Old-style favourite Hainanese fare

In the past, kopitiams could be seen almost everywhere, serving up traditional favourites like soft-boiled eggs and toast, noodles and rice dishes

Several years ago, a new F&B trend emerged resulting in modern kopitiam outlets popping up everywhere, thus allowing people to recapture the good old days

The growing number of kopitiam outlets around the Klang Valley reminds Malaysians of their roots, and allows them to taste old favourites done with a new twist.

The best are the ones that emerged from original kopitiam outlets, using old family recipes and traditions.

One of them, Hailam Kopitiam, comes with almost seven decades of history behind it. Its owner and managing director is K.A. Goh whose grandfather opened the Foh Heong kopitiam in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, in 1944.

According to Goh, he envisioned Hailam Kopitiam as a place where diners could relax in a cosy, informal atmosphere similar to original kopitiams. In the five years since the first outlet opened, Goh has seen the company expanding to 30 outlets, with more coming soon.

"I wanted to show how the kopitiam can adapt to the modern environment," Goh added.

"That’s why all the outlets have WiFi services, and separate air-conditioned and smoking areas, to make sure that all our diners are comfortable. We want to remind people that kopitiams are a part of our culture, as well as a way of life."

The dishes featured on Hailam Kopitiam’s menu are all inspired from the history of Hainanese Chinese in Malaysia, some of whom worked as cooks for sultans and British colonialists.

The menu includes several iconic dishes that remain favourites up to today. Among the must-try items are mee hailam and chicken chop.

When we tried the mee hailam, we understood why it is so popular with diners. The brown sauce was thick and flavourful, and it came with fresh prawns and chicken.

As for the chicken chop, the fried breaded fillet was cooked just right.

Diners should also try the traditional roasted chicken rice.

While you can find chicken rice almost anywhere these days, at Hailam Kopitiam, you are given the chance to try something different.

There are different sauces and flavours of chicken to tease your tastebuds, including country stewed chicken, tasty spicy chicken, ginger onion sauce chicken, shrimp sauce chicken and even green curry chicken.

There are also a variety of other dishes, including sandwiches, local and colonial favourites, finger food and desserts.

"The variety of food is very important to us," Goh said. "We want to give people plenty of choices to try here, and to make sure that there is something for everyone."

Also important to Hailam Kopitiam is its selection of roasted coffees. The coffee is brewed from a specially selected blend of arabica, robusta and local beans.

"It took us a long time to get the blend right, but today, people tell us that’s what makes them come back here," Goh said.

Must-try coffees include traditional Hailam roasted coffee and white coffee.

Besides coffee and tea, there are also fruit juices, ice-blended drinks and smoothies to appeal to a younger crowd.

"We see ourselves as having everything under one roof," Goh said. "When you come to Hailam Kopitiam, you can find all your favourites here."

For more information on the outlets or the menu, visit www.hailam-kopitiam.com. – Anansa Jacob