Kong Thai Lai was founded back in 1920 by the Hainanese coffee-brewing Tan family. Back on 26 Sep 2016, the old coffeeshop moved from its original Hutton Lane location to its present premises on 38 Leith Street. Tan Jeng Seow, the grandson of the founder, now runs the popular little coffeeshop.
Their offerings remained much the same: Hainanese-style freshly-brewed coffee, accompanied by kaya-butter toasts and soft-boiled eggs - which was what we had for breakfast this morning:
Hainanese coffee is brewed from freshly-roasted coffee beans. The Hainanese usually roasts a mix of coffee beans (50%) with sugar (40%) & butter (10%). The sugar with caramelize and coat the beans, which are then allowed to cool down before being ground for brewing.
Hainanese-style toasts are made from thick-cut Roti Benggali, slathered with a thin spread of kaya (coconut-egg jam) and butter.
Soft-boiled eggs are another standard order for a full-fledged Hainanese coffee-and-roast breakfast, and some customers would actually dunk their toasts into eggs, somewhat akin to British eggs & soldiers, which was probably where this breakfast option originated.
A new, popular way of serving was having the soft-boiled (not poached) eggs cracked on top of buttered toast.
Kong Thai Laiโs offerings are simple, and there are probably a number of places which do it better than them. But there is no beating history, and its illustrious past made the little coffeeshop a magnet for local coffee connoisseurs. This place used to be the favorite breakfast spot for one of Penangโs most famous and enigmatic tycoons, the late Loh Boon Siew aka Mr Honda, whoโd have a regular table here for his daily morning cuppa.
Address
Kong Thai Lai
38, Leith Street, 10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60 11-2344 7832
Opening hours: 7.30am to 3pm Mon-Sat. Closed on Sundays.