KAJANG, Aug 11 — What makes for a complete kopitiam breakfast?
The answer depends on the person, of course. Everyone’s experience is different as it ought to be. Even for a specific diner, that answer clearly depends on the particular kopitiam.
In our case, we are now at Restoran Yew Yuan in Kajang. A typical corner lot kopitiam with a busy morning breakfast crowd.
So far so good. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet the fact that Yew Yuan draws throngs, visibly more than other similar shops in the neighbourhood, tells me that perhaps there is something special going on here.
For one, there is the telltale sign of customers hovering near tables waiting for the current occupants to finish eating and vacate those precious seats.
(Ostensibly there is a system to inform the proprietor you’d like a table and to join the list for seats but this being Malaysia, the degree of actual adherence corresponds to how hungry the customers are...)
At any rate, you can snack while you wait for your table if you’re truly famished. A stall in front of the kopitiam offers freshly fried yau char kwai.
Nothing like the performance magic of watching a spider skimmer diving into a huge wok, rising from the hot oil like Venus from dark waves, bearing gifts of crunchy crullers.
Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to wait long for our table so we could tuck into our deep-fried treasures while seated rather than standing.
Looks can be deceiving. The yau char kwai and ma geok are thicker than other stalls, yes. However, we find them not only still crispy, but airy too. A pleasant surprise.
There are many ways to enjoy these: Some like them as is; others prefer slicing and soaking them in hot congee, bobbing up like crouton submarines.
Here’s how I always have mine at a kopitiam: dunked into a cup of hot coffee, robust and creamy, sinfully sweet.
Given our penchant for cham, it’s no shock to regular readers that the kopi in question is blended with a good dose of teh too.
More importantly, Yew Yuan offers a darker shade of cham, stronger and more than a competent foil for the greasy sticks of yau char kwai.
No, this isn’t the healthiest of pairings but one doesn’t patronise a kopitiam for health food, surely? Indeed, who could fault this coupling of caffeine and cholesterol — not me!
Some might be appalled at the thought of corrupting the sanctity of a morning cuppa with oil-drenched carbohydrates. There is an alternative for these misguided souls.
Look no further than the popular curry mee stall (where, by my estimate, the queue is longest). You get an entirely serviceable bowl of noodles in a fiery curry broth (light on the santan for those who find coconut milk too rich), long beans, tau pok and see hum.
Many customers prefer dipping their yau char kwai into their curry mee, which, out of curiosity and in service of an investigative spirit, I too tried.
My verdict: not for me, thanks. (But you do you, yau char kwai in curry mee connoisseurs.)
Ah well, different strokes for different folks. Whatever completes your kopitiam breakfast is the right way, I say.
What completes a kopitiam breakfast for me, it turns out, is none other than our national pride: nasi lemak.
The coconut milk infused rice, the sambal, the ikan bilis, the sliced cucumber — pretty much what you’d expect. The perfect sunny side-up with crispy edges is a lovely add-on, I won’t lie.
But it’s the chicken that brings this dish to another level.
Don’t miss the sesame-studded fried chicken, more aromatic than the standard version. And if you have space for it, also order some extra fried chicken skin as topping.
Not a conventional nasi lemak accompaniment, you might say, but there is an exquisite exactitude to excess, if you ask me.
More is more.
(Even when it comes to alliteration, apparently. Mayhaps especially so.)
What makes for a complete kopitiam breakfast? Today it is yau char kwai and cham, curry mee and fried chicken nasi lemak.
Tomorrow, who knows? Stay tuned to find out.
Restoran Yew Yuan 友缘茶餐室
11, Jalan KP 1/6,
Taman Kajang Prima, Kajang.
Open daily (except Mon closed) 6am-2:30pm; 5pm-9:30pm
For more food fables and café chronicles, visit Life for Beginners.
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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