Roti cannai is a traditional dish and is a flat bread and a small bowl of curry. It is often seen as a poor person's dish but is really tasty and it is the one thing I remember from Malaysia and wish we had it here!

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Raju's serves south Indian breakfasts in the mornings and banana leaf tiffins (the Malaysian BLT - a pile of rice and curry served, as everything is at Raju's, on a banana leaf) in the afternoon.

Now, it is not on the tourist beat, it is not within sight of the Twin Towers, it's not even technically in KL but it is one of the best restaurants in the world.

It is situated next door to La Salle school on Jalan Chantek which is off Jalan Gasing which is off the Federal Highway heading towards Shah Alam. This is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world though. It has a large outdoor dining area shaded by trees and with a charmingly bubbling storm drain running down one side. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.

It is situated in a stand of shops which includes a picture framers, a photo shop and a barber's in a suburban residential area, populated by rather well off Malaysians, with Indians rather more plentifully represented than is perhaps the average. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.

The reason it's the best restaurant in the world is because it serves, in the mornings, roti canai - which is the best breakfast in the world.

Basically a paratha-style flatbread of many calories, it is griddle fried freshly so that a crisp, friable crust forms on the dough, which is then punched and broken up before serving. Fairly boring, really. But then add some dal, some fish curry kuah (the gravy, not the actual fish) and perhaps a small piring (dish) of mutton curry, or a piece of fried tengiri, then add to this a teh tarikh (tea made with condensed milk which has been "tarikh'd", i.e. "pulled" through the air from one vessel to another to aerate and cool) and heaven, my friends, is a place on earth.

So. Be seated. There is no reservation, there is no plate captain, no "This way sir" - this is Malaysia old-style. There are many south Indian waiters in white shirts and blue trousers however. Call one over and ask for "roti canai" (pronounced "rotty chan-eye") and a teh tarikh. The dal, some carrot chutney and some coconut chutney are dumped unceremoniously in front of you along with a damp banana leaf. It is perfectly permissible to dry off the leaf with a tissue. I don't bother. And wait. A short time later (longer if at the weekend) and the roti, steaming, fragrant and - a sticking point for many - slightly smaller than average disc of bread is casually clapped onto your leaf. Serve yourself with dal, chutneys in small pools around the circumference. Some pour great ladlefuls of dal all over the roti, mash it into a mush and devour it sloppily in handfuls. A perfectly acceptable way to eat it in my opinion.

But we will choose the dainty option (though not the daintiest - forks and spoons are available, and widely used).

Tear off a small piece of roti, drag it through the dal (whilst arguing with your friends about whether or not the best nasi lemak is to be found in Ipoh or Penang) and pop it in your mouth. There is a faint cuminy, asafoetida tang to the dal, a faint sweetness (not too sweet, oh no) to the roti and a mouth feel (as Mr Blumenthal would have it) which is crunchy, soft, full-flavoured with mild spice (but not too mild, oh no) and completely satisfying. Tear off another piece. Pick up a perfectly tender piece of curried mutton - and although I never had a bad mutton curry when I lived in Malaysia, Raju's has to be the best - and once again, those curious contrasts are there. Crunchy/soft, spicy/bland, tangy/sweet. Take a sip of your scaldingly hot teh tarikh: it is foamy, sweet, strong and in combination with the roti and the curry as precisely perfect as any of the great pillars of Malaysian food when made perfectly. nasi lemak, laksa, prawn mee, char kway teow - roti canai. These are the five. Now you know one. Seek the rest.

Raju's Banana Leaf Restaurant, nearest LRT Taman Jaya, but it's quite a hike in the heat. Take a cab and ask for "Jalan Gasing, PJ" (pron. "gassing" pron. "peejay") then take the first left after the elevated LRT line. Raju's is at the end of the stand of shops on the right hand side of Jalan Chantek.

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A bit off-way from KL city is Bangsar. There's so much to do at Bangsar; hip pubs, good food (hawkers and restaurants), night market, shopping malls. A very popular place with the local expats.

Take a taxi from KL city, ask the taxi to go to Jalan Telawi in Bangsar - that's where all the good stuff is (less than RM10)! There are some good hotels in Bangsar too.

Take the Putra LRT to Bangsar station, then a feeder bus to the main strip around Jl Telawi.

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Eating is almost the best thing in Kuala Lumpur, there's so much selection, from the gourmet in high class restaurants to the cheap food in markets.

Hawker food is the best choice if you want to get a variety of the Asian cuisines. There's just SO SO many places to get good hawker food in KL.

travelmalaysiaguide.com/hawker-food-in-kuala-lumpur-malaysia/

Hopefully this helps in making your choice.

Kuala Lumpur, everywhere

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Go to eat in Chinatown, but instead of being persuaded into one of the main restaurants by a tout, get off the main street and find one of the places where you sit at outside tables on the street and the chef cooks everything in a huge wok right in front of you. The food is fantastic and so much cheaper than you'll pay in the other restaraunts.

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As a (semi) vegetarian, I found KL surprisingly difficult to locate suitable food in. It will help you, in the food halls, if you know what "Carrot Cake" is. It's made of white radish and rice flour.
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_tow_kway

Another snippet of advice: Many places seem to add to chicken to most dishes - including otherwise veggie dishes. The vegetarian counter at the Mid Valley Mega Mall boasted a chicken roasting on a spit.

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Irish/British pub serving great quality British style meals and beer on tap.

Home of the Kuala Lumpur Celtic Supporters Club.

40, Changkat Bukit Bintang, 50200, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Phone: 03-2141 9924

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Absolutely stunning twin towers. Go during the day and there is a free guided tour and then again at night to see the towers lit up! There is also a shopping centre, cinema and restaurants at your disposal.

Junction of Jalan Ampand and Jalan P. Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Just look for the towers you can't miss them!

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This is a great restaurant doing good but cheap food. The tandoori chicken and naan bread is the best we had in Malaysia. The staff are really friendly and speak English. Most of the other restaurants near Central Market are either dumps or very expensive - this one really stands out. A meal and drinks comes to around £1.50.

It's next to the main entrance of Central Market

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