Kopitiam

Recently heard the old owner of Kopitiam is still up for catering. But only once a week on Thursdays? I’m sure you can work something out with them if you have a large party. Otherwise they have an array of dinner or lunch sets that you can order online (see website below). Prices seem a little steep but I am tempted to try it out for some bad ass chicken rice!
Best way of contact is through email:
Website:
Contact: Simon

Even though I have only had take-​out Hainan Chicken Rice from Kopitiam, I must say it is a 5-​star all the way. I grew up in Malaysia and Melacca is the state that is the origin and famous for this dish. I had Hainan Chicken Rice all my life so I know authentic chicken rice when I taste one.
A good, authentic Hainan Chicken Rice must have: 1) tender, juicy chicken that is slow boiled in chicken broth until it is cooked just right; 2) the rice must be fragrant with ginger, pandan leaf, garlic, shallots and cooked with the broth from which the chicken was in; and 3) the dipping sauces of thick soy sauce and special homemade chili paste are the best condiments and must have when enjoying a plate of chicken rice. Kopitiam nailed this dish so well it was as if they FedEx the chicken dish fresh from Melacca and put it on their plate. It was chicken rice perfection!
When I visit Kopitiam in person, I won’t even need to look at a menu, I know I’m getting the Hainan Chicken Rice again. Ok, and maybe a few other Malaysian dishes.

Just found out that Kopitiam was mentioned in the 2010 Michelin for SF Bay Area… Congratulations!
Kopitiam is one of my favorite places to go for a casual meal. The food is always excellent and they always make me feel welcomed and appreciated.

This place is a gem! Great food, friendly service, deeeelish.
I’d recommend: roti prata, tofu poppers, veg popiah, otah (fish paste wrapped in banana leaf… a refreshing new taste without being overly fishy), veg fried rice, and top fave so far: kopitiam mee goreng.
Their french toast is also amazing. It’s not too eggy, and comes with kaya spread (a type of coconut jam. mouthwateringand oh sooooo good) and the choice of tea/​coffee.
Service can be slow at times, even if you’re the only party present. I guess it can be a good thing though — means your food is fresh and not coming out of any cardboard package or being zapped in the microwave. =)
Another star for location, tons of parking, great hours and decent prices. And for being next to Joe’s :)

4.5
Hey not bad! I haven’t really had many run ins with Singaporean food in my life, but this place tasted good. Conveniently placed next to Trader Joes so you can also do some grocery shopping. Prices weren’t too bad and parking was easy. On this night had something similar to beef pad-​see-​ew, a shrimp noodle dish, and a chicken dish that came with ginger sauce and mild chili sauce. I think the only thing not giving it a 5 in my book is ambience and the fact that I was hungry (you know how when you’re hungry everything tastes good?). Portion sizes were good enough to feed a party of 3. Service is friendly and fast. Will have to come back for another visit to check out the consistency.

Food — I’ve been to Singapore on business several times and Kopitiam’s food is authentic and tasty… Curry is always the test!
Service — very attentive and helpful…
Décor — good not great but that’s not why you’re eating here…
Misc — Discount provided for take-​out… I’ve eaten here for breakfast as well and was pleased with the offerings…
Favorite dishes — Curries, Mee Goreng, Roti Prata, Jade Forest

Many a Singaporean restaurant’s reputation rests upon its Hainan chicken rice, a deceptively simple dish which Kopitiam («kopi» = coffee; «tiam» = shop) handles well.
It’s easy to see where changes and compromises were made to suit American tastes. The rice is no longer unapologetically, artery-​cloggingly oily the way it should be — how I remember fat from chicken skin melting into the sticky rice, giving it that distinctive fragrance! (Rice is more important than chicken in Hainan chicken rice. I can eat three bowls of rice without the chicken.) Luckily, the ginger sauce is good. Here vinegar and red pepper are used instead of leeks, but they work. Overall, the dish meets the single most important rule of Hainan chicken rice: it makes you want more.
I must compliment Kopitiam’s admirable policy on refilling water only upon request. I’ve been to Metro where the water glass is immediately, attentively, and repeatedly refilled to the brim even when the customer has already ordered ice tea and has just taken one sip, by which time of course the tea gets refilled as well. Service is impeccable, but such a waste of water in the name of conspicuous consumption.

