The Roti House opened in September and is part of the ANU Exchange Precinct, which is becoming home to more and more interesting eateries.

It’s service with a smile from the minute you walk in, including from the chap who makes the fresh roti at the front of the restaurant. We got a bit of a fright upon discovering the Roti House was BYO, so my friend whipped around the corner to grab a bottle of wine before we settled in.

We started with a Roti Canai with chicken curry set ($12) – a small bowl of chicken curry, served with soft, flaky plain roti bread (hot off the griddle), curry sauce, dahl and a spicy sambal chilli paste. It took a nanosecond before we were dipping our unleavened bread into the dishes to soak up the pack-a-punch flavours.

The chicken satay (six pieces for $13), skewered and char-grilled, came with a small bowl of peanut sauce and crunchy onion cubes and cucumber slices. The chicken was tender, but the dish scored mid-range for me… I’ve had much better.

My fave was the Malaysian Beef Rendang ($15.80). How can you go wrong with a wonderful rendang? This was melt-in-your mouth beef, prepared in a rich curry, slowly stewed in coconut milk and spices the chef keeps secret.

This is one of several dishes on the menu with a little “thumb’s up” symbol, signifying a chef’s recommendation. Other thumb’s-up dishes include hot rock-salted calamari, Tofu Goreng (fried tofu with boiled eggs, bean sprouts and cucumber salad) and the classic Otak otak – parcels of spicy fish mousse marinated with more of those secret spices, infused with a hint of coconut milk and grilled.

If you’re into dessert, it’s fun to share the Roti Tissue with ice cream. The roti man at the front creates a crispy, sweet, tall, hat-shaped roti ($10) that you crack open and enjoy. Very addictive.

The restaurant is large and very bright even at night. The square, brown tables are big enough to fit an array of dishes and can easily be joined for different-sized groups.

The Roti House is not associated with any restaurant outside of Canberra, but the owners also operate the Malaysian restaurant at Garran Shops, Mamak Corner, a laid-back, affordable place that has been serving locals since 2004.

The Roti House, Shop 4, 121 Marcus Clarke Street. Open Monday-Saturday, lunch 11.30am-2.30pm and dinner 5pm-10pm. Halal meat is used. BYO only. 6257 9688.