Varnam MY
  • Home
  • News
  • Celebrity
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Music
  • Trailers
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Varnam MY
  • Home
  • News
  • Celebrity
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Music
  • Trailers
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Varnam MY
No Result
View All Result
Home Community

Saddening Crisis Faced By The UK’s Popular Malaysian Eatery Roti King And Gopal’s Corner

by Latha
December 15, 2020
199
SHARES
1.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSend

Recently, local daily New Straits Times (NST) covered a pandemic crisis faced by the  founder of Roti King and Gopal’s Corner. One of the industries which has suffered a great deal since the Covid-19 outbreak turned the world around is the hospitality industry, sparing no one, with businesses crashing, and for some, doors shutting forever.

Gopal Corner’s Official Facebook page

We were all proud of Sugendran Gopal, who popularised a Malaysian themed restaurant in London. However, the harsh effects of the pandemic has severely affected the business.

His chain of eateries which recently began expanding in central London, like other businesses, were left with little to no choice but to halt operations for the Time being.

His kitchen comprising all three outlets used to flip about 700 roti canai’s daily, among others, banana leaf rice and mee goreng mamak were served as their signature dish, have all stopped now.

Gopal Corner’s Official Facebook page

His business has been thriving for years, patronised mostly by Malaysians and Singaporeans residing in London. His Roti King outlet in Euston brought customers from all over, forming long queues that stayed despite rain or shine, snow or sleet.

He told NST, “it hit us bad, really bad.”

So far only Roti King is open, whereas Gopal’s Corner is closed down at Oxford Circus and Market Hall Victoria till March next year.

Gopal Corner’s Official Facebook page

Despite two lockdowns and a rise in infections that has taken London to the shaky boundary of Tier 2 at Tier 3, business sadly looks dull.

He is taking the Gopal Corner brand back to the country where it all started, Malaysia.

When Sugen’s parents, Gopal and Padma, were asked to move while working on state lands, the Gopal’s Corner that began in a tree-shed in Ipoh’s Buntong was expanded to a double-shop lot in Sungai Pari.

Gopal Corner’s Official Facebook page

His first kneaded and flipped, roti canai, was taught by his uncle. The balancing of the roti was his mother’s expertise.

‘She’s the…man behind Gopal’s Corner,’ said Sugen, trying to find the right words to describe the pillar behind the growth, expansion and popularity of the restaurant.

“Bringing back the Gopal’s Corner brand to Malaysia after the success in London, is a tribute to them. I want to make them proud,” he said.

Sugen and his brother Summan had always dreamt big for Gopal’s Corner, seeing the brand taken internationally.

Gopal Corner’s Official Facebook page

The soft launch on 12th December took several remote meetings and preparations. “Twenty years ago, I went to Kuala Lumpur to look for a site for a restaurant. What I saw and liked was so expensive, I had to abandon the plan. But recently, during discussions with my friends who found the shop, it turned out that that’s the shop lot that I was looking at,” he said.

Gopal Corner’s Official Facebook page

Sugen’s father is not in good shape now, but his mother has actively coached and trained chefs well into her 70’s.

“She never stopped talking about Gopal’s Corner, her dreams are filled with memories of working in Gopal’s Corner. Now she is so excited,” he said imagining his mother in familiar surroundings and in her element once again.

“I also want my dad to go there, to see the shop with his name.”

The re-establishment of Gopal’s Corner in Malaysia, though a few hundred miles away from its original site under a tree, is much more than a business expansion. It is a son’s tribute to his parents who were responsible for his culinary skills and expertise.

Source: New Straits Times

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news. 

What’s your Reaction?
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0

Filed Under Gopal and PadmaGopal's CornerMalaysian cuisine in LondonPandemic crisisRoti Kind
Share83Tweet48Send

RELATED POST

Astro Thaipusam Special: Catch Local Tamil Documentary ‘Thaipusa Yaathirai’ on Astro Vaanavil
Community

Astro Thaipusam Special: Catch Local Tamil Documentary ‘Thaipusa Yaathirai’ on Astro Vaanavil

by Nanthini Suresh
January 27, 2023
Genivan Genkeswaran Follows Father’s Footstep And Sets High Goals In Chess At A Very Young Age
Community

Genivan Genkeswaran Follows Father’s Footstep And Sets High Goals In Chess At A Very Young Age

by Khirthnadhevi Kumar
January 27, 2023
Pravin Vejan Selected To Participate in SEED Programme By The Government of Canada
Community

Pravin Vejan Selected To Participate in SEED Programme By The Government of Canada

by Nanthini Suresh
January 25, 2023
Tamilalakgy Meenachi Succesfully Stamped Her Name In The Influencer Book Of World Records
Community

Tamilalakgy Meenachi Succesfully Stamped Her Name In The Influencer Book Of World Records

by Nanthini Suresh
January 18, 2023

ADVERTISEMENT

UPCOMING EVENTS

Feb 19
7:00 pm - 11:30 pm
Hearts Of Harris 2.0 Live in Kuala Lumpur 2023
scheduled
Find out more »
Mar 18
6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sounds of the South – Santhosh Narayanan
scheduled
Find out more »

TRENDING TODAY

Hold Your Hearts, As The Hearts Of Harris 2.0 Is Coming Soon

Hold Your Hearts, As The Hearts Of Harris 2.0 Is Coming Soon

January 25, 2023
Hearts Of Harris Concert 2023: A Dreamy Night That Truly Came to Live

Hearts Of Harris Concert 2023: A Dreamy Night That Truly Came to Live

January 24, 2023
AR Rahman – Secret of Success ‘Live in Kuala Lumpur 2023’ Is All About His 30 Years of Music Journey

AR Rahman – Secret of Success ‘Live in Kuala Lumpur 2023’ Is All About His 30 Years of Music Journey

September 15, 2022
WIN Tickets to AR Rahman – Secret of Success Concert Happening this 28th January 2023 at National Stadium Bukit Jalil KL

WIN Tickets to AR Rahman – Secret of Success Concert Happening this 28th January 2023 at National Stadium Bukit Jalil KL

January 23, 2023
Xavier; Get To Know The Man Behind Savage Comments!

Xavier; Get To Know The Man Behind Savage Comments!

January 11, 2021

VARNAM BYTES

Varnam MY is the Malaysian Indian livewire for the latest Malaysian based community news, local celebrity news, interviews, and all things Indian! Join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or right here at Varnam.MY!

Contact us: newsdesk@varnam.my

  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Vijandren Ramadass. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Celebrity
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Music
  • Trailers
  • Culture

© 2023 Vijandren Ramadass. All Rights Reserved.