Indian food, let alone Indian street food, tend to be too oily; at least that's what I observed. So as much as Mark and I enjoy having Indian food, it's not always our go-to cuisine if we're trying to eat healthy. And admittedly, though I was very eager to try Roti Rollers for our Saturday cheat meal, I was also hesitant since I knew Mark wasn't up for it.
Our adventure at Laguna Water Park in La Mer (that on a separate post) must have made Mark really hungry that he finally agreed to dine at Roti Rollers after. Located near the beach walk at La Mer, Roti Rollers provides a calming view of the Jumeirah beach.
It has an al fresco dining area which would be perfect when the Dubai weather cools down; and an indoor seating area with fixtures and decors in vibrant yellow and black hues. The restaurant's quirky ambience shouts out happiness!
Roti Rollers want to break the negative connotation of Indian street food being unhealthy. More than just a roti place, they serve a variety of traditional Indian street food but with a healthy twist—rotis that are not oily, Pav Bhaji with little to no butter (though you could ask for butter as you wish), quinoa as replacement for rice in their biryani, and meats cooked in tandoor—just to name a few.
A colorful plate of Roti Crisps and Dips jumpstarted our Indian street food feast. 3 kinds of rotis—regular, avocado roti, and beetroot roti—were deep fried, making it crispy. Though it's fried, each crisp is surprisingly not oily! The crisps also came with more than 10 dips/chutneys—Indie Guacamole, Korma, Tikka Masala, and Sweet Tamarind, to name a few.
Mark was raving about the Sweet Tamarind dip while I enjoyed the Tikka Masala dip the most! If your palates are down for some crazy heat, try the Burnt Chili and Fennel dip!
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| Roti Crisps and Dips |
We also had the Chaat Trolley—Pani Puri, Dahi Aloo Puri, Dahi Sev Puri, and Papdi Chaat all freshly made in their live chaat counter. Remember how Mark finally got to embrace the goodness of chaat on my previous post? Mark once again enjoyed the chaat, this time at Roti Rollers, as much as I did! I think having the Pani Puri sauces served separately was also a clever idea!
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| Chaat Trolley - AED 25 |
For the drinks, we had Mango Lassi and Minty Lemonade. Each of the drinks were refreshing in their own way, both apt as summer coolers, but I liked the lassi more (the acidity of the lemonade was just too much for me).
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| Minty Lemonade (AED 20) and Mango Lassi (AED 20) |
The other Indian street snacks that we tried were Indie Scotch Eggs, Crispy Chicken Wings, and Pav Bhaji Fondue.
The Indie Scotch Eggs were just like the usual scotch eggs, but with hard-boiled egg wrapped in breaded minced chicken instead of minced beef/sausage. For the Indian touch, it's sprinkled with masala and I also tasted a hint of coriander in the minced chicken. What we thought was ketchup that came with it was more like a thick hot sauce, so beware. :p
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| Indie Scotch Eggs - AED 20 |
You have the option to choose between mild and fiery for the spiciness level of the Crispy Chicken Wings. Both Mark and I have low tolerance with spicy food, so we opted for the chicken to be on the mild spicy side. I wasn't really keen in trying this one since it looked way spicier when it was served to us, but when Mark couldn't stop digging in, I knew I shouldn't miss this! And boy was I glad I tried it!
The skin was still crispy even with all those sauce, and the meat was juicy and flavorful. Plus, the spiciness was just right—still packs a punch but totally bearable. It tasted very much like Korean chicken but with a distinct Indian spice taste. Okay, I know my description kinda sounds silly, but trust me, Roti Rollers' Crispy Chicken Wings are really good! You have to go try it for yourself so you'll understand what I mean. :p
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| Crispy Chicken Wings - AED 35 (6 pcs) | AED 65 (12 pcs) |
The Pav Bhaji Fondue was a revelation for both Mark and I. I've been seeing this curry dish with bread in other Indian restaurants, but I haven't really tried it yet. Roti Rollers serves the vegetable curry fondue-style, with parsley-garlic crusted pav bread.
It's our first time to try Pav Bhaji and we loved Roti Roller's version! The vegetable curry, if my palates served me right, had masala; and the pav bread, it was actually good on its own (think of toasted dinner rolls with butter, garlic, and parsley. Yum!) but was made even yummier when dipped in the curry.
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| Pav Bhaji Fondue - AED 20 |
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| Pav Bhaji Fondue |
Both the wings and pav bhaji came with a side of Roti Crisps and 2 dips (Indie Guacamole and Salsa), so yay!
Roti Rollers takes pride of their Signature Rolls, they even have a User's Choice Award for Best Rolls. However, out of the dishes that we had on our visit, I have to admit that the rolls were the least satisfying. Most of my Indian friends who tried the rolls say they're good, so yeah, maybe it's just me. I may probably be not that accustomed to Indian flavors yet as I think I am.
We had two of their Signature Rolls: Hen Stefani and The Lambshank Redemption. Hen Stefani is grilled chicken with korma gravy, Indie guacamole, emmental cheese, Indie mayo, and cucumber; wrapped in beetroot roti.
There's a lot going on in this single wrap but it just lacked flavor. I was looking for that korma taste, but I guess the guac has overpowered it. Maybe a little saltiness would also do the trick.
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| Hen Stefani - AED 40 |
The Lambshank Redemption is lamb shoulder marinated in ginger, herbs, and masala, with coriander chutney, wasabi peas, red chilies, pickles, and black radish; drizzled with tikka masala sauce and wrapped in avocado roti.
While the Hen Stefani was kinda bland, the flavors of The Lambshank Redemption seemed to be clashing and overpowering. It was just too strong for my palates.
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| The Lambshank Redemption - AED 40 |
If there's one thing that I liked, the rolls were big enough for sharing and were served a side of Roti Crisps and 2 dips (Indie Guacamole and Salsa) and Masala Fries.
Our Indian street food feast ended with Kulfi, Jalebi, and Karak Chai. The 3-flavor Kulfi has layers strawberry, mango, and blueberry kulfi. I liked the mango layer the most!
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| Karak Chai, Jalebi with Rabri, and 3-Flavor Kulfi |
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| Strawberry, Mango, & Blueberry Kulfi |
I also can't stop munching on Roti Rollers' Jalebi! Unlike the usual Jalebi which is thick and tends to be chewy or soggy, Roti Rollers made theirs really thin making it so crispy.
The rich milky flavor from the Rabri dip was also a good combo; while the sliced pistachio and almonds added texture. It tends to be overly sweet after a few pieces, though, but I really didn't mind. I just washed it down with some Karak Chai.
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| Jalebi with Rabri dip - AED 25 |
We really didn't expect much from Roti Rollers but it turned out to be a good dining experience. Prices are reasonable, servings are generous, and flavors are on point! I'm just not sure with the rolls (maybe we need to try the other variants) but I'd definitely come back for their chaat, roti crisps, chicken wings, pav bhaji, and jalebi!
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ROTI ROLLERS
La Mer, Jumeirah 1
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 385 5596
We were invited to try Roti Rollers our meal was complimentary, but this post is not influenced nor paid for. Opinions on this blog post are my own.
All photos were taken with an iPhone 6S Plus.
Kriska Marie
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