GOASIAPLUS January 2018

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Kopitiam Culture 32 · WWW.<strong>GOASIAPLUS</strong>.COM
Kopitiam Culture COFFEE PROCESS In the past, kopitiams sourced raw coffee beans from Klang but due to higher cost today, they get their coffee beans supply from Indonesia. Lee Chew Boey claims, “In the early days, we processed the raw coffee beans at the mill near our shop. We have our own formula to roast the beans. The right amount of sugar and butter is added and blended with the beans and we would then roast them all.” Another renowned kopitiam in Kuala Lumpur, Yut Kee Restaurant, has stopped processing its own coffee but Mervyn Lee, the third generation owner could recall how the beans were processed. “After roasting the beans, we would place them on a long tray and dry them using a big blower. In those days, the tray was really long. I remember we used to do it once or twice in three weeks.” Unlike Yut Kee Restaurant, Sin Hoy How Kopitiam continues to supply coffee powder to other kopitiams under its own brand. CHANGING TASTE Yut Kee Restaurant was set up in 1928 by Lee Tai Yik. Today, it is run by the grandson, Mervyn Lee. The restaurant still serves its usual staple, coffee, kaya and butter toast, half-boiled eggs and its signature dishes like Hainan Chicken Chop, Hailam Mee and Pork Bread. According to Mervyn, the Hainanese community is very business-savvy and creative. They brought along more than just Hainanese cuisines but also created their own specialities after blending it with the local culture. “Our diverse menu reflects this. We created our own version of Hainan Chicken Chop apart from having the usual coffee and toast.” For Mervyn, it is hard for kopitiams to maintain the taste of coffee in its truest form. “The coffee that you taste in most kopitiams can’t be compared with what your grandfather taste decades ago. Times have changed. The raw beans are the result of biotechnology and fertilisers. “Sometimes, the beans are over roast and too acidic in taste.” Sin Hoy How, on the other hand, tries to maintain the coffee taste of the past. “We still use our old formula of coffee roasting. The way we brew the coffee maintains, from simmering of coffee with a flannel sock with boiled water and adding the right amount of milk or sugar,” says Lee Chew Boey. Times have changed but the love of coffee remains. So the next time you visit a kopitiam, try using these terms: KOPI KAU A strong brewed coffee (with milk) KOPI-O KAU A strong brewed coffee (without milk) KOPI Coffee with sweetened condensed milk KOPI POH A weak brewed coffee KOPI PENG Iced coffee KOPI-O Coffee with sugar but no milk KOPI-C Coffee with evaporated milk and sugar KOPI KOSONG Substitutes condensed for evaporated milk CHAM Coffee mixed with tea SIN HOY HOW Opens daily: 7.00am–2.00pm No. 7, Jalan Tun H S Lee, 50000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2070 1914 / 017-706 5802 YUT KEE RESTAURANT Opens daily: 7.30am–4.30pm (except Monday) 1, Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2698 8108 / 012-324 1616 CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT The traditional kopitiam decor of arched windows and tiled floors; Customers filling up Yut Kee Restaurant; Boxes of Yut Kee’s famous bread; The exterior of Yut Kee; A hefty breakfast spread at Yut Kee. WWW.<strong>GOASIAPLUS</strong>.COM · 33
Page 1: JAN 2018 | ISSUE 20 WWW.GOASIAPLUS.
Page 6: 20 18 EDITORIAL TEAM GROUP HEAD & B
Page 9 and 10: On The Radar ICE PARADISE AT HARBIN
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Page 19 and 20: Travel Feng Shui 鼠 RAT YEARS: 200
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Page 29 and 30: Kopitiam Culture M A L AYS I A’ S
Page 31: Kopitiam Culture WWW.GOASIAPLUS.COM

GOASIAPLUS January 2018

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