Wednesday 13 March 2013

Roti King, Charing Cross Road - NOW IN CAMDEN

EDIT: Now at 40 Doric Way, London NW1 


Anyone who's been to Malaysia might balk at the £5.50 price tag, but the roti canai at Roti King is really freaking good. Located on the shabby part of Charing Cross Road, Roti King is actually inside Malaysia Kopi Tiam; the roti chef stands at his own counter at the front, turning and slapping the dough to order. 


An alarming / delicious amount of oil goes down on the counter and the dough is formed. The chef then spins it in the air, slapping it down to get that flaky thinness. Meanwhile, a bowl of curry (lamb, chicken, dhal or fish) is popped into the microwave while the roti cooks. 

What you get is two rounds of lovely flaky bread to dip in a spicy, fragrant bowl of curry. Two large pieces of chicken on the bone are juicy and flavoursome. A hot mug of teh tarik, sweet and milky soothes the spices of the curry. 


On the menu there's also murtabak, which is the roti cooked with a filling, wrapped up like a parcel. There are various sweet options if that's your thing too. We also tried a Penang Char Kway Teow on the main menu which while nice enough, wasn't up to much. I'd stick to the rotis. 

Roti King, inside Malaysian Kopi Tiam

67 Charing Cross Road, 
London WC2H 0NE

Malaysia Kopi Tiam on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

Su-Lin said...

They are the former guys from Roti Stall at Oriental City! Chatted with the guy once and after that shut, they had a market stall far east for a while...called Roti King.

Kavey said...

Oh my Goodness, they're the oriental city roti guys? I MUST GET ME THERE. I still miss OC, and I can't wait for it to reopen, though I know it'll be a couple of years yet.

Mr Noodles said...

Is it called Malaysia Kopi Tiam again? When I went (just before Xmas) the shop itself that hosts the Roti King had rebranded as Asian Twist Delicious. I had the murtabak, it was OK but should've gone with roti with hindsight.

Hollow Legs said...

Su Lin - I've never been to Oriental City! Far east as in East London, or further?

Kavey - I guess so!

Mr Noodles - Yup, that was the sign on the outside. I was going to try the murtabak next time but I'm not sure I could stray from the roti canai.

Grumbling Gourmet said...

HOW HAVE I MISSED THIS?! sorry for shouting... damn it...

r

Shu Han said...

Looks pretty awesome! And it's because of you my instagram feed has been littered with quite a few roti king shots.