Before we visited Chin Mee Chin Confectionery, we checked out the things to do in Katong posts available on the web. Many recommended visiting this kopitiam for their traditional toasts. During our recent staycation at Village Hotel Katong, we decided to drop by for breakfast before checking-in and this is what we thought…
The first thing we noticed was the traditional setting of CMC Confectionery…
It seems as though time has stood still in this coffee shop. It continues to retain its old world charm and we think that the decorations has not changed much since inception. The clock is so old school!
As the number of seats in Chin Mee Chin Confectionery is limited, you may have to wait a while before being seated. We waited for about 5 minutes before someone else finished their breakfast. In this kopitiam, you’ll just wait for someone to finish and “take over” their table. Once seated, the table will be cleared and you will be asked for the drinks as well as the number of toasts and eggs that you would like. For the rest of the confectionery, you will have to go to the displays and get them like so…
We decided to go for kopi-see (coffee with evaporated milk) and kopi-peng (iced coffee) along with its famous toasted buns with kaya and butter. After ordering, we proceeded to take the custard puff and cream horn from the display…
There a few things that we enjoyed about the breakfast. True to being a confectionery, the famous toast lived up to its reputation. The home-made kaya was not too sweet and had the traditional eggy taste. The cool thing was that the toast was a bun and not the usual slices of bread. So it was lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Our other favourite was the cream horn! Really liked the texture of the cream (slight salty) which went well with the crispy outer layer.
The coffee by itself was nothing to rave about. Quite plain actually. But the confectionery which had their various tastes gave a pretty good balance to the coffee.
The Verdict
To be honest, what really attracted us was not the food or the coffee. So what’s the biggest draw?
Tradition and heritage.
Traditional tastes abound especially in the kaya toast. The kaya is unique in that it is more eggy and less sweet unlike the usual kaya you’ll taste these days. In terms of heritage, CMC Confectionery is really part of our Singapore identity, retaining how it operates and even how it looks – maintaining the traditional kopitiam feel.
Great place for parents to say “When I was young, this was the kind of coffee shop that papa went to, no Starbucks last time…”
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And the answer? Yes. We will be back not really because of the food but because of its simple old world charms.
