Photo by Nur Alam Mohamad
Taste Amir's Roti
Roti is a unique soft flatbread that is flaky and buttery on the outside and doughy inside. I was first exposed to roti visiting Trinidadian restaurants while living in Boston. Trinidad adopted this bread of Indian origin from Indian immigrants who settled there when both countries were British colonies. Roti is so delicious that it seems wherever Indian people go, roti not only follows them but becomes a new staple of that region. So it was in Malaysia, another former British colony where Indians migrated. After moving to the Midwest, missing my Trinidadian connections, to my surprise and delight I discovered a divine preparation of Malaysian roti at Taste Amir’s Roti (3101 S. 15th Place) in Milwaukee’s Morgandale neighborhood.
Unlike their Trinidadian counterparts, Taste Amir’s Roti offers roti in a variety of styles. As a starting point, I went for the basic version, Roti Canai. The warm bread is served with two sauces, one sweet and spicy, the other deeply savory, and a larger side of the more familiar Indian dal, AKA lentils. For only $4, including the protein-rich dal, this is an incredible deal. I wouldn’t describe Roti Canai as a full meal, but it is a hearty snack, appetizer or side dish, made to order, and purchasing such a fresh and satisfying food thing in 2025 for $4 is remarkable.
An alternative choice is Roti Tisu, which I observed at another table while dining but didn’t try myself, consisting of a thinner, crispier, more crepe-like Roti served in a vertical spiraling cone. It looked impressive and was still reasonably priced, albeit twice the price of the Canai. I can’t speak to the flavor but the other diners seemed to enjoy it.
Veggies and Entrees
Wanting more vitamins, minerals and colors in my meal, I also ordered one of the many sautéed vegetable dishes. This is a special feature of Taste Amir’s Roti—you don’t often find a whole category of restaurant dishes consisting only of sautéed vegetables. I chose the mustard greens and honestly, they stole the show. Don’t get me wrong, the roti is supreme, but as the saying goes, Man cannot live on bread alone. The greens rested in a clear sauce that was bright and light, a rice vinegar base with a generous amount of sautéed whole garlic cloves plus a minced fried garlic garnish, adding depth and character not easily comparable to any side of greens I’ve ever had. Please, try this dish!
As for entrees, the options are many and varied—Indian curry and Dosa, Burmese salads and rice dishes, Indonesian noodles, Thai and Malaysian soups, plus a tip of the cap to Chinese cuisine—their offerings span the arc of Southeast Asia in all its bounty, diversity, tradition and innovation.
The setting at Taste Amir’s Roti is informal: cafeteria-style seating, a buffet of stewed meats and deep-fried hand-food, counter service, and a view of the griddle where the Roti is constantly being prepared. The crowd when I went was primarily Southeast Asian, seemingly, which is typically a good sign for a Southeast Asian restaurant. The only other diners were two older white guys who, from overhearing snippets of their rather loud conversation, were music industry professionals reminiscing about recent and long-past tours to exotic global locales. All-in-all it was a cool crowd, and as the restaurant name mandates, everyone ordered some sort of Roti.
Be part of the cool crowd. Swing on down to Oklahoma Ave. between 15th and 16th to get yourself Roti’d ASAP—and don’t forget to eat your greens!
