Famous ‘billionaires’ kopitiam’ closes shop in Penang
Kong Thai Lai coffee shop, operating for nearly 100 years at Hutton Lane, bids adieu to regular patrons as it operates for the last time, following eviction.
Kedai Kopi Kong Thai Lai, located at 6 Hutton Lane, was served an eviction notice by their new Singaporean owners in March, and was asked to leave by early June.
However, the operator was given a reprieve and allowed to remain until the end of this month to facilitate identification of an alternative location.
As word got around that the kopitiam was serving customers for the last time today, hundreds made a beeline to the pre-war shop to have a last taste of their signature coffee, “roti kahwin” (margarine and kaya slathered on toasted bread) and half-boiled eggs in a cup.
The story behind the coffee shop’s popularity goes beyond the food they serve. It was made famous by Penang-born billionaire Loh Boon Siew, who had breakfast there daily.
A marble-top table where Loh used to sit still remains in the shop as a nugget of nostalgia and good luck charm.
The eatery has long stood as an icon of unity for Penangites, as people of all races often gathered there for breakfast.
Gary Tan Jeng Seow, 57, who took over the business from his late brother a few years ago, said he had to accept the inevitable and described the eviction as painful.
He said it was going to be difficult for him to part ways with the shophouse where he and is family had grown up over the years.
“I am very sad. But what choice do I have? I can only vent my frustration, right?
“All my memories will be lost today,” he said as he prepared coffee for a customer in his over-crowded shop.
But it is not completely the end for Tan, as he is moving to a new shop on 38 Leith Street, a five-minute walk away. The new outlet is opposite the Benggali Jamek Mosque.
He said he and his family will, over the next few days, be making the gradual move to the new shop with a “heavy heart” and will open its doors to the public on Saturday.
The coffee shop’s imminent closure was first reported in April, with four other adjacent shops also asked to leave by their new foreign owners.
The building itself is an icon. Styled in a “Straits Eclectic Southern Chinese Peranakan” fashion, old bamboo chick blinds provide shade for patrons dunking toasted bread in half-boiled eggs by the walkway.
The interior of the shop has quintessential kopitiam marble-top tables and stools. Old floor and wall tiles also greet you as you enter.
Newspaper write-ups of the shop adorn the walls and an odd poster of a woman wearing only a pair of jeans, while holding a bottle of nail polish behind her, captures the eye.
Stickers of various famous brands of carbonated drinks from decades ago appear to have withstood the test of time as well, claiming a place for themselves along the walls inside.
Caffein fix
Meanwhile, retiree Phoon Kok Cheong, 73, recalled the time when he used to live across the shop many years ago.
He said back in the day, he would bring his “koleh” (mug) to have his caffein fix when he was young.
“I have seen the shop grow. Including the people who were running the shop. It will be missed,” Phoon told FMT.
Meanwhile, patrons Stella Chan and Chew Kar Eng, both 19, felt honoured to have had their meals at the shop, knowing it was the last day at the long-time location.
They were part of a student group from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) in Kuala Lumpur who visited the coffee shop.
Aspiring broadcast journalist Phoebe Tan, 21, said she was enamoured with the shop despite it being her first (and last) visit there.
Today, regulars and new fans of the shop took the opportunity to say thank-you for the great experience by scribbling their thoughts on the wall tiles.
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One read “Smoothest coffee in town” and another: “All the best, may your legacy continue”.