Worthy of the crown? - Roti King Review
In-keeping with the thrifty January theme (it has been a month since the last payday!), combined with a strong recommendation from a Malaysian friend, Roti King was the next spot for review.
Listed on TimeOut's Top 100 Cheap Eats in London, Roti King, as the Billboard-esque sign states, is "Authentic Malaysia - Singapore Street Foods". As pictured, the most famous dish is the Roti Canai (it is in the title after all).
The Location
Hidden down an unassuming side street behind Euston station, if you didn't know what you were looking for you'd probably walk straight past the entrance to Roti King, or at least spend a minute or two trying to figure out where the entrance is. Luckily, as is the way with foodie hotspots, a queue of hungry diners creates a useful pointer of where to get your roti fix.
Roti King is located in the basement of a block of flats, and more often than not, there's a wait involved before you can get a table. We visited at lunch on a Saturday, arriving not long after it opened at 12 and still had to amuse ourselves for thirty minutes before being ushered in from the cold. Now bear in mind, you're not going to Roti King for a lavish, pampered experience. This is a no frills, get in, eat, pay and get out affair, which you'll realise when you enter.
The Space
The reason there's often a queue, aside from the food, is that the space is tiny, with as many tables crammed into the room as possible, with the exception of an aisle down the centre. So much is space a rarity, that the toilet is actually outside the entrance!
The decor is very simple yet still inviting, with Malaysian flags on display, exposed filament light bulbs (does anyone not like them?) and some interesting graphics on the walls. Seating is also limited to two person benches and tables, so it's a very simple, canteen-like feel.
Another "quirky" feature is that you shouldn't be alarmed if someone you don't know joins your table. We were a group of three and were still joined by an elderly Malaysian woman to fill the extra space, so bear that in mind.
Given the surprising number of people that can fit in the space, and there only being room for two waiters to manoeuvre, the service can be subject to delays, so reminding them if you've not received anything wouldn't go amiss.
The Food
Before starting the task of deciding what to eat, we ordered a round of Kopi Putih, hot coffee with condensed milk. Not the healthiest drink or one for coffee purists, but it's delicious and warming, particularly with the freezing weather at the moment!
The Menu is split into several sections; Roti Canai, Sweet Canai, Malaysian Local Dishes, Noodles, Stir Fried Vegetables, and the Lunch Specials (£5.50 to £6.80).
As this was a post-exercise lunch, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we chose the Roti Canai (£5), Char Kuey Teow (£7), Beef Rendang (£7.5), Kari Laksa (£7.5), Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Berempah (£7) and Kangkung Belacan (£6.5) - I'll explain each one as we go through the dishes!
So going to Roti King, you obviously have to order the Roti. You can see them being made as you walk into the restaurant, which is interesting in itself, as the chef stretches out the dough, and it ends up as a crunchy, light, scrunched up flatbread. The Roti Cenai was served alongside a curry dhall, which is a great way to start a meal. The roti soaks up the vegetable dhall, with warm, earthy flavours coming through from the lentils, ginger and turmeric. I could have kept eating this for the whole meal!
Next up, the Char Kuey Teow. Stir fried flat noodles with eggs, prawns and chicken, topped with spring onion, fried shallots and chilli. The egg is similar to that served in egg fried rice, which is done by stir frying everything together creating almost scrambled egg-like pieces. The sauce is a mix of soy sauce and chilli paste, which adds a savoury and spicy touch. It also coats the prawns and flat noodles, which means each mouthful has the combination of flavours. A moreish, filling dish for £7.
Next up, one of my favourite Malaysian dishes, Beef Rendang. The rendang sauce, made from reducing coconut milk with ginger, garlic and lemongrass for a few hours and adding dried coconut, is a thick, dry curry full of aroma and East Asian spices. The beef was tender from the slow-cooking process, which is exactly what you want (no one likes tough meat). I could have done with a larger portion of rendang when you compare it to some of the other dishes, but that's mainly because it tasted great!
The Laksa was then served, which isn't the most photogenic dish, but packed with flavour. Definitely not for those that can't handle chilli, there's a real kick to each mouthful. The laksa, consisting of chicken, prawns, tofu, noodles and fish balls, would easily be a meal in itself for a diner. The broth is coconut milk based, but there's so much more going on, with the heat and aromatic spices creating a delicious dish. It was also the first time I tried fish balls, which I can only describe as being very similar to crab sticks i.e. fish processed into a spongy ball, which didn't actually taste that bad!
Two more dishes to go... the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Berempah was made up of steamed coconut rice served with peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumber, egg, chilli sambal and spiced fried chicken. This was my least favourite choice of the meal, largely due to the dried shrimp and fried anchovies alongside the sambal (chilli paste). If you haven't had dried shrimp or fried anchovies, they have a very strong fish taste that can overpower most other elements. Having said that, my friend did demolish the plate so clearly it's a me issue rather than the food!
Last up was the Kangkung Belacan which is Morning Glory (water spinach) cooked in shrimp paste. This was another I could eat over and over again. The shrimp paste added a savoury umami taste to the dish, making the spinach moreish. The fried shallots and chilli added crunchiness and heat as well. I'd consider this a must order alongside any of the curries or noodle dishes, not to mention adding some vegetables to the meal!
The Verdict
Cost £ (out of ££££)
Was the queueing worth it? For the food and price, most definitely.
Each dish was full of flavour and more than worth the low prices, I can see why this is up there as one of the best cheap eats in London.
Must orders are the Roti, Kangkung Belacan and Laksa, whilst I'd stay clear of the Nasi Lemak if you're not a fan of dried shrimp/anchovies.
This is a great spot for a cheap lunch, particularly if there's two of you dining as you'll likely get a table a lot quicker than a larger group.
Downsides, well you have to queue which isn't the most appealing when it's outside in the cold, so late lunch or early evening are your best bets. This also isn't a place where you're looking to impress (unless it's showing off your ability to handle chilli), and the service can be a bit slow if it's a busy time, which seems to be anytime after it opens.
All in all, definitely worth the reputation and title and one to visit if you're looking for a cheap lunch in the Euston area or some authentic Malaysian/Singaporean food!
40 Doric Way
Kings Cross
London
NW1 1LH