http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18882 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18882 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18235
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18235 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18024
The Patron is warmly welcoming, without being obsequious, and is always pleased to meet travelling British customers looking for a taste of India! A word of friendly advice - be sure to ask for your plats extra spicy (the French palate is, unsurprisingly, less used to hot spices than us Brits, so make sure the waiter knows that you want it extra hot).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18024 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17979 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17979 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17092 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17092 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16774 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16774 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12934
We had fish wrapped in banana leaf and prawn curry. The dosas are great too. We backpacked around the whole of India and spent our last night here. Fantastic!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12934 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9940 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9940 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9305 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9305 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9201 (NB No alcohol) Mon-Fri. Lunch and evening
Sat. Evening.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9201 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7272 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7272 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6442 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6442 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5972
Prices are very reasonable, if not downright cheap.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5972 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4706 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4706 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4571
The prices are excellent too: You should be able to feed five people for no more than £30 (under 500 HKD).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4571 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4544 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4544 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4513 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4513 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2120
Two irritations are the lack of parking nearby and the fact that they try to squeeze larger groups onto a smaller table; for example, a party of six would be squeezed onto a table for four. So when booking always add a couple of people to the party size.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2120 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1205 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1205