Loved this place! Delicious and the friendliest service! Basically, we had two iced teas with condensed milk, two small appetizers, two entrees to share together, and a desert to split — the final bill (+ tip) out the door: $ 40. Nice! This is a rare and unique bargain to be had in Lafayette.
We look forward to going back to try breakfast sometime, as well as lunch.

kopitiam’s décor or lack of it, upon first impression, looks like a breakfast joint trying to morph into an high end asian eatery. but it was stillborn by an unwillingness to use high quality ingredients.
sampling: chicken soup with thai thick noodles (7.95)
(menu description (my experience)
–chicken soup”)
flavorful,: flavor from dried shallots
clear chicken soup: couldn’t taste the chickenness
w/​shredded chicken,: preformed chicken, tasteless
ground pork: also preformed, tasteless
fish cake,: several slices, yes
fish ball. i saw at least one
and vegetables: there were some.
with thai thick rice noodle actually, they were chinese fresh
ho fun noodles (i.e. chow fun)
leftovers
–more asian fusion than singaporean?
–drinks served in coke mugs
–service friendly, looks family runned. (teenager waiting on tables)
–esoteric menu, broad listing of «tea» and «coffee», singaporean style
–open kitchen
-«organic chicken» sign in window.
–opens continuously, no midday break, (not a sign of an high end eatery).
–tasty food, inventive menu, overpriced.
–different kinds of noodles used in chicken noodle soup marketed as good for the soul, spirit, body, didn’t see any marketed as good for the pocketbook.

I had my first experience of Singaporean food here. I came with pretty high expectations but I’m going to have to say that the food wasn’t incredibly special.
I ordered their Coffee with Condensed Milk which tasted good– on the sweeter side of course, so those of you who drink black coffee only should not order this!
I had the Roti Prata as an appetizer, and it was really good. 5 stars for this alone. It was crispy, thin, and the curry sauce that came with it was flavorful– not too strong, but complimented the roti prata perfectly.
Due to the huge hype around the Organic Hainan Chicken rice, I didn’t think twice and ordered this entrée– only to be quite disappointed. I expected a lot more flavor from the rice and the chicken, but it was pretty bland. I had to use a lot of hot chili sauce to make up for the lack of flavor. I think they should have marinated the chicken; it would have given the entire dish more flavor.
Service was exceptional. Our server was very, very polite and he would always let us know what he would bring next. For example, while he brought us extra napkins, he would say «I will bring you water next.» When he brought us the water, he would say «I will take your order next.» Our server was very attentive to our needs and we had a pleasant overall experience at Kopitiam.

This is the best Singapore restaurant I’ve been to. Yes, I know that it’s the only Singapore restaurant I’ve been to, but if there are actually better places than this, I might just have to tap into this cuisine.
Where to begin? First of all, the owners are quite possibly some of the most overly friendly people on this planet. They will recognize your face after the first time you go here and will continue to greet you and lead you to the bathroom even when you know where it is. (Speaking of bathrooms, ever wondered what the laws are like in Singapore? Go here.)
Secondly, they have some of the most unique dishes I’ve ever tasted. Silken Cloud? Jade Forest? These sound like levels for a Sonic the Hedgehog game, but they’re actually some really delicious entrees, even if they aren’t terribly filling. And if you’re still convinced that tofu is just a watered down version of meat that tastes like sponge, try it in this context.
Bottom line: this is a great hole in the wall. The food won’t blow you away, but you’ll be amazed at how such small portions can be so incredibly satisifying. Kopitiam really understands that less is more.

Wow, my sis and I went there yesterday and omg so yummy! At first glance Kopitiam doesn’t like like it’s going to be anything special, but boy was I wrong. The food was far from insipid in fact flavors burst in mouth with each bite mmm mmm mmm.
My recommendations are of course the tofu poppers, the roti prata was yummy and the sauce was sooo good, perfectly seasoned. The woman also gave us some of the peanut butter roti so we could try and WOW that was some good PB. Then for some green try the rainbow salad – very tasty. Of course, I had to get my curry fix so my sis and I shared the Sayur Lodeh with a side of brown rice. The curry was perfect! For dessert we had the mango mouse which was very lite and refreshing. We left with full bellies and smiles. WE WILL BE GOING BACK!

I popped in here on a whim and tried the chicken curry and brown rice. It was spicy goodness. The staff was super friendly.
FYI — they don’t serve any beef.

3^rd trip back to Kopitiam. This time there were 10 of us!
Three advanced orders:
BBQ Sambal Stingray
Black Pepper Crab
Hainanese Pork Chop
All EXCELLENT!
Everything else was good as usual, although the mee goreng tasted too tomatoey. Can’t wait to go back!

