In my previous post, I wrote about the manager at Hungry Jack’s telling Jac about an awesome little curry and roti place in Willetton that opened at 7:30am for breakfast on weekends. Jac had come home with very vague instructions (“near the primary school”) and although we did a thorough sweep of the surrounding area, we didn’t find it.
The next time Jac went to Hungry Jack’s, she brought a pen and notebook with her, fully intending to ask the manager to draw her a map if she still couldn’t remember the actual name or address of the curry and roti place. Jac was triumphant when she got home – the manager was able to provide more information the second time around. The curry place was on Rostrata Avenue and its name was Gopti! I googled it and looked it up in the phone directory – nothing! Uh-oh! But on Sunday morning, we decided to drive to Willetton and look for the elusive curry and roti place, apparently called Gopti.
As we approached the little shopping centre at Rostrata Avenue, we laughed when we realised we’d come very close to finding the curry and roti place the first time we went looking for it! It had been there all along, a little Indian restaurant, between Malaysia Garden restaurant and the IGA supermarket! How could we have not noticed it? I think I’d had a vision in my head that it was a Malaysian place rather than an Indian place. And the reason I didn’t find it in Google or the phone directory: it’s called Gopi, not Gopti, full name Gopi Curry Leaf! The restaurant is named after its proprietor, whose first name is Gopi!
It was after 9am and the place was busy, with mostly Asian clientele including a table of half a dozen very happy looking Asian students – a very good sign! It’s a little shop, with the feel of your local takeaway, a fish and chip shop or lunch bar, rather than a restaurant – Gopi would seat around 15 people maximum at a tight squeeze. We ordered quickly and grabbed the single free table in the corner. The menu is scribbled on a whiteboard next to the front counter where you order. The roti specials are available on weekends only. During the week the menu includes meat and vegetarian curry combos and onion bhaji (the curry combos are available on the weekend too). Gopi Curry Leaf does three variations of roti: roti canai (AU$4.20, some of you would call it roti pratha), roti telur ($3.50, filled with egg) and murtabak (AU$5.00, filled with meat, egg and onions).
I ordered the nasi lemak (AU$5.25). The rice was served with a fried chicken wing, fried peanuts and anchovies, two slices of fresh cucumber, a piece of fried egg (definitely not a whole egg!) and sambal. It was tasty enough for $5.25 but the rice wasn’t very lemak at all – it just tasted like basmati rice, not really like coconut rice. But it was tasty eaten with all the components.
We ordered roti canai to share. It came with chicken curry gravy for dipping. We knew it was chicken curry because there was a piece of chicken sitting in the bowl of gravy.
The roti canai was beautifully fresh and crispy on the outside. Tearing into the roti was pure pleasure even though it was finger burningly hot. You could definitely taste that it was fresh and homemade, not the commercially packaged frozen kind.
I had to laugh when I saw the plastic dish the curry gravy was served in. We have a very similar bowl at home which we use as a water bowl for the cats. :) That little piece of chicken was very tender. I will admit that after we finished all the roti, I kept drinking the curry gravy until it was all gone.
The meat in the murtabak was very finely minced, but it tasted delicious. Jac said she’d order it again for sure. But I think next time she wants to try roti telur.
Gopi sells a range of soft drinks as well as teh (tea), kopi (coffee) and Milo tarik. Jac ordered a teh tarik. The sweet tea was served in the mug-style glass that teh tarik is typically served in. For more info about teh tarik, see my post about Mamak in Sydney or read the Wikipedia entry on teh tarik.
As we began eating I took a photo and sent it to Juji with the words: “We found the place!” Yes, yes I know – Diet Coke at breakfast isn’t very good! I don’t actually drink soft drinks very often. But I do find the Coke family of drinks is especially good for washing down savoury and greasy breakfasts, especially fried dim sum.
As we ate, we watched the man behind the counter making roti. He worked quickly with the smooth, fluent actions of someone who’s done it many times before – he rolled the dough, smacked it down on the bench and placed it on the grill to cook.
Another of the weekend specials is vadai (AU$1.20 each). See the Wikipedia entry on vadai for more info. They are spicy little snacks usually made from lentils or gram flour with lots of chilli. I remember when I was a child biting into a vadai for the very first time not knowing what it was and not expecting it would be spicy. What a shock that was!
