Nearest MRT would be City Hall, and from there head on towards Raffles City. Go up to Level 2 and follow the signs to Swissôtel. You will notice Cafe Swiss first, and Kopi Tiam is just round the corner after that.
Kopi Tiam simply means coffee shop. Here it offers comfortable environment and convenience, where one could taste local fares of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian flavours, all under one roof.
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| entrance |
The ambiance was a bit of ecletic and some bits nostalgic.
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| local brand |
It has been ages since the last visit to this place but I do remember what I ate then. That was before the food blogs era. Hence, for
this tasting, I must taste its satay, once more. For old times sake.
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| menu |
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| table for large group |
For starters, we had the satay and rojak. The satay consist of a choice between chicken, beef or lamb. With a mixed plate, one gets to try all three meats all at once. Flavour was good, with the meats well marinated and most importantly, it was deliciously tender. Only lament? The meat skewers were skinny. Could have eaten two plates of these babies. Eh, we did...
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| beef, lamb and chicken satay @$16++ |
Now, the rojak. Menu states it as local Chinese salad. It has cucumber, beansprouts, turnip, water spinach, prawn paste, peanut and chili. I liked it. Well balanced and well mixed. The addition of those crispy fritters that remained crispy throughout, was a winner. This was good for sharing between 4-6 pax as appetiser.
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| Local Chinese Salad - Rojak @$16++ |
Craving for fried carrot cake and fried oyster omelette? No worries, Kopi Tiam has it. Good for sharing. If you asked, what's the difference between these and those found at the hawker centres? For one thing, the version at Kopi Tiam was less oily. The prawns used in the carrot cake was of a good size and one plate could have feed two as main course, or feed 4 as appetiser.
The oyster omelette had a good flavour going for it, loved the crispy starchy bits but I was let down by the tiniest of oysters. For this price, the expectation would be of plump juicy oysters.
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| (white) Fried Carrot Cake @$17++ |
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| Fried Oyster Omelette @$22++ |
Moving on to main courses. For noodles, one could opt for laksa or hokkien mee. Bearing the name of Signature "Kopi Tiam" Laksa, the expectation mounts. The colour was good, noodles cooked till just right and the spicy broth was rich but mild in the spice factor. The accompanying ingredients included the usual suspects of fish cake slices, tau pok (beancurd), prawns and shredded chicken. To amped up on the spice, one could request for the sambal. This versatile sambal could be enjoyed with the radish cake as well.
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| Signature "Kopi Tiam" Laksa @$20++ |
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| Braised Hokkien Mee “Singapore Style” @$18++ |
The Braised Hokkien Mee "Singapore Style" could have been great. The noodles were likeable. Its smooth texture that glides down the throat and served hot but not burning. The serving size for this plate was rather generous and it can feed two small eaters comfortably. If the broth was infused more with those yummy seafood umami'ness, it would have been better.
If you are dining in a group, then perhaps, you might want to try the Fish Head Curry and some other small dishes to share. The fish head curry is served with pappadum and steamed rice. Its curry spiciness was of a comfortable level and perhaps might come across as mild for locals. Huge fish head with enough meat to go around for a group of 6 pax. Quite shioks to douse the rice with the curry.
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| Fish Head Curry @$55++ |
For beef eaters, try there's two styles to choose from with its own distinctive flavours. Wok-Fried Beef with Shaoxing Wine and Soya Sauce or the Beef Rendang. The wok fried beef was of a smaller bite-sized and cubed. Surprisingly tender. Simple ingredients of New Zealand beef, rice wine and soy sauce. Yums. Give me this, a bowl of rice and I'm happy.
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| Wok-Fried Beef with Shaoxing Wine and Soya Sauce @$22++ |
For more robust flavours and beefy chunks of meat, try the beef rendang. Tasted of kaffir leaves, lemakness from coconut milk and macho beef with a bite. Wonder if they sell those yummy spicy rendang sauce in a jar.
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| Beef Rendang @$20++ |
To complete the experience, we went loco with the desserts as well. Memories of childhood surfaced with an order of hot bubur cha cha. Cubes of sweet potato, yam and tapioca jelly swimming in a bowl of milky white sweetened coconut milk. Ahhh....those were the days.
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| Bubur Cha Cha (hot) @$8++ |
For the modern Singaporean, orh nee (yam paste) seemed like a favourite. Many years ago, one of the ways to enjoy this dessert (short of making it yourself) was to wait for someone's wedding dinner and it might appear as the preferred dessert.
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| yam paste with gingko nuts (orh nee) |
How about something that is slightly modern? The Pisang Goreng, or also known as fried banana fritters. Using pisang emas, and deep fried till golden brown. Served with a drizzle of maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Simply lovely.
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| Pisang Goreng @$9++ |
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| hi there, sweetie~ |
Enjoyable local fares in a comfortable air-conditioned environment. If you are around that area and gotten tired from shopping, why not have a break at Kopi Tiam and try its yummy smooth (
and strong) teh-tarik and sweet pisang goreng as tea-break snacks?
Special thanks to Adora, Medwin and Wendy for hosting the session and HGW for the invite.
Kopi Tiam @ Swissôtel The Stamford
Address: Level 2, Swissôtel The Stamford, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882
Website:
http://www.swissotel.com/hotels/singapore-stamford/dining/kopi-tiam/
Contact:
+65 6431 6156
Reservations:
http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/kopi_tiam_swissotel/
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