There is a saying that goes, if you want to be successful, follow the foot steps of a successful person. Therefore, if you want to be a multi-millionaire, you need to follow the food steps of them.
The food trail that I am going to introduce is a place where 2 of the multi-millionaires had been before. The first multi-millionaire is the late Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew a.k.a Honda Motor King. While the second one is Robert Kwok, The Sugar King.
The name of this shop is Kong Thai Lai (广泰来) Coffee Shop. It is quite easy to locate this place. If you are driving via Hutton Lane, which is one way street, you will sure pass by Penaga Hotel on your left. Keep driving for another 50 metres and you will see a coffee shop nestled in the middle of a prewar building on your left, that is Kong Thai Lai Coffee Shop.
Kong Thai Lai Coffee Shop has been operating for 3 generations. You will still find the traditional way of running the business especially in food preparation. From the technique of making coffee to the cutlery used, they still remain as it is from the first day it started business.
Kopi-O – RM0.90, one of the attractions here is the simplest yet delicious black coffee. The aroma of the coffee was so thick and when the coffee was in your mouth, the fragrance was still there yet it was not too bitter. The secret behind this coffee is that they used water which had been kept overnight and had less chlorine smell. However, bear in mind that the sweetness level of the coffee was quite high. Even the coffee was ordered in “jia” (meaning less sugar) still it was very sweet. You need to physically scoop out the sugar before you stir the coffee.
Kopi – RM1.00, for those that prefer coffee in milk rather than the black coffee, Kong Thai Lai Coffee Shop has this option as well. However, to me the aroma of the coffee with milk was not as strong and aromatic compared to the black coffee.
Toast with Kaya and Butter – RM1.80, The very standard and usual Penangite’s breakfast. A lot of places serve this kind of dish as breakfast. The texture of the toasted bread was crunchy and had a nice scent of toast fragrance. Needless to say, the toast they served with Kaya and Butter was classical and excellent.
Toast with butter and sugar – RM1.80, rather than butter and kaya, some might not prefer kaya on their toast. You can even custom order your toast to be with plain butter and sugar.
Half boiled egg x 2 – RM1.40, the eggs were cooked in half-boiled style. You can still see semi-transparent egg white when served in a glass mug. For those that don’t prefer the eggs to be too raw, you can always ask for the eggs to be boiled longer.
Nasi Lemak – RM1.50, those who still couldn’t get enough from the toast, eggs and coffee, you can always try out the nasi lemak here. The nasi lemak we had on that day was normal and nothing special. I heard they have different nasi lemak vendors in the coffee shop.
Overall, the food was good and of course the highlight of that place is the black coffee itself. The price was reasonable and the service was good. However, never go there during public holidays and weekends as it will be very packed. Parking will be an issue as there are not many car parks around. The only place to park is the multi-storey car park right before the coffee shop.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
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Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking |  |
| Pork Free | |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 7:00am – 4:00pm (Close on Sundays)
Contact: –
Address:Hutton Lane near the T junction between Campbell Street and Penang Road
GPS: 5° 25′ 15.50″ N, 100° 19′ 88.70″ E