Today, I revisited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant.
This time I ordered Butter Kaya Toast set from the Toast Place stall, which cost RM13.40 per set. It come with 2 half boiled egg and a cup of drink. For drink, I order a cup of hot coffee.The butter kaya toast is a lightly toasted bread that’s crisp on the outside yet soft inside, generously spread with fragrant kaya — a coconut-pandan custard — and layered with cold slabs of butter. The contrast is the charm with warm toast melting the edges of the butter, while the kaya adds sweetness and aroma. Accompanying the toast are two half-boiled eggs, prepared in the kopitiam tradition. The whites are silky and barely set, while the yolks remain rich and creamy. They’re typically seasoned with a dash of soy sauce and white pepper, then mixed to a velvety texture. The set is completed with a kopitiam-style drink of your choice: coffee (kopi), tea (teh), or the beloved kopi-teh hybrid cham — available hot or iced. The drinks use the traditional method: strong brew, condensed milk or evaporated milk, and that unmistakable old-school flavour.
Kaya toast is deeply rooted in the early Hainanese kopitiams (traditional coffee shops) of Malaysia and Singapore, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hainanese immigrants, many of whom worked as cooks for British families, adapted Western-style toast and butter to local ingredients. To replace Western fruit jams, they created kaya, a custard of eggs, sugar, and coconut milk infused with pandan leaves. The result was a uniquely Southeast Asian spread that matched perfectly with crispy toast and coffee.
The classic trio — kaya toast, half-boiled eggs, and kopi — became a signature breakfast for workers, students, and families for generations. It’s nostalgic, affordable, and comforting, representing the essence of kopitiam culture: simple food prepared with care.
Today, stalls like Toast Place continue this heritage in modern malls, bringing the old flavours into contemporary settings while preserving the charm and warmth of the classic kopitiam experience.