Next to the curries was a dish of curry puffs. I was tempted to buy one but was feeling very full and couldn’t bear the thought. Next time, next time!
And just as we were leaving, this dish of soft green pancakes filled with caramelised coconut (I know these from Malaysia as kuih dadar) was placed at the counter. Jac couldn’t resist and bought one. We shared it when we got home and it was lovely!
While we were at Gopi we noticed a steady stream of people buying takeaway – some people came in specifically just to grab their curry combo, roti and curry, and nasi lemak takeaways, while others bought takeaway food AFTER dining in. A Chinese couple strolled in and ordered one roti canai and one roti telur. “Roti telur double egg?” asked the roti man. “Ya, double egg!” said they said.
Gopi Curry Leaf is one of my best finds of 2010. The food was simple but delicious – you really can’t go wrong with homemade curry and freshly handmade roti! And what I love most of all it that they open for breakfast at 7:30am on weekends! We need more Asian food places that truly cater to Asians – many of us 1) are early birds 2) are hungry as soon as we wake up 3) prefer a hot savoury breakfast and 4) can’t bear to wait until 9:00 or 10:00am to eat it!
So, have you made any great food finds this year?
Gopi Curry Leaf
Shop 4, Rostrata Shopping Centre, corner of Rostrata and Glenmoy Ave
Willetton WA 6155
Telephone: (08) 9259 4000
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday (closed on Monday)
11:30am – 2:00pm
5:00pm to 8:30pm
Saturday and Sunday
7:30am -2:00pm (breakfast special)
5pm – 8.30pm
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow! I wish we had this place in London! I can’t wait till you order a curry puff so we can see what’s inside! ;)
OMG! Murtabak in Perth!
Definitely worth the hike out to Willeton to try it
Thanks for posting this.
-F-
Ahh reminds me of Malaysua. Except there I just ate Appam :)
Oh my – what a little gem of a place!!!!
thanks TFP! this is superb! a must try..just like the good old days in KL :)
Did you know that Jewel of the Park (Indian) on Albany Highway, Vic Park is open on weekends for breakfast (I think from 8am). Great place, though I haven’t been to their breakfasts yet!
Glad you found it, TFP! It looks amazing, I’ve never tried Roti. I’d have to give it a shot. :]
Sigh, Indian food… Those pancakes are startlingly green. And the naan…!!! Looks so good!
Wei-Wei
The rotis look good!
Is it usual that an Indian restaurant will sell Malaysian type roti? Or am I just getting it all wrong?
We don’t have too many Malaysian restaurants, despite the fact that there is a huge Cape-Malay population in Cape Town, but the only roti we tend to get here are the typical Indian roti that we just know as, well, roti! :-) No fillings or anything, it’s more just an accompaniment to a good Indian curry, like naan. Although you can get ready made roti with lamb or chicken curry inside at our Woolies.
My mum n aunt Jesse have been raving about this place for ages now. Mum promised me prata for breakfast weeks ago, I want it now!! :)) You know my aunt manages the hj in carousel, was it her that told Jac? I must get her to rave about Heros pizza next time. ;)
This place looks fantastic. Definitely adding on my list of places to eat when I am in Perth. Thanks!
It didn’t occur to me until I returned to download all pics that Gopi’s roof is tiled with Spanish tiles…as is popular around here! But Perth seems a genuine multicultural paradise, so I probably shouldn’t be surprised. :-) “The roti canai” looks like Swedish (or is it Norweigian? hmmm) lefse. A neighbor used to make homemade lefse; it’s made from mashed potatoes, rolled out and fried like a tortilla. But it is soft and mildly potatoey; slathered with butter, sprinkled with sugar, rolled up and happily consumed! Everything looks delicious; I’d like to try this place. Diet Coke for breakfast, no problem; I always have Diet Pepsi in the wee morning hours. ;-) “…not knowing what it was and not expecting it would be spicy. What a shock that was!” Shocks like that are NOT fun, but I couldn’t resist giggling a bit. Sorry. ;-) As for “soft green pancakes filled with caramelised coconut,” that green is a bit of a visual turnoff (initially) but I’d give them a try! Oh I wish we hard more variety in my small city. :-(
Forgot to answer this: “So, have you made any great food finds this year?” Yep. :-) An authentic Mexican restaurant, “Delicias,” which has a full Mexican breakfast menu at good prices (breakfast, not dinner, prices). And nearly each plate includes BOTH hash browns and refried beans! I love having both with eggs and chile. Most restaurants used to serve both, but now it’s one or the other; they claim they’re “doing business the Gringo way” (pay for extra). I find that foolish, considering potatoes and beans don’t cost much to prepare; and besides, serving in a combination like that means neither portion is the regular full size (if ordered separately) — no “extra” there. :-\ The owner/manager of “Delicias” also understands that “Breakfast Special” means that plate is discounted from the regular price. Too many restaurants in this area consider a regular menu item their “breakfast special” — at the regular price. >:-o
Shame we won’t be visiting Perth this year – I’ll just have to add Gopi’s to my list for next year. I discovered a roti canai place 10 mins drive from where we used to live through a website. We hurriedly drove over, only to find the place had shut down a month before that!
