In a previous post, I talked about the new Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory restaurant in the newly-opened Estancia East Wing. Another restaurant in this spacious area is Roti Shop, which aims to spotlight a dish often relegated to appetizer or side dish.
The first thing I noticed was the interior design. Immediately inviting, Roti Shop boasts vibrant colors and clean lines with beautiful wall paintings. It’s mentioned in their menu that this was a deliberate decision – to steer clear from the stereotyped ‘dark and serious’ motifs of other restaurants selling roti.
To keep it simple, we ordered the Basic Roti Prata with Curry Sauce (Php150). The roti was flaky, soft, and buttery – just the perfect texture and flavor. My friend commented that, while good, it tasted pretty much like any other roti but I personally felt it was a little softer and fluffier than the usual flat ones I remember. The rich aromatic curry sauce also differed from the norm in its hint of lemongrass. It went incredibly well with the warm roti.
I also got to try the Roti Dynamite (Php175), a roti filled with cheese, onion, and chili. With a wonderfully explosive taste, it definitely didn’t skimp on the spice. Although it tasted quite good on its own, I thought it tasted even better with the curry sauce of the basic roti. I’m not sure, though, if you can order the sauce on the side.
We also got the Satay Platter (Php400), which consisted of 3 sticks each of chicken, tofu, and pork satay. This one, I felt was quite basic. The sauce was the regular peanut-y satay sauce and the satay, while visually appealing, didn’t hold much flavor beyond the (once again) hint of lemongrass. The pork was the tastiest among the three. Nevertheless, they were all tender and cooked really well and, I think, a good option for a big group of people.
For the heavier main rice dishes, we got to try the Roasted Hainanese Chicken Rice (Half Chicken Php450; also available as Quarter Chicken Php250 or Combo Plate with Roti Prata Php300) and the Hawker Chick Combo (Php250), which has a smaller serving of the Malaysian-Style Crispy Garlic Fried Chicken (Php335) with Roti Prata. Both were very tasty with nice hefty servings. The combo plates, especially, are sulit if you want to have a main dish as well as their famous roti.
It’s not Asian (for me) without the noodles! We tried the Char Kway Teow (Php275), which also has a vegan option. I was expecting a little more texture, as I’d read that char kway teow has characteristic slightly charred edges. It was still tasty, though, especially with some calamansi and chili sauce. We also tried the Mee Goreng (Php275), which had a brighter flavor, with a lovely spice to round it off.
I think Roti Shop’s menu has a lot of enticing classic Asian dishes. As a fan of this beautiful melting pot of a cuisine, I’m excited to come back and try more dishes, especially the roti variants.
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