When in Malaysia, you eat. When in Ipoh, you eat to excess. And when you’re digesting all that food but you still need to fit in those six meals a day, you take a breather with a cup of the city’s famous white coffee in the Old Town where it was first made.

Originally made with coffee beans roasted in palm oil margarine, it was served with condensed milk, resulting in its name, which refers to the colour rather than a particular type of bean. Nowadays, the coffee is made with coffee powder, though is still sweetened with condensed milk, and sold all over the country as an iconic drink. Ipoh remains famous as its location of origin, with coffee being roasted on the street now known as Jalan Bandar Timah. In the present time, the street is now lined with kopitiam (traditional coffee shops) galore, many opening from early in the morning to fuel locals with their first shot of sweet, rich caffeine.

Arguably, two of the most famous kopitiam on the street are Nam Heong and Sin Yoon Loong, which stand directly opposite each side of the road. We were determined to try both, though we found on arrival that unfortunately Nam Heong was closed for the duration of our whole visit to Ipoh!

Regardless, Sin Yoon Loong was open, so we gave that one a go. It’s your regular Malaysian-style coffee shop consisting of a counter for drinks and a few hawkers selling food. Expectedly crowded, we were lucky to find a table when we turned up. Immediately as we sat down, we were approached by a lady to take our order for drinks.

Though neither of us are coffee drinkers, we had to get the white coffee (RM2 / US$0.50). We also went for the teh tarik (sweet milk tea) (RM2). As it was breakfast, we also ordered roti bakar (RM1.8). Translated as grilled bread, it consists of margarine and kaya (coconut jam) sandwiched between two slices of toast, which in this case was cooked, appropriately, over a grill, albeit a small one on a counter.

We also ordered noodles (RM6 / US$1.5) from the hawker at the entrance of the coffee shop. This is a hawker that operates independently from the drink station, so you order at their stall and pointing out the table you’re seated.

The coffee was indulgent, to say the least. Served in nostalgic little cups and saucers, they’re not very large, but they really don’t need to be. The coffee is almost generic; though lacking any depth, it tastes exactly how coffee smells – roasty without bitterness, though with slightly sour notes. It was milky and sweet, but without any dilution due to the use of condensed milk and powdered coffee.

The teh tarik is distinguishable from the coffee by its creamy orange-brown colour. Similarly to the coffee, the tea was milky and rich, though the flavour of the tea was lighter than other teh tarik we’ve had.

The roti bakar was quite thin, and very light. Though nicely toasted with a crisp exterior, the quality of the bread seemed quite low, as it was powdery in texture. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the classic combination of creamy margarine with sweet, fragrant coconut jam.

We thoroughly enjoyed the springy egg noodles of the noodles, tossed in a lightly sweet, savoury soy sauce. The char siu (barbecue pork) was fatty, with the flavour of the seasoning coming through more than the smoky char. It wasn’t as sweet as we’d expected. The pickled jalapenos that accompanied were not spicy in the slightest – slightly sour, mildly sweet, it made for a good addition to cut through the otherwise rich dish.

Sin Yoon Loong was great for breakfast, but we would definitely recommend trying any of the coffee shops along the street! At the very least, sample the white coffee, and enjoy a classic Malaysian breakfast when you’re in Ipoh.

Sin Yoon Loong
15A, Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Negeri Perak, Malaysia
Mon-Sat 6am-5.30pm
Sun 6am-1pm