One look at this rather nondescript backlane shack of a kopi-tiam and you wouldn't expect much of it. But truth be told, this kopi-tiam which takes up what little space there is between two rows of shophouses has been serving coffee and toast for more than 30 years to generations of appreciative Penangnites.
The menu is limited - steamed bread, toasted bread, half-boiled eggs, coffee, tea, milo and nasi lemak. You can consider them specialist in coffee and toast. You won't see any modern contraption in the tiny kitchen counter which lines one wall of the back alley. The bread is steamed over boiling hot water while toasting is painstakingly executed by a helper who squats, mesh in hand, before a charcoal filled hand-made oven made from a cut-out drum.
The place is almost always crowded, so be prepared for a long wait. But you'll be rewarded with a cup of richly flavoured coffee and a plate of kaya toast. Although some bloggers have commented that the bread was not evenly toasted and the spread too thin, I was happy with what I got.
Don't mind the mis-matched cups and saucers. What's more important is the offering in the cup. In my case, the teh si less si was done just the way I like - full bodied tea with just a hint of evaporated milk.
The bread was evenly toasted without being burnt. It is crispy on the outside but remains soft on the inside - it is not often that we get it done this way in Singapore. Some of the chain stalls here tend to slice the bread to thin and over-toast it, rending it too dry.
And as you can see from the photo above, there is a generous spread of kaya to make any kaya toast afficionado happy.
It was a pity that we didn't order the half-boiled egg but we'll definitely do so on our next visit.
Toh Soon Cafe
Backlane off Campbell Street
Chinatown, Georgetown
Food: 8
Price: $
Recommended dishes: Kopi-O, Teh Si, Kaya Toast, half-boiled egg
The menu is limited - steamed bread, toasted bread, half-boiled eggs, coffee, tea, milo and nasi lemak. You can consider them specialist in coffee and toast. You won't see any modern contraption in the tiny kitchen counter which lines one wall of the back alley. The bread is steamed over boiling hot water while toasting is painstakingly executed by a helper who squats, mesh in hand, before a charcoal filled hand-made oven made from a cut-out drum.
The place is almost always crowded, so be prepared for a long wait. But you'll be rewarded with a cup of richly flavoured coffee and a plate of kaya toast. Although some bloggers have commented that the bread was not evenly toasted and the spread too thin, I was happy with what I got.
Don't mind the mis-matched cups and saucers. What's more important is the offering in the cup. In my case, the teh si less si was done just the way I like - full bodied tea with just a hint of evaporated milk.
The bread was evenly toasted without being burnt. It is crispy on the outside but remains soft on the inside - it is not often that we get it done this way in Singapore. Some of the chain stalls here tend to slice the bread to thin and over-toast it, rending it too dry.
And as you can see from the photo above, there is a generous spread of kaya to make any kaya toast afficionado happy.
It was a pity that we didn't order the half-boiled egg but we'll definitely do so on our next visit.
Toh Soon Cafe
Backlane off Campbell Street
Chinatown, Georgetown
Food: 8
Price: $
Recommended dishes: Kopi-O, Teh Si, Kaya Toast, half-boiled egg
