Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong

I am back in Ipoh for my sister's wedding over the new year holiday. Kok Mun asked me to deliver a portable hard disk that Siew Chin bought through him. Siew Chin called me up yesterday and she decided to meet me in Sin Yoon Loong, the original coffee shop that sells Ipoh white coffee.

The shop is not difficult to find as it is located just next to the well-known 20-storey flat in Ipoh old town.

Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong is a corner shop at the end of a junction. The shop interior has been kept as original. The white tile on the wall reminds you Chinatown in the 60s and 70s.

Although the place looked quiet from outside, it was crowded once I got in. I was there first. then came Chia, Siew Chin, Cai Ong, Kuan Kew and Seet Ching.

Of course, I ordered a cup of white coffee. By the way, Ipoh "white" coffee is a popular coffee drink which originated in Ipoh, Malaysia. The coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil margarine, and the resulting coffee is served with condensed milk.Traditionally, Malaysian style "black" coffee roast is produced by roasting the beans with sugar and margarine. "White" coffee, on the other hand, is produced with only margarine and without any sugar, resulting in a less dark roast.

The shop is also famous for its cake and dessert. But apparently, most people in the shop ordered Mee Goreng and Mee Kuah from the Indian store outside the shop.

Unlike most mee goreng I have eaten before that is a bit wet with ketchup, this mee goreng is really dry. I must say the mee goreng is one of the best I have eaten. Chia ordered Mee Kuah and Siew Chin ordered a small plate of Indian rojak.

The business of the Indian store in front of the shop was really good. The coffee shop and the Indian store seem to exist in a symbiotic relationship. I just wonder why the Indian store does not move into the shop. The afternoon was passed with jokes and stories about friends, mostly regarding Kok Mun.

In case you think that the Old Town White Coffee franchise that is springing up all over Malaysia comes from Sin Yoon Loong, I would just like to point out that there are many shops selling white coffee in this area of Ipoh old town. The Old Town White Coffee actually comes from the shop directly opposite Sin Yoon Loong, which is Nam Heong Old Town White Coffee.

The shop owner of Nam Heong White Coffee has an enterprsing son who see the potential of a coffee chain like Starbuck Coffee that offers a good place to socialize with wifi connectivity at a lower cost. However, people in Ipoh know that the very origin of white coffee is Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong.

Um~! I ordered another cup of white coffee.