Singapura Nanyang Coffee

It has been a while since we have heard about Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments appearing in the local F&B scene but it does seem pretty clear that the trend for Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments is here to stay. It does seem that there are some local establishments serving up Malaysian-style fare that had identified the opportunities to be seized with the ongoing trend and has pivoted their business slightly to align with what seems to appeal to the consumers these days. Whilst we had covered the menu revamp taken by Shan Cheng (Ipoh Delicacies) for their outlet at Bukit Panjang Plaza, it seems that Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee is also hopping onto this bandwagon to position itself as a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment. They have revamped their Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee outlet at Marina Square into Singapura Nanyang Coffee; much of the interior decor within the space does seem to remain familiar to the times when they were still operating as Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee though there are attempts to spruce up the space a little with a small feature wall containing a mural whilst one can also find posters depicting their various offerings being hung on the wall within the space. The tables are arranged in a way that caters to groups of two (2) to six (6) pax; there an also quite a good number of dining tables available for dine-in patrons as well. Given how Singapura Nanyang Coffee is an establishment by the same folks behind Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee, the food menu does contain quite a number of Noodles / Soup dishes that are reminiscent of those that can be found at Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee as well; that being said, Singapura Nanyang Coffee does offer an expanded variety of items which include categories such as Nasi Lemak, Fried Rice, Nanyang Classics, Side Dish and Toast. Beverages available at Singapura Nanyang Coffee will include Nanyang-style Kopi, Teh, Yuan Yang, Milo, White Coffee and canned drinks — just to name a few.

We were more keen to give the items from the sounded menu at Singapura Nanyang Coffee a try since we have had the Kolo Mee from Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee at their other outlets over the years. Noting that they do offer Nasi Lemak on their menu, it is needless to say that the item that we found ourselves gravitating towards would be the Ayam Berempah Nasi Lemak. While the menu does not describe the elements that would come with their various dishes they they have to offer, the Ayam Berempah Nasi Lemak comes with the usual suspects that one would expect from the same at other similar establishments — this would include the spiced fried chicken, the coconut milk-infused rice, anchovies, peanuts, sambal chili, cucumber slices and sunny side-up. Digging into the rice here, the rice came with a light and fluffy texture with the grains being distinguishable from one another; the Nasi Lemak here does carry flavour in its rice though it is the sort of Nasi Lemak that comes with a light gingery note more than a coconut aroma per se. The spiced fried chicken leg turns out to be more impressive than it seems to be however; it came with a light and crisp exterior that wasn’t batter-heavy and was absolutely tender and juicy as one pulls it apart. The flavours coming from the use of turmeric and ginger during its marination process is also pretty prominent, while the fried chicken also does come with the spiced fried crumbs that makes it all the better. The sambal chili that came with the Ayam Berempah Nasi Lemak is the savoury sort that is more in tune with Malaysian-style Nasi Lemak as opposed to the sweet sambal that accompanies Singapore-style Nasi Lemak, coming with a spicy kick that should be pretty manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The accompanying anchovies does come with crisp crunch whilst adding a savoury note to the dish; the sunny side-up in the meanwhile does seem to come close to being fully-cooked — the presentation of the egg could also probably be better improved to further enhance the aesthetic appeal to the entire dish.

Our love for Hainanese-style breakfast toast also saw us going for the Kaya Butter Toast during our visit to Singapura Nanyang Coffee. The Kaya Butter Toast from Singapura Nanyang Coffee is observed to come with old school bakery-style white bread, Nonya-style Kaya that comes with a green hue, as well as sliced butter. The toast does come lightly browned — the consistency of the bread being light, airy and fluffy with the occasional crispness coming in from the browned parts. We wouldn’t necessarily describe the portioning of the Kaya and butter being generous here but it is certainly balanced to say the least; comes with a decent kaya to butter ratio for a good balance of sweetness and saltishness. We also went for the Egg Tart since we had already noticed them being prominently displayed at the counter even before entering the shop. It can be observed that the Egg Tart here comes with a flaky tart base; all that whilst holding the egg curd in the middle. The tart base of the egg tart wasn’t particularly greasy, yet does come with a buttery note whilst being very light and flaky as one chews into the tart; the egg curd within being all soft and jiggly though we did find that it is a little bit on the sweeter side of things in general. It also will not be a complete visit made to a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed dining establishment if one skips out on having the Kopi (Iced). The Kopi (Iced) at Singapura Nanyang Coffee turns out to be one that is especially thick and frothy; also one which we found to be surprisingly not too sweet considering the consistency — of course, it also does come with that slight overflow aesthetic that completes the look of it being an iced Nanyang-styled Kopi served from a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment.

Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee is quite an established name in Singapore that most Singaporeans should find rather familiar — this is especially so since they have been already operating for several years now within a handful of malls around the island. Singapura Nanyang Coffee does seem to be the way that the brand is trying to keep up with the times; after all, Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee is a brand that had stayed rather consistent throughout its existence in how they have operated. The Singapura Nanyang Coffee brand does provide patrons with a wider variety of offerings which includes rice dishes; something that wasn’t a core emphasis of Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee, but caters to patrons with a preference of rice over noodles, while items like the Egg Tart and Kopi (Iced) can be seen as how Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee is evolving itself with the introduction of the Singapura Nanyang Coffee brand. Prices of the rice and noodle offerings range between $7.50 to $12.90; the lowest priced item being the $7.50 for the Chicken Cutlet / Smoked Duck Noodles, while the priciest being the Rendang Beef Nasi Lemak / Fried Rice. There isn’t many Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments located around the City Hall neighbourhood; Singapura Nanyang Coffee does present itself was an option for worth considering for those looking for such fare whilst being in the heart of town!