Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam near Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur 何九海南茶店 – A decades old traditional Hainanese coffee shop that has gained so much hype among the foodies recently. Queue started as early as before 7AM, all ready for a good old taste of Hainanese Cham drink with soft boiled egg, kaya butter toast, and more.
Where is Ho Kow Hainan Kopitiam
The new Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam is located along Jalan Balai Polis, next to YU Noodle Cuisine 渔米麵坊. Same row with Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock Cafe. Easy to find, as it is facing the main road.
Ho Kow Kopitiam used to be a hidden gem in Lorong Panggung – an historical alley connecting Jalan Panggung and Jalan Balai Polis, which has now refurbished and opened to public as a tourist attractions, more known as 鬼仔巷.
How to Reach Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam
It is just 5 minutes walk from Petaling Street, two streets away from Pasar Seni MRT. So you can visit by either public transportation or driving. Just that by MRT, you can save the hassle looking for a parking lot especially during weekend. Great option for overseas travelers looking for a classic Hainanese kopitiam in Petaling street area too.
When is the best time to visit Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam
As early as possible, best by 7AM if you want to skip the queue.
We managed to get a seat after two visits. Visit 1: Arrived at ~8AM, greeted with horrible long queue. Visit 2: Decided to be more Kiasu, woke up at 5.30AM and reached by 6.40AM. Yeah! We were the first! Uncle Ho came out and said “Wah so early, not opened yet” haha. But still wrote down our name and politely asked us to sit down & wait. Awwww so nice.
What’s on Ho Kow Hainan Kopitiam menu
Hainan Cham RM3.80/cold, RM2.90/hot
Their Hainanese cham 海南茶 is a must! A mix of coffee & tea, prepared using carefully selected coffee beans, tea leaves along with traditional roasting process and brewing techniques.
Butter & Kaya Toast RM2.90/pc; Soft Boiled Egg RM3/ 2 eggs
Not to forget Kaya & Butter Toast plus half boiled kampung eggs – best friends of our local kopi.
Jade Chicken Ham Roll RM4.60; Dried Shrimp Curry Chee Cheong Fan RM4.80
Other food options on Ho Kow Kopitiam menu are some of the familiar breakfast staples we grew up eating with, such as Fried Bee Hoon with Curry Chicken, Dried Shrimp Curry Chee Cheong Fan Stir Fried Noodles, Fried Rice and Chicken Hor Fun, just to name a few. Dim sum, Nyonya Kuih and nourishing tong sui are available too!
Love the smooth, simple chee cheong fan, served in a bed of rich, mildly spicy curry sauce, flavoured up with aroma of minced dried shrimp.
Nasi Lemak Chicken Curry RM10.90
Wanted to have Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng too but staff told us that Fried Chicken for Nasi Lemak will only be ready around 8.15AM – 8.30AM. So we switched to Curry Chicken instead. Sambal is on the sweet side, flavourful chicken curry. Not the best, but quite a decent version.
Overall, we felt that food here is just alright. But what’s more important of dining here is the nostalgic atmosphere portrayed by an over-50-year-old establishment while enjoying your breakfast. Do give it a try if you can wake up early!
Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam
Address:
何九海南茶店
1, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 7.30AM – 3.30PM dialy
Nearest public transport : MRT Pasar Seni, walk for 5 minutes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoKowHainamKopitiam/
