Kiah Hong Coffee Shop – Classic Way Of Breakfast, Macalister Road

There are not many places in Penang that serve good breakfast especially those classic butter and kaya toast. The new concept coffee shops which are mushrooming all over the town selling kaya and butter  toast are usually more pricey. There is a shop located in E-Gate with the initial of “PR” selling bangkali roti x 2 with butter and kaya at a cost of RM6 per set excluding drinks. These kind of places are meant for those who are willing to spend more and have a better environment to dine in. As for us dining at such places once in a blue moon is more than sufficient.

For those who has more dollar and cent’s concern, you can try out the place that I am introducing below. The shop is located at the junction of Madras Lane and Macalister Road. If you are driving to the town area via Macalister Road and Komtar is just in front of you, you will soon realize that there is a red Bata building on your left. Just across the lane at another corner of the road, there is a coffee shop called Kiah Hong.

Kiah Hong Coffee Shop has been passed down from generation to generation. It has been standing firm for more than 4 decades. It is now run by a couple.

This place is very simple and nothing fancy about this place. In fact it has a very old kopitiam-style setting. People who come to this place is purely for the food.

Hot Nescafe – RM1.40, it is a must for me to have a cup of coffee to start off my day. Any type coffee like Hainanese coffee, cappuccino or 3-in-is fine for me. Therefore, it is difficult to cheat my taste bud when coming to a good cup of coffee. To prepare anything that is extraordinary will be very easy as not many people have the chance to taste that. However, if you are preparing something that is so common, it has to be very good. As for the Nescafe at this coffee shop, it is up to standard as the proportion of the nescafe and condensed milk is just nice. The taste is neither too bitter nor too sweet.

Iced Milo – RM1.60. Besides the usual hot drink, for those who prefer cold drinks in the morning, the iced milo is also another good option. The owner is not stingy at all with the milo powder as the drink was rich and flavourful.

Toast Set – RM1.50, the toast set provided is a combination of butter and kaya. It is essential to try out the kaya at this coffee shop as the kaya here is homemade and the fragrance of the pandan leaf is so distinctive, not too sweet and no preservatives added. The bread used are the crust-less bangkali roti. After toasted, the outer layer becomes crunchy and the inner is soft and fluffy.

Half Boiled Egg – RM0.70 per egg, to complete as a perfect breakfast set it has to complement with half-boiled eggs. It is important to maintain the consistency of the half boiled egg as it need to be not too cooked as well and not too rare. So far the egg that I tried here are in perfect half-boiled condition.

Overall, this place is designed for simple and convenient dining. The taste of the food is excellent especially the homemade kaya. As it is a typical classical kopitiam it is not air-conditioned. The good thing is you do not need to pay for service charge. There are plenty of places to park at the road side.

Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):

Taste
Price
Food Presentation
Service
Overall

Quick Facts:

Family Friendly
Parking
Halan
Alcohol
Credit Card
Smoking
Reservation
Private Room
WIFI Available

Operation hours: 7:00am – 2:00pm (Close On Sunday)
Contact: –
Address: Corner Shop on Macalister Road and junction to Madras Lane 
GPS: 5° 41′ 55.91″ N, 100° 32′ 58.71″ E