After trading PMs and compliments for months, in mid-​Feb, Toni M. and I compared calendars and picked the first Saturday in April to meet «outside Unilocal» for the first time. Appropriately, for a first meeting of Unilocal friends, we used Unilocal to find a restaurant between our two cities (and it was also nice bonus that both of us thus had the opportunity to Unilocal a new place — all you Unilocal-​addicts know of what I speak).
Kopitiam is right next to the Lafayette Trader Joe’s, in a plaza with other charming storefronts. I probably would not have noticed the storefront at all because it has a narrow storefront, though the restaurant itself seems fairly deep. Painted in a lively lime green (a color that I wouldn’t like in my house at all, but that works in this high ceilinged space), the gracious space had lovely tables set for two, three or four with ample spacing between the tables. As I arrived, I was warmly greeted and invited to pick my table. Sipping my green tea, I took a look around the restaurant. There’s a collection of books in the front corner, and what looks like an antique mancala set beautifully carved in wood.
I’m glad that Toni was willing to share three dishes from the varied menu; I love sampling as many dishes as possible, especially at new restaurants. We had the chicken rice (it tasted like Hainanese chicken that I’ve had at Chinese restaurants; we picked this dish because of the high recommendations by other reviewers), roti served with a curry sauce, and a rainbow salad (perhaps the most unique dish — peanuts, bean thread, ginger, and a number of other ingredients). Both Toni and I enjoyed the food and are planning to bring our families back to introduce them to this delightful restaurant.
Before we knew it, we had been talking for hours; the staff was very gracious about this — even joking with us that they were open until 8 pm! Kopitiam means coffee shop, and they encourage hanging out. Toni and I both had plans after this lunch (she with her granddaughter, and I with my brother and sister and their families), but I wonder has anyone chatted with friends from lunch until dinner in a café or restaurant — and then ordered a whole new round of food at the same place? That would be fun one of these days!
Saturday was a day of firsts:
— first time to eat in Lafayette (both driving there and back, I was struck by how very charming Lafayette is – many shops that tempted me to stop and browse)
— first time to eat at Kopitiam
— first time to meet a Unilocal friend in person
— first time to meet the lovely Toni M. in person
What a lovely day!
** edit: i forgot to mention that they have a Unilocal sticker on their window! nice touch!

Today Patty W. and I met for lunch. We’d been planning this for a while and after a failed attempt to have lunch at Zabu Zabu (at the last moment I thought to check whether they served lunch on Saturday and discovered they didn’t) we decided to meet in Lafayette, which is midway between us. In researching restaurant possibilities there I came across Kopitiam. I’d never heard of it and that, in addition to its good reviews, intrigued me. So we agreed to meet here.
I was running a little late as it’s a gorgeous day and scores of bicyclists were out on Grizzly Peak, which means more cautious driving on my part. I found a parking space on the street, fed the meter and then walked down the block only to discover the restaurant is in the shopping center housing TJ’s. It’s right next door, even. I could have parked for free. Oh well. Next time I’ll know.
I walked in and Patty was waiting for me. She is just as charming in person as she is in her reviews. We looked over the menu and decided to share a Rainbow Salad, their special chicken rice dish and a roti appetizer. We each had a cup of tea. The Rainbow Salad was a fabulous combination of tastes and textures. The chicken rice was very tasty and came w/​condiments on the side: ginger, chili sauce and a small bowl of sweet, thick soy sauce. We opted to order it the traditional way w/​skin and bone, although I might try it skinless and boneless next time to compare. The roti reminded me of green onion pancakes in texture and came w/​a gravy that looked but didn’t taste like peanut butter. It was an interesting and varied lunch, an adventure into a new cuisine. I really enjoyed the food and the company. I have no doubt this is just the first of many meals at Kopitiam and the first delightful meal w/​Patty.

After Raffles in Fremont closed down 3 years ago… I haven’t been able to find a friendly, good authentic restaurant in the bay area. But all that change the minute I stepped into Kopitiam.
The service is 5 stars, very friendly folks that makes you feel at home.
I ordered the white carrot cake (Chai Tow Kuih) which was a little too spicy even after I asked for chili on the side. Also, the consistency was a little too mushy compared to the carrot cake in singapore. but still, it taste decent and I think I would totally order that again since there’s no restaurant out here that serves that and it happens to be my fave dish.
The otah otah is more of an acquired taste for those that never had it before… However, my gf and I loved it. definitely not microwaved like the other Singapore/​Malaysian restaurants.
And then the Organic bone in chicken rice… Oh… my… gaawd. one spoonful and I was in food heaven… just like the chicken rice in singapore… Highly recommended dish.
I wish this place was in the south bay… I would totally go there everyday (okay. fine. maybe every other day?).

