Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Old Town White Coffee

The “white” does not refer to the colour but the way the beans are roasted. With margarine, sans sugar.

Alongside the English language and democracy, the kopitiam (coffee shop) culture played a major part in the history of Malaya. Well, indirectly, I suppose. A meeting place for political exchanges, businesses and gossips, it was the Starbucks of yesteryears. The distinctive designs on the ceramic wares are still as relevant and attractive as ever but WiFi and ice-blended seem hippier these days.

In recent years, we have seen the mushrooming of upscale kopitiams, with names such as Uncle Lim, Pak Hailam and everything else avuncular. Others choose nostalgic phrases to trigger your soft spots. Creative indeed. However, quality is of another matter altogether.

One of the earliest companies that joined the kopitiam evolution was Old Town White Coffee, which started off producing 3-in-1 coffee mix, using the White Café recipe. These days, this popular joint has more than 80 franchises with one located in Singapore. Ok, enough of boring descriptions. Oh, and this is not an advertorial.

A cup of hot, White Coffee (RM2.20) to start off a Saturday morning is bliss. Rich and aromatic, it was a good. For an even denser taste, try the “Gao” version at the same price. A personal favourite is the Iced Hazelnut White Coffee (RM3.80). Aromatic and invigorating.

At RM5.50, the Curry Mee was rather small in size. The curry was mild, in terms of heat. Coconut milk was kept minimum and the curry leaves provided a nice aroma. Other ingredients such as chicken slices, beansprouts, long beans and fried tofu were minimal as well.

Again, the portions of Ipoh Hor Fun (RM5.50) and Asam Laksa (RM5.50) were small. While the Hor Fun was smooth and soft, the broth was rather light. Strands of chive gave a good contrast to the taste and texture but more would be appreciated. The sourish asam laksa fared better as it was slightly sweet. A few mackerel cuts and onion slices gave the dish an extra ooomph. A warmer and spicier version would have been better though.

The Ice Fire Polo Bun (RM2.50) sounded like an exciting fight scene from Kung Fu Panda. Cute and all, the warm, soft polo bun (the Fire, I suppose) and cold slice of butter (Ice lor) combination was nice. The bun's crust gave a tinge of sweetness as well.

What is a kopitiam experience without an order of the Kaya And Butter Toast (RM1.20 for single, RM2.30 for double)? Sweet and slightly salty, the toast was good. The fact that the toast was thin made it evenly soft and crispy. Try dipping it into the coffee for extra flavour. An old-skool act.

A special, the Golden Paratha (RM2.80) was simply a roti canai (prata) wrap with kaya and peanut butter sauce filling. Save for the rich and creamy kaya, the roti canai was rather chewy and obviously not made fresh. Pair the nice kaya with the authentic roti canai from a mamak stall and it’ll taste better. Much better.

The beverages were good. White coffee is indeed distinctive and divine. With a wide range of flavours available, I'm sure there will be one cuppa that pleases your tastebuds.

By the way, dearest hip youths of today, they provide WiFi as well. Check out the website for more information.

They often say go local. If the quality of everything else local is as good as this, I'm all game for it.

Old Town White Coffee
30, Block A, Plaza Sinar
Jalan 3/38D, Taman Seri Sinar
Segambut, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (+603) 62733876
Website: http://www.oldtown.com.my

19 comments:

fatboybakes said...

haha, i think they should PAY you for this post... coz i'm SURE i didnt have the same charming almost orgasmic sounding palate experiences you did while eating here.

ling239 said...

the curry noodle is oily right?
my previous trip we managed to scope up a small bowl of oil....:p

Kenny Mah said...

Er, this the franchise right? The one I dropped by in JB and in PJ tastes nothing like you describe, bruder... What else did you take? ;)

HairyBerry said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
HairyBerry said...

fatboybakes, orgasmic meh? hehe...the drinks were good but the food was, well..ok lar except for the toast and fire/ice polo bun which were rather good, me thinks. PAY me? hoohoo, that will be the day lar...haha!

ling239, i thought the curry mee was quite kosong. minimal lor. and yes, i forgot to mention that it was quite oily as well. hehehe...

kenny, that's all i took. well, on another occasion, i took the garlic bread as well. go for the drinks and toast! ;) the one at seri sinar seems OK leh..hehe

choi yen said...

