Old school Hainanese kopi stall still serving charcoal-toasted bread & home-made kaya

One of the few places that do toast the traditional way.

Joshua Lee | August 22, 2018, 02:14 PM

Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee at Amoy Street Food Centre operates in a time bubble.

There Ah Seng still continues toasting his bread over a charcoal fire, making their kaya from scratch, and grinding their Robusta coffee beans in-house.

Here, you should try the French Toast (S$3.50 for two slices). Ah Seng's French Toast is simply bread coated in an egg wash (just beaten eggs without anything added) and then toasted on a charcoal stove.

French Toast. Via Google.

The Kaya Toast (S$1.80 for two slices) uses a brown bread which the stall has been buying from the same supplier all these years.

Kaya Toast. Via Google.

Both the French Toast and Kaya Toast are served with Ah Seng's home-made kaya which has an eggy, pandan fragrance. The kaya is also not too greasy, according to reviews.

Fun Fact 1: Hainanese kaya used to be made with duck eggs which made the kaya more fragrant and thick. Over the years, however, chicken eggs were used as a substitute because duck eggs became too expensive.

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The most popular kopi at Ah Seng is the Kopi C. His version of Kopi C (S$1.10) is made with unsweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk, giving it a bit more body.

Fun Fact 2: It's commonly thought that the "C" in "Kopi C" (coffee with evaporated milk) comes from the popular Carnation brand of evaporated milk. However, a more plausible explanation is that "C", or in this case, "Xi" is the Hainanese pronunciation of fresh (鲜). Evaporated milk was referred to as fresh milk before pasteurised fresh milk was available.

According to several reviews online, Ah Seng's kopi is a tad bitter compared to regular kopi elsewhere.

Here's their menu and prices:

Via Google. Price list from 207.

Praised for their cheap and good food

Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee does not have an official Facebook page, but there is a page generated by its location tag. There, it has a grand total of......4 reviews, but 3 of them gave Ah Seng 5 stars, particularly praising their kaya.

Google reviews mainly praised Ah Seng's for their cheap yet good kaya and toast.

Aside from that, various other media like ieatishootipost and Miss Tam Chiak also featured Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee, giving particular mention to their bread and kaya.

An article by the Michelin Guide also highlighted the stall's traditional way of doing things, right down to using original cups and saucers from 30 years ago.

https://www.facebook.com/misstamchiak/photos/a.320056814752446/789322997825823/?type=3&theater

Started by Hainan immigrant in 1964

Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee was started by the father of Mr Wong Lock Seng, an immigrant from Hainan Island.

Wong's father used to work as a seaman and teapot merchant. After migrating to Singapore, he started his kopi and toast business at Lau Pa Sat in 1964. 10 years later, Wong took over the business.

Wong toasting bread at his stall. Via Google.

Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee relocated to Amoy Street Food Centre in 1997 and has been there ever since.


Ah Seng Hai Nam Coffee

Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road #02-95, Singapore 069111

Opening hours: 5.30am to 3pm

Contact: 9710 2907


If you're into disappearing foods:

How the Hainanese changed local food culture:

 

Top image via Google.