I’ve always been a winner! Wait, let me explain. I’m the one who always wins raffles and contests and door prizes for some reason, I guess I’m just a lucky gal! So when I won the $ 25 Kopitiam gift certificate at Unilocal’s Easy 925 Elite event, I was like: «Oh snap! The luck strikes again!»
But it didn’t come so easily– I misplaced the gift certificate, but thanks to the lovely Ligaya, I was still able to get my grub on at this Singaporean sanctuary of yummyness!
My dining partner and I had a simple, yet delicious meal. Lumpia, Por Por fried rice and Chicken rice. We also had the yummy Teh Su Su (tea with sweetened condensed milk). For my first Singaporean meal, these choices were quite a hit. Especially the Chicken rice. When I make chicken and rice at home, it has to be all complicated, I like the simplicity of their recipe. It was absolutely delish!
The service was absolutely fantastic, everyone was very friendly and we felt very welcome.
I say if you’re ever in the area and want good, simple Singaporean food with great service, pay Kopitiam a visit.
Not to mention, if you’re ever having a bad day and need some peacefully soothing tunes, visit their Web site– the song on the homepage is extra jazzy!
Woot!

Great service. Great smiles. Great food and while you go to wash your hands in their washroom, it will be on your table in five minutes!
They also have a
Great interesting bathroom with random kitchen magnets stating different Singaporean fines and punishments for things us Americans get away with. Such as:
not flushing the toilet =$ 150 fine,
Vandalism = Jail and Caning
Well, I know it’s working because the bathroom is spotless and there are no surprises. Well, I am a woman, and half of my time is spent in the bathroom, so I do pay attention to the details. Ladies, raise your hands if you look hot getting out of bed every morning with your hair looking scraggly. :not so hot crickets:
I ordered Chicken and rice after much fanfare from my globetrotting momma about this simple dish she tried in Singapore from a lady she made friends with. Alas, she came home sad from Singapore deprived of chicken and rice.
Luckily for her and I, this place is not to far from the abode and if she is craving it, I could order it ahead and pick it up to go with 15% off my order!
So Yeah, I never had this dish before, but from first bite, it was somehow strangely familiar and more importantly delicious. It’s amazing how something so simple which consists of steamed jasmine rice, boiled chicken could actually be a feat unto itself. It really is an amazing dish and superbly authentic. I could feel the love the chef-​who is from Singapore by the way-​put into the dish.
I was sad a little that there weren’t more people in there. At first it was just me for awhile. I hope more people see the value of really good homecooked food prepared with love.
Even their spirit tea which is herbal is homemade and brewed right.
I bought a second order of chicken rice to take to work for lunch, because really, although Singapore is a world away, at least the food is a few steps to the refrigerator and your tongue becomes your passport to happiness with such a simple love-​filled dish. I will be back very soon. Tell all your friends and keep this gem open! Really, it’s for selfish reasons so I can keep coming back here…:)

«Tell all your friends!», is what the owner shouted as we left, and normally I’d be annoyed, but I so believe in this place so I’ll do one better and Unilocal about it. The gregarious owner and his fabulous Singaporean accent are definitely part of the charm of this restaurant, and of course the food is great too!
The marble topped tables and dark wood are reminiscent of the old school breakfast shops in Singapore and the menu is even similar, with kaya toast (coconut jam spread on toasted bread), runny half boiled eggs with soy sauce, and a cup of strong brewed coffee to go with. They have 2 set menus you can choose from, but everything is a la carte after 11:30AM.
Outside of breakfast, they also serve standards like chicken rice (delicious, and super authentic), mee goreng, noodle soups, roti prata, etc. They also have more hawker food items than I’ve seen at any other Singaporean/​Malaysian restaurant, including roti john, popiah (though I wish they had the regular version rather than deep fried), and «white» or «black» stir fried carrot cake.
Best of all is the full assortment of coffee and tea drinks, like kopi-​o, kopi-​c-​peng, teh-​o, etc. The menu will help translate the different variations of coffee or tea with evaporated milk, condensed milk, and/​or ice.
The shop has been open only a month and the chef is newly imported from Singapore where he used to run several hawker stalls across the city.
As of now they are open for breakfast and lunch, though dinner can be pre-​ordered for takeout. I am hoping that they expand their menu (Hokkien mee, please, and laksa!) in the future, once they get on their feet.