Kopitiams are springing up all over Malaysia. Even my good old friend Kai FOng has opened one in Kluang. Of course, the most well known franchise is Old Town White Coffee, which can be spotted everywhere. Besides Old Town White Coffee, there are plenty others with names like Kluang Station, Memory Lane, Uncle John, etc. These kopitiams are Malaysia's answer to Starbuck Coffee and Coffee Bean.
It was 8pm and I arrived in KL on Hari Raya Haji holiday after 4 hours drive. Athough I have not taken my dinner yet but I was not hungry. So, I went to the Bangi Kopitiam in Taman Melawati with my buddy Azam. Most of the kopitiams have nostalgic decor of the 1950s and this one is no exception. The theme of this shop seems to be "The Lost Heritage - Muhibbah".
On the wall of the shop is a huge blown out photograph of the 1950s with various races enjoying a coffee break around a marble table.
To remind you of the good old days, there is even a "beca" at one corner of the shop!
But wait a minute, the "beca" seems to be from our neighbouring country, Indonesia.
The good thing about this shop is its bright and airy atmosphere. There are lots of fans hung in the tall ceiling turning at high speed which make the place cool and fresh.
Food wise, the menu is typical of what a kopitiam would offer.
Interesting, Kopi Batin and Kopi Perempuan. I guess Kopi Batin must be coffee with tongkat ali while Kopi Perempuan could be coffee with kacip Fatimah. Haha! Among the items are roti with curry chicken, roti wiht half boiled eggs, mee hailam, etc.
The food was good but taste as expected. The surprise was the keropok lekur. This is probably the best keropok lekur that I have eaten so far. Instead of the usual soft stick, what we had was keropok lekur that has been deep fried. The exterior of the keropok was crispy like cracker with a little bit of soft interior. I could hear the sound when I bite onto the keropok.
The mango jelly bean that I ordered was so sweet that I had headache and woke from my sleep in the middle of the night. I have impaired glucose tolerance and I will have headache in my sleep if there is too much sugar intake after 10pm.
Overall, I would say this is a good place to hang out with friends in the evening as witnessed by the large crowd in the shop.
