Avoid this place, and ignore the people who recommend it -- anyone giving this restaurant four stars has no business providing advice to other diners.

The food at Roti-Mataba would rate as mediocre in any cuisine, and is a downright insult to Indo-Malay food.

We've eaten at Roti-Mataba a couple of times over the last five years, most recently toward the end of a month-long trip including Singapore (Little India) and George Town, Malaysia (Little India, again). Roti-Mataba simply does not measure up.

The three curries we had there in July 2016 were characterless, boring and undifferentiated. The rice: over-boiled jasmine. Samosas, wrapped sausage and 'martaba' (murtabak) lacked flavour and the pastry was the sort of sad failure one gets in frozen packs at supermarkets. As for the roti, it was greasy and bland.

Lonely Planet should be ashamed of themselves for keeping this place in their guides when so many better local restaurants go unmentioned.

While we have no ill-will toward the restaurant as such, the simple fact is that most foreign travellers spend a lot of money to get here and therefore have only limited time and funds for meals. For these visitors, a meal at Roti-Mataba means a wasted opportunity to try something excellent at a restaurant that hasn't given up.

Go elsewhere.