Singaporean cafe needs fine tuning
Kaya at Kopitiam: A favorite in Singapore. By Cho Jae-eun
Of course now that I live in Seoul and am used to seeing cigarette butts and drink cans everywhere, I appreciate Singapore’s spotless streets that leave no hint of people having walked on them. But who wants hygiene and order when you’re a teenager?
Nevertheless, my ears perked up in curiosity when a friend told me about a Singaporean cafe named Kopitiam which just opened on the ever-expanding cafe/bar street overlooking the Chonggye Stream. I’ve seen Thai, Indian, Pakistani and Vietnam food done in Seoul but the mention of Singaporean cuisine was a first, especially Singapore toast ― not Singapore noodles or Singapore chili crab ― but toast.
The cafe specialties were kaya toast and milk tea. Kaya is a Singaporean jam, often green, made from eggs, sugar and coconut milk. Along with curry puffs, kaya on sandwich bread is a favorite breakfast item for Singaporeans. The thing is, I’ve had curry puffs with coffee in Singapore but I’ve never ordered kaya toast. And I’ve never seen any of my Singaporean friends order kaya toast. Why? Well, it’s not an impressive menu item. Some may disagree, but kaya always tasted like gooey, liquefied sugar with a coconut scent to me. And over basic, white sandwich bread ― give me peanut butter and jam any day.
So when I looked at the menu at Kopitiam and saw that it charged 2,500 won ($2.80) to 3,000 won for the toast (two slices of bread for thin versions, one for the thick toasts), the first thought that popped in my head was that I was standing inside a cafe that is not going to be here in five years.
It appeared as if the cafe is trying to sell this attention-grabbing Singapore concept, which is quite new to Seoul, without much effort to introduce their dessert culture. If the cafe was trying to introduce Singaporean/Chinese pastry, modernized moon cakes (which are not as heavy as the old stuff) or curry puffs, that would have been a lot more adventurous than kaya toast.
Kopitiam is located near Jonggak Station, line No. 1, exit 4. For more information, call (02) 730-8837.
By Cho Jae-eun Staff Writer
[jainnie@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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