There is no way , that you can ever miss this bright sunset orange building .
Restoran Ratha is not only the most prominent landmark that tells you've reached Raub , it is also a chow spot that's been serving up one of the most uniquely flavourful curries you will ever come across in your life .
Lemme show you just how many people are eating in here.
This is the lower floor .
And the upper storey .
Full house ok ?
Anyway , this counter shows the varieties of dishes offered .
If you're new and clueless , you might not know what's the one thing you absolutely must try without leaving .
Their chicken curry called
Kari Ayam Raub which I used to presume was called Kari Ayam Sempalit as they did ( as far as I can recall ) have an outlet in Sempalit Village itself too , just a few doors away from that original operator , the one who came up with Kari Ayam Sempalit .
I don't have to tell you how absolutely mouthwatering this sinfully lemak, deliciously salty curry is .
Not really here for the chicken but more for the curry sauce itself. Ladled over steaming hot rice is pure ecstasy .
Though diehard fans will swear that Kari Ayam Sempalit is superior to Kari Ayam Raub ,
try convincing the townsfolk and they'll give you a brief account of how they kicked their asses so hard , today , Ratha reigns supreme .
The story goes like this .
At first , the townsfolk held the original in high esteem because the chef was rumoured to be employed by the Sultan before as a cook and everyone naturally wanted to taste what dishes a Sultan would feast on daily .
That was the rumour back then .
Disclaimer : before I continue further , please know that whatever I'm putting in here , is based on local gossip , as I wasn't even born when that shop opened for business .
So.... what happened was this .
Apparently some of the staff ( some say, one particular family member ) treated the villagers so very rudely , that by the time Ratha opened for business , the local Chinese decided to turn the tables on them . Even though they had grown quite dependant on this very addictive curry fix by then , they decided to take their hard earned money elsewhere and enrich the newcomer instead .
A similar thing happened to at least 3 famous hawkers in Penang , so yes , there is a lesson to be learnt here for all of us , as well as this current operator .
Tip : You do not eat this outside of Raub , you have to drive here ( even though they have a branch in Damansara Uptown ) if you're serious about giving this dish a try
Location : Raub , Pahang
