The crew behind CBD favourites Roti Bar and Villas have brought their flaky, buttery roti south of the river with a new restaurant in Prahran slinging tropical cocktails, flavourful curries and a side of ’80s nostalgia.

Sanka Amadoru

November 8, 2026

Canai by Roti Bar

Malaysian$

Ray Ulaganathan and Ju Lin Tan have built a dedicated following in Melbourne’s CBD with their first two ventures, Roti Bar and Villas, but Canai — which opened in August in Prahran — is their first outside the city.

The cooking here is Malaysian, but it’s the ’80s playlist melding with background conversation that first reaches in to caress my nostalgic core.

La Isla Bonita is playing as drinks are delivered by friendly waitstaff. The Melaka Velvet cocktail is almost dessert-like, with a layer of pandan cream capping a mix of rich lime, palm sugar and vodka. Clutching it, I’m transported to a tropical scene from memory either distant or dreamt. “This is where I long to be,” Madonna lilts in a wistful minor key. Sing it, sister!

My dining companions notice my thousand-yard stare with emerging concern, as one sips on an Asam Boy Sour (sour indeed, with a commensurate sugar-hit rounded out by woody bourbon). Cocktails and mocktails listing ingredients such as tamarind and chrysanthemum evoke the tropics, as does an “Ipoh Laga” beer, named after Ulaganathan’s hometown and carrying kiwi and stonefruit notes, with the body of a hazy pale ale.

Plain roti set.Justin McManus

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Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ is up next. “Working hard to get my fill,” goes the song, but it’s unlikely to be an issue here, where single and shared dishes are of generous proportions. We’ve ordered the namesake roti canai, which we can see being kneaded and stretched behind glass in the kitchen. The recipe, responsible for the success of Ulaganathan’s uncle’s 1980s roti canai shop in Malaysia, is a closely guarded secret, but the flatbread is sculptural, flaky, and carries a sweetness that rounds out its gentle buttery saltiness. Served on a stainless-steel thali, it’s accompanied by a subtly nuanced dhal, flavourful fish curry gravy, and a sambal that combines onion sweetness, spices, and punchy salted anchovy in glorious counterpoint.

It’s not a main and not really a side, so if you’d like something more substantial, order one of the murtabak (filled roti), which contain halal chicken, sardines or egg with similar dipping accompaniments.

The music keeps leading the way. On comes I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston, and some diners do seem to be enjoying date nights, even if they’re mostly gyration-free. “I wanna feel the heat with somebody,” she continues. I close my eyes to enjoy the more literal consummation of that lyric, bestowed by plates of okra and water spinach, both stir-fried with the fiery fermented shrimp paste known as belacan.

The generous nasi lemak with beef rendang placed before me makes me open my eyes again. I push some fork-tender beef and fragrant coconut rice into a spoon then ferry it to my mouth. The dish contrasts texture and temperature by virtue of crunchy peanuts and dried anchovies, pickled carrot and ginger, cooling slices of cucumber, and a fried egg. The same punchy sambal reprises its role here, too.

Nasi lemak with beef rendang.Justin McManus

Tan describes picking Prahran because she and Ulaganathan wanted to reach a more diverse customer base than just the Malaysian diaspora that frequent their CBD locations, but the intent of “making Malaysia feel 4000 miles closer” remains. There are fusion offerings on the menu, but (perhaps thankfully) not on the playlist (jazz fusion being an acquired taste for most).

Intrigued, we order a tripartite dish of gnocchi, confit duck breast and a mild-mannered rendang sauce, topped with parmesan. The elements are fine, but I find their combination somewhat enigmatic. Tan shares that customers have been gravitating towards the menu’s more traditional Malaysian fare, so the fusion dishes will soon be pared back to smaller plates only. Sometimes, you need to stick to the classics, I guess.

The Final Countdown by Europe fittingly enters its outro as I eye the dessert menu. Waiters carry some teh tarik cheesecake to a nearby table. I ask for a slice, but I’m told I just witnessed the last one. On cue, the track segues into Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust. I ask for an actual teh tarik instead, which is thrown from head height into a teacup, and served with a shortbread biscuit – a nice note to end on.

Three more roti variations to try

Galli Kitchen

Order the flat, crisp roti as a neutral vehicle to ferry some of the Nepali vegetable or meat curries here to your mouth. Set meals for one or shared plates of momo, meats, or a notable maccha fry (fried sardines with dipping sauce) cater to solo diners or groups alike. 

95 Bell Street, Coburg, gallikitchen.com.au

Okra Sri Lankan Cuisine

Pol roti is made by adding coconut to wheat-flour batter, often with onion and sliced green chili. This results in a frisbee-like puck that’s crisp on the outside, and densely chewy as you bite down. The menu here is extensive otherwise, and an all-you-can-eat buffet with hoppers runs on Friday nights.  

174 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, instagram.com/okrasrilankancuisine

Kantan

Home-style east coast Malaysian and Peranakan influences guide the menu here. If eating in, two pieces of roti are served with peanut sauce, or ad libitum as part of the “feed me” menu. For functions or catering, a festive version called roti jala is available – savoury, latticed and crepe-like. 

152 Kerr Street, Fitzroy, kantan.com.au

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Source: The Sydney Morning Herald · Sanka Amadoru

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