Kopi revisited

Managed to patronize Rui Xing kopi stall again (had to take leave off work!). See earlier post.
Their kopi is strong and hence can be super addictive. Still long queue.

Difference between coffee (like espresso, americano etc) and kopi (Nanyang or South-East Asian coffee) is in the roast. Understand that in Vietnam, they roast their coffee beans with corn. For Nanyang coffee, butter is usually added. I once had a service captain who adds a little butter to the regular coffee to make it "smoother" and tastier. Not quite the same IMHO... would have preferred to use Nanyang coffee beans directly. Anyway, this means that different varieties can be created if someone studies into different possible additives that can be used for roasting the beans. In that way, product differentiation can be achieved and price differentiation can be made (ie., possibility of higher profits). I would love to visit a coffee roasting facility one day...

Due to the usage of butter, one tends to feel more thirsty after a cup of kopi, especially if you have it with condensed milk. The liquid is also denser compared to western coffee. I like it when Black Canyon Coffee from Thailand served a small tiny glass of Chinese tea with the coffee. I was told back then that the tea will help to cleanse the palette from the bitter coffee aftertaste. But I think it will also help to neutralize the "oil" in our kopi. So, if I start to sell kopi, I'll serve a small glass of water with lemon juice. That would be great service and will set me apart from other coffee joints. You read it here first!!

Heart and Soul - the key ingredients

I always believe that if one puts his heart and soul into providing good food for people, he will be able to have a successful business. Just wanna give 2 examples:

a. Teochew Char Kway Teow @ Margaret Drive

The queue at this stall is never ending. The char kway teow by this one-man-operation is good. But I believe the reason for the success for this uncle is also his attitude that is definitely worth top marks. He frys every plate of char kway teow individually. Using only eggs and cockles (no fish cake, no chinese sausages), he whips out plate after plate of moist and delicious char kway teow with a smile that never leaves his face. Ever willing to accommodate special requests (although there's not much room for variety with limited ingredients...), he is never hot under the collar even working in front of the hot stove.

Word has it that there was once a loyal customer who has travelled far to eat his char kway teow. But alas, he has sold out all his noodles. Not willing to see his customer disappointed, he suggested to the customer to go to the fish ball noodle stall to buy a bowl of raw kway teow and mee. He then heats up his wok again and fried a plate of char kway teow just for his customer... absolutely FREE! He said that since the customer has already paid for the ingredients elsewhere, it is not fair to pay more for the same plate of char kway teow. Now that is SERVICE!


b. Rui Xing Coffee Stall @ Bedok Central (hawker centre next to market, NOT the bus terminal)


There are at least 5 coffee stalls at this hawker centre. Rui Xing is the only one with long queues. Not only that, they close shop as early as 11:30AM!!! Full effort is put in to every cup of coffee. He even makes sure that every cup is pre-heated with hot water before the coffee is poured into it. This will ensure that every cup of coffee is piping hot as it should. The coffee powder used is made from fragrant, charcoal grilled beans. But more importantly, he is generous in the usage of the powder, thus giving full flavoured coffee that packs punch!

Both stall owners knows that life is more than just work. The char kway teow seller sells only at night while the coffee seller only the day. They know when enough is enough. They would rather spend the rest of the time doing what they like to enjoy life instead of breaking their backs to earn more. For that I respect them. There's more wisdom here than what is taught in universities...