Love the roti w/ chicken curry sauce. I’ve only had it at one place before, a Hong Kong style cafe/bistro in California, near my parents’ house. The roti there came apart into shreds when you pulled on it, and it was deliciously greasy. The chicken curry sauce is something I still crave! Unfortunately I don’t live there any more, and my parents don’t want to eat that dish much because it’s too greasy, so I haven’t had it for a few years.
Su-Lin,
Haha, next time for sure!
-F-,
No worries, hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
Fiona,
Mmm, haven’t had appam for years. YUM! I would totally go crazy if I went to Malaysia. I want real goreng pisang!
Lisa,
Yes! We are really chuffed that we now know about it.
My pleasure, Christine! :D
Mags,
Ooh, I didn’t know that! I must investigate for sure.
Rana S.,
Roti is definitely worth a try! Hope you will give it a go (and you love it as much as me)!
Wei-Wei,
This is more like Indian from Malaysia or Singapore rather than Indian from India. The roti canai and murtabak are not actually naan – they are different to naan. See the Wikipedia entry on roti canai! And see the entry on mamak too.
Craig,
See my reply to Wei-Wei above. In Malaysia you have Chinese and Indian as well as Malay culture/cuisine. So for example I’m Chinese, originally from Malaysia, not China. So Indian food from Malaysia exists and is different from Indian from India. Just like you can get Malaysian Chinese restaurants as opposed to Chinese restaurants run by people actually from China. Does that make sense?
Anita,
Well if her name is Jesse/Jessica then I think we are talking about the very same person! So please thank her for us for sharing the info about this fantastic place! Isn’t it a small world? :) Hero’s Pizza is on our list of places to check out. So many places, so little time!
Charmaine,
Haha, no worries, my pleasure!
Cindy,
No problem, you are allowed to laugh at me, you know! :D Yes, I agree the green seems kind of startling and weird, but believe me, the pancake we ate was yummy. It was lovely and soft and the caramelised coconut inside is delicious – I could easily eat a bowl of the coconut filling on its own. Delicias sounds wonderful! Over here I think “special” can mean “only available at this time” or “a special of the day that’s not on the regular menu” as well as (only sometimes) “a discounted meal”.
Gcroft,
Aw, how disappointing that would’ve been! Just think what a magnificent long list you will have to work through on your next trip! :)
Megan,
Mmmm, that sounds great! Hope you get to eat it again sometime. Just think how amazing it will taste after a few years’ absence!
The nasi lemak looked good! too bad about the rice…
My find of the year so far: Bone Heads Grill… FINALLY a Peri Peri place!
http://theboringb.blogspot.com/2010/04/crazy-for-peri-peri.html
Bryan,
Yeah, too bad! Oh well. The roti and curry more than made up for the rice’s ordinary-ness.
I haven’t eaten peri peri anything for a while, actually! I must do something about that soon.
omg I need some of that kuih dadar!!! After my very recent Bali trip, I am all about the bright green desserts. Adding coconut into the mix gets me a little too excited. I think I may burn out before the day even begins.
Conor,
Heheh my grandma used to make kuih dadar but hers sometimes looked more blue than green. But of course, the most important bit was the caramelised coconut, and that always tasted awesome.
