Wellington restaurant, Cafe Roti Chenai, to close after nearly 30 years
Monday, 8 March 2021
A Wellington restaurant, known for its curries and roti, will be closing its doors after 30 years.
Cafe Roti Chenai, a Wellington institution on Victoria St will be shutting on March 18.
On Monday, owner Richard Rajasekar said business had been down due to Covid-19, particularly during the lunch hour due to people working from home.
One of the first Malaysian restaurants in the capital, the restaurant offers customers roti, curries and noodle dishes.
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Rajasekar opened the restaurant in 1992 after spending two years in Malaysia learning to perfect local cuisine.
“The last year was the worst. From the Covid it has been going down, down, things. Things have changed,” he said.
“Covid-19 has been the downfall. We could stay here, and it would pick up, we’ve got loyal customers, but we’ve got kids, 7-year-old twins, so we thought it was a good time to wind down and spend more time with the kids,” he said.
He had initially tried to sell the business but hadn't found anyone who had the skills required to do the style of cooking, so he had instead decided to close.
“They don’t have the skills. This business is totally me, and I trained all the people. Now it is hard for anyone to take it on because they need a chef who specialises in this food … It’s the techniques I have, the way I do it,” he said.
One potential buyer had wanted to bring in a trained chef from overseas but was unable to due to Covid-19 border restrictions.
The family was planning to move to Australia, but Rajasekar had not yet decided what his next move would be.
He has worked as an actor in several Bollywood films and hoped to have the chance to do more acting. “I’ve still got contacts with friends, producers and directions. But I don't want to go there right now.
He said he had an offer for a film shoot in January in India, but he couldn't go due to border closures.
Rajasekar said a highlight of his time running the business was seeing politicians and celebrities stop by. Jonah Lomu used to visit with his family, and Grant Robertson had been a regular since he was a student.
He opened a second Cafe Roti Chenai in Brisbane in 2013 while family members ran the Wellington restaurant, but returned in 2018 to look after his sick father.
Rajasekar's wife, Dora Miller, said children who once came to the restaurant with their parents were still coming to the restaurants in their 20s.
The few regular customers they had told were shocked and saddened by the news, she said.
Restaurant critic David Burton said Cafe Roti Chenai established itself as part of a wave of Malaysian restaurants that opened up in Wellington in the late 1980s and early 90s.
It was one of the few places making roti fresh to order, and also set itself apart with its south Indian menu, Burton said.
“It was one of, if not the first place, that introduced a proper masala dosa. They're incredibly tricky to make – so thin and crispy on the bottom, you could fold it like a newspaper.”
He also recalled the cheap menu with dishes starting about $5. The low cost made it incredibly popular, particularly among students.
Burton’s first experience at Cafe Roti Chenai would have been shortly after it opened. 'I liked the fact you could sit there and watch them make the roti canai or dosas.'
Restaurant regular Malcolm Gardiner said he was sad to hear the restaurant was closing.
“This is an institution,” Gardiner said.
With his office not far from the restaurant, he had lunch there often, ordering a lamb curry with roti.
“It's a good place to chill out, I sit by the window and watch the world go by.”