I only think of OldTown when I suddenly craving for half boil eggs + kaya & butter toast On Sunday morning... n_n

Ciki said...

haro haro! my ideal sat bfast iz... (and i just posted this comment sumwhr) an early morn run.. which ends up at the local market. Cool down to the tong-sui, then.. whack the curry laksa, the wantan mee, the yau-char-kui(with black coffee), and tapau the nyonya kuih for later :P .. but me no go visit old town white coffee..lol.. to each his/her own..

backStreetGluttons said...

isn't it just so strange that young virgins ( like you and us ) love overold used things like this ? must be the matured feel
haha

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

yeah lor i didnt feel the same..tasted almost like nescafe at 1st sip..of course when tapaued, it also looks like nescafe with the small styrofoam cup (the ones office uses to serve hot drinks)..

but i did hear abt their nasi lemak though..

Big Boys Oven said...

hahahaha this is what I call my place for coffee!

Little Inbox said...

Hmm! Today hubby curi-curi dating with BIL for lunch in Old Town White Coffee @ Queensbay Mall. Never bring me there...hmm!
He tried their nasi lemak and it tastes so good!

Live2Talk said...

Been there only once and tried their Iced Hazelnut ... not bad. But food wise so so only, tried their nasi rendang chicken in a basket (chick too oily until the bottom of basket soaked with oil) and golden paratha (err don't like).

Shell (貝殼) said...

i'm feel disappointed for the Golden Paratha,the roti is too thick :(

HairyBerry said...

mimi, oh, i have not tried the half boiled eggs before....but the kaya and butter toast was nice, right? ;)

cumi & ciki, gosh, i thought i've died and gone to paradise! haha! fantastic description there! that makes you go local as well, eh? hooray! ;)

backstreetgluttons, the touch is warmer and the smell is denser. maturity certainly tastes better, hor? we virgins have got so much to learn...hehehe...

joe, really ar? gosh, is the seri sinar branch the only nice one ar?? hehehe...but the coffee here is good lar. a good alternative to those western chains, i reckon ;)

i tried the nasi lemak at the one-U branch years ago. ok lar, quite good.

big boys oven, hehehe...call me for coffee lar next time!!! i think there's one near your place as well. they are all over malaysia, in fact! ;)

little inbox, OMG! curi dating! with BIL somemore! lol! glad the nasi lemak tasted good! punish your hubby by asking him to treat you to a nice cuppa at old town! ;)

live2talk, i agree! the drinks there are better. that's y i only recommend the drinks..hehehe...the toast was ok, i think ;) it's all in the bread lar, i guess... ;D

shell (貝殼), yeah, i am also disappointed with the golden paratha...the skin's too tough, right? i think those RM1.00 roti canai at makan stalls are better..but the kaya's quite nice, i thought! ;)

Simon Seow said...

Whatler you Uncle Nic, go Taman Sri Sinar didn't ask me out to yum cha. I live in Taman Sri Sinar la.

J2Kfm said...

hmm, MY Ipoh Old Town experience started way back then, when the very first outlet opened in Ipoh. bet very few knows which was it. It was something new that time, fresh concept that has been copied umpteenth time nowadays.

but the quality of the food leaves less to the imagination. only the drinks are OK. and the toasts.

HairyBerry said...

simon, aiyah, i was there with relatives lar...next time, ok? ;) btw, now sri sinar got lotsa makan places already, hor?

HairyBerry said...

j2Kfm, i absolutely agree on the drinks and toasts....wah, you so lucky to have tried the real thing...hmm, need to ask you for directions the next time i go ipoh d... ;)

HairyBerry said...

jackson, hehehe..i agree the food's so-so. but i thought the drinks were good...affordable and homegrown as well. so i guess it's cool! ;)