The test of authenticity in every cuisine is actually through their street food. Kopitiam is a traditional coffee shop or cafeteria in Southeast Asia. Koptiam is a no fancy eatery just like carenderia in the Philippines. However, one distinct difference in most of the Kopitiam I have visited is that each of the Kopitiam concessionaire offers different food unlike in a carenderia where most of the stall in a bay offers the same.
Freshly prepared every single serving! Unlike the carenderia's in my country where most of the food offered are pre-cooked in their kitchen, this Kopitiam freshly prepares all the food orders within 10 to 15 minutes. Special sauce and mixes of course were already being done in the house of the owner.
Here are the lists of what we had during that lunch:
Fried Rice. Since They know that we are really a rice eater, they took the initiative to order this though viands are not commonly taken in this type for food stall. Thier version of fried rice have a very umami flavor and the rice is porous, There is a distinct chorizo flavor on it.
Fried Egg. Hahaha the usual, since they don't normally take rice during lunch they have few viands offering. No adobo and pinakbet available.
Chocolate Milk. House or service water is not commonly served in all restaurants we've been. That's why we are always required to try drinks. This chocolate milk is simply Milo bran but its mixed with condensed milk making it tastier. My friend told me that its one of the drinks he grew up with, pretty much famous in every household huh.
Stir Fried Noodle. This one is like the Lomi guisado in Batangas but with lesser ingredients. Cooking process since it's cooked from Wok that brings out different kind of aroma and taste also the its home made sauce makes it extra special
This is a mix of kikiam, tofu and other dimsum poured with sweet and salty sauce and topped with sesame seeds. Sorry I forgo to take note of how they call it. :)
Prawn Noodle. My personal favorite :) Rich prawn soup and the "Al Dente" noodle is seriously delicious. It also have chunks of chicken and vegetables. The soup has a fine taste of prawn with the right saltiness, umami and a kick of spicy.
Peanut Pancakes. Best for breakfast but we had few for dessert. It's a peanut butter with lots of peanut chunks sandwiched in a pancake. Toasted outside but soft on the inside. Highly recommended to be paired with good coffee.
Discovering local food would actually help up to understand not only the taste preference of a certain culture but also how diverse the culture is. The way they prepare their food, what they normally order during mealtime and why do they love such taste.
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