After exploring the Malaysia Pavilion, I headed down to the first floor for dinner. You’ll naturally find yourself there after the pavilion tour, but to order food you’ll need to join the line that extends outside—so yes, I had to step out once. The good news is that you can also access the dining area directly without visiting the pavilion at all.
The dining space is organized into three zones: ordering, pickup, and an eat-in area. The photo I took was from the pickup zone. At first it’s a bit confusing where exactly to stand, so don’t hesitate to ask the staff. Like other pavilions, the line is occasionally paused when it gets too long. But no worries—it always resumes after a short while. My tip: wait nearby and keep an eye on the flow.
One of the highlights while waiting is watching the chefs prepare roti. They knead, toss, and stretch the dough right in front of you. It’s surprisingly entertaining!
Two staff members were doing most of the stretching, and each time the crowd cheered, they grinned proudly. The way they transformed the dough into paper-thin disks was truly impressive.
At times they even pulled off some daring moves, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath wondering if they might drop it.
The menu doesn’t include alcohol, but Roti Canai and Nasi Goreng were especially popular. Remember—Expo 2025 is completely cashless. This shop is no exception, and I highly recommend using contactless card payments rather than inserting your card with a PIN.
I went for the Roti Canai, a Malaysian dish with roots in South India. “Roti” is familiar in India, while “Canai” in Malay means “to roll” or “to toss.” And yes—they really were tossing it! The roti itself was fluffy, aromatic, and delicious enough to eat on its own. Honestly, I could have skipped the curry and still been satisfied.
That said, the curries were great too—mild dal curry (lentils) on the left, and spicy chicken curry on the right. If anything, I just wished there was a bit more curry to match the generous roti.
All dishes here are served in boxes, not because I took mine to go, but because that’s simply the way they present everything. The eat-in space inside is limited, so if it’s crowded, don’t worry—there are plenty of benches outside where you can enjoy your meal. I personally waited for an indoor seat since I wanted the comfort of air conditioning.