I love hot savoury breakfasts too!! But I also like brinner (breakfasty foods for dinner),
ps haven’t been on your site for awhile so I don’t know when this happened but I love that it’s mobile friendly now
my oh my you make me want to get roti canai this instant!
my mom makes a killer kuih dadar but here we call it kuih ketayap. i guess kuih dadar is the singaporean name for it?
/im from petaling jaya, malaysia. REPRESENT! =)
Finally, a place in Perth that resembles the mamak stores in Malaysia, since I couldn’t really find Malaysian Indian food places here.
And it’s close to where I live as well, I’ve been to Malaysia Garden a few times but likewise I never really noticed Gopi’s before.
Anyway, thanks TFP :D
Someone invent beaming now!!! I´d so love to try that, too (but here we have beautiful summer, so I wanna come back here in no time!)!
Love the roti w/ chicken curry sauce. I’ve only had it at one place …….
I am now craving a fresh, hot roti prata with curry. Or a roti telur.
Helen,
Oh yes! I LOVE breakfast fry-ups for dinner!
Cool, glad you like the mobile-friendly-ness. It works very well on the touchscreen phones like iPhones but I’m still not 100% happy with how it appears on other mobiles (including my own). I’m still investigating the options there.
bazlina,
Haha, I hope you got to eat some roti canai! I’m no expert on the names of kuih, so no idea if “dadar” is the Singapore name. :)
Dee,
Heheh, I don’t feel quite so blind now! :P Is Malaysia Garden good? It seemed pretty busy that night we peered in through its window.
Iris,
If we could be transported over the Internet to delicious destinations I would be the size of a house! :D But it would be sooo good eating all the yummy things instead of just drooling over the pictures.
Dea,
The next thing I want is a roti place that opens early in the morning on weekdays, not just weekends! And in walking distance from our house. :)
There is a stall in Spencer Village Food Court serves very good roti too! the price is reasonable eg u can get 2 plain roti + curry chicken or mutton of ur choice + dipping curry sauce for $7! i love tat place, its always busy!
Cooper, oh yes, there’s great roti at Spencer’s too. But the thing that really excited me about Gopi was that they open early on the weekend. There have been many times we’ve woken up starving, but several hours before Spencer Village opens. In future, if we have an early morning curry and roti craving, Gopi will save the day!
MMM, that looks like a great place and we live very close to there. Thanks for the tip!
I just discovered your blog and it looks like a lot of fun!
thanks for this lovely recommendation! The nasi lemak is one that reminds you of the taste of home yet because you have it here, home does not feel too distant xD! Officially the best Mamak styled nasi lemak in Perth.
But the roti here lacks the flakiness. I’d recommend you try the Jewel in the Park @ vic park on saturday and sundays. They have the 2 roti canai/prata and Teh Tarik for $5.90 on promo. A lotttttttttt better! :D!
apparently the hubby of the lady who runs gopi is one of the people at jewel in the park!
got recced this by an auntie last night, mum and i went there tonight, SO FULL, I REGRET NOTHING. best south indian food i’ve had outside of india in a long while!
My daughter and I also found ourselves getting lost, especially as it had become dark. But we perservered and found it, and we decided to eat in rather than get takeaway. Thank you so much for writing a review as it is an absolutely gem. My daughter had a chicken combo while I had the vegie combo and some naan. It was so fantastic. My son was working that evening so I also picked up a Korma Lamb for him which he polished off in no time. As I work close by in Canning Vale I will probably pick up a meat dish once a week and use it as a base for dinner. Yummmmmmm!!!
I have been looking for authentic teh tarik and real prata in Perth. (I am a newbie to Perth :s) Will definitely try this place out. We live in the North of the river, but we will trail the smell of good food!
I laughed out loud when I read your last 3 lines! SO TRUE! Imma singaporean and I see queues for roti prata (that’s what we call it) at like friggin 7am. My first time reading your blog proper! Really enjoyed it!
Thanks for the review, I’m looking forward to trying this place out very soon :)
Sorry to put a downer on the great review. My husband and I tried butter chicken here on Sunday. We are curry fans and have had butter chicken a lot of times. This was the worst butter chicken We have tasted. It lack so much flavor and creaminess.
Yay! Looks yummy. I would want to try this at home. Thank you for sharing your Roti Prata food experience. ;)
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