the char kuay teow –while tasty with its traces of “wok hei” (“breath of the wok”) – was not made with traditional flat rice noodles and Chinese sausage, and the laksa was overladen with coconut milk, lacking any spicy kick. That aside, prices were extremely reasonable and the food hit more marks than it missed.

Perfect for sharing dishes with groups, Roti Road fills a gap in Footscray and brings with it good hearty Malaysian food.

Roti Road

189-193 Barkly Street, Footscray
(03) 9078 8878
10.30am to 9.30pm Mon-Thurs
10am to 10pm Fri-Sat
10.30am to 9.30pm Sun

www.rotiroad.com.au
www.facebook.com/rotiroad