And on a good day, Kelvin Liau, the shop’s owner and chef, can sell up to 500 pieces of the pan-fried flatbread which is a staple breakfast for many Malaysians.

Still for Liau, perfecting the art of making roti canai wasn’t easy. In fact, by his own admission, he failed “a hundred of times” before finally getting it right.

The 39-year-old said he learnt the art of making roti canai more than two decades ago from his father. He was 15-years-old then.

“But I wasn’t too serious about it. I did it only because I was helping my dad at the stall,” he told FMT Lifestyle, adding that his father had a roti canai stall back in 2000.

But as a 17-year-old, Liau began to pay more serious attention to the art of making roti canai from scratch, especially after his father, then in his 40s, quit as he found it too physically exhausting.

And the learning curve was rather steep, Liau said, adding that it took a long time to master the art of tossing and flipping the dough to make it wafer thin without “breaking” it.

The art of “flying” the dough, according to Liau, is meant to ensure the roti can be folded multiple times for greater texture.

“I wasted approximately 100kg of flour before I learnt how to make a perfect-sized dough. I kept practising at home and I had to throw away those failed specimens.”

Fast-forward to a couple of decades later, Liau can safely say he is an expert. He was happy to share his trade secret on making the perfect roti canai – one has to be “gentle” throughout the process.

“Be soft and gentle with the dough. Your body must not be too stiff or else the dough will break apart since it’s very thin. The dough will only spread open if your hands are soft enough,” he said.

The popularity of Liau’s roti canai meant he enjoyed a steady stream of customers and in 2011 he expanded the business, renting a shop lot to accommodate the growing number of patrons.

But Liau is also hoping to expand his menu and has begun experimenting with various flour mixes to create the perfect dough and improve on his father’s recipe.

“My roti is crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside. Squeeze it with both hands and you will see that our roti is very fluffy. I find other’s roti canai to be too crispy. My roti has better texture,” Liau said.

The proof is in the roti

The long queues and the struggle to get a seat inside Liau’s outlet is a testament of his culinary skills.

One such regular is Jonarto, an Indonesian electrician who frequents Liau’s restaurant as many as three to four times a week. He’s been enjoying Liau’s roti canai for over 10 years.

When asked what kept him coming back despite having to wait an average of 30 minutes for an order, the 41-year-old said it was because the roti here is “freshly made, savoury and crunchy.”

“Roti here is served hot because they only cook it on the spot. Other restaurants would cook their roti first and save it for later. The taste I get from it is still very satisfying, even if I have to wait for a long time,” Jonarto said.

Restoran Shyang Kopitiam
87, Jalan Bakawali 50
Taman Johor Jaya
Johor Bahru
Johor

Business hours: 6.30am-2pm (Closed on Tuesday)