With the en-bloc sale of Golden Mile Complex being one of the top headline news in the past couple of weeks, the neighbouring Golden Mile Tower has been pretty much under-the-radar. Also pretty overshadowed by other more prominent individually-run local Kopi and toasts establishments around such as Tong Ah, Heap Seng Leong and Chin Mee Chin Confectionary is Mun Ann Cafe — a spot that has been hiding in Golden Mile Tower only known to those who have probably been patronising it for years. Not sure how long they have been around (the business was registered 47 years ago), but this establishment at this current juncture serves mostly traditional breakfast sets (i.e. Hainanese Kaya Toast and Half-Boiled Eggs) paired with local beverages such as Nanyang-style Kopi, Teh and Milo. The items are also available in ala-carte, and those who are looking for something else apart from Hainanese Kaya Toast can also go for various paus and dimsum that are sourced from Bee Sim Pau. Despite the sheer age of the shop based on its furnishing and fittings, Mun Ann Cafe is actually pretty well-maintained with noticeably clean walls, floors and furnishings.

Being drawn to visit Mun Ann Cafe for their Kaya with Butter Toast that features homemade kaya, it was natural that we found ourselves ordering the Coffee Set. For those whom are interested, Mun Ann Cafe does retail their homemade kaya in bottles, which they claim to come without any preservatives — we found some of their patrons taking away bottles of their homemade Kaya during our visit. Going straight for the Kaya with Butter Toast, we really liked how they used white bread for the toast here — the white bread is toasted to perfection here to a shade of light brown with that crisp outer crust that provides a good bite. They don’t seem to scrimp on the butter here; the amount of Kaya here is also well-balanced against the butter as well to strike the savoury-sweet balance — the homemade Kaya is of the Nyonya-style that sees the use of Pandan, though their rendition comes with a more lumpy look and a shade of green that is slightly more pale than that of commercially-made ones. There is also a subtle hint of egginess with their homemade Kaya that comes altogether with the sweetness of the coconut jam and the Pandan notes that it comes with.

While the half boiled eggs at other places are usually not worth too much of a mention, the ones here at Mun Ann Cafe was something that we enjoyed — perhaps we were really scrutinising the details with there half boiled eggs here, but we found the yolks to be especially flavourful here as compared to that of other places. Also worth noting is how the half boiled eggs are perfectly done here; the egg yolks still being runny, and a sheer pleasure to have. Kopi was also really well-pulled here — there is always that cup of Nanyang-style Kopi that is bland or relies heavily on the sweetness of condensed milk for flavour but I like how this wasn’t too sweet, yet carried that roasty aroma that makes Nanyang-style Kopi what it is.

Mun Ann Cafe does seem like a favourite amongst the folks who patronise them — the shop is actually pretty packed for a spot better associated with local-style breakfast sets on a weekday mid-afternoon, and it is little wonder why; the couple who runs the place do seem to be pretty earnest folks and down-to-earth, whilst upholding the quality of their food over an extended period of time that makes them stand out from names that had gone the commercial route. There is always a sort of charm that such places carry; a spot that is definitely deserving of a visit for the slice of heritage that they are serving!