KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Is it just me or are new eateries in Malaysia suddenly resplendent with colourful murals nowadays?
The illustrations pique interest, the vibrant hues arouse one’s appetite. That is my theory, anyway.
Certainly, that is what my friend and I feel when we stumble upon Bai Wei Kopitiam, a new shop in our neighbourhood of Taman Desa (well, newish to us, at any rate).
One could argue it’s simply truth in advertising — the murals detail a wide variety of dishes, from nasi lemak to curry chee cheong fun. The name of the kopitiam in Chinese, bǎi wèi means "a hundred flavours” in Mandarin.
So there’s a lot to live up to, clearly.
We begin with traditional kopitiam beverages — kopi and cham (mixed local coffee and tea), the iced versions given the sweltering evening weather. Our chilled glasses arrive topped with a decent head of tarik ("pulled”) foam and something unexpectedly adorable.
In lieu of the usual plain ice cubes, Bai Wei uses ice cubes in the shape of kawaii felines. One is black, likely kopi O, the other a creamy brown, like coffee sweetened with evaporated milk.
It’s still local coffee, of course, but who wouldn’t want some "kopi cat” ice cubes on top of their cuppas too?
Those who desire something more Thai (with a Taiwanese boba flourish) for their beverages, Bai Wei has two XL Thai milk teas with pearls, one the usual amber tea hue, the other more verdant (the Thai green tea).
For "starters” (a Western nomenclature that is less useful than the more descriptive "sides” or "snacks”, especially in a South-east Asian context, when the small dishes are all for sharing throughout the meal and not just at the start), we have a plate of moo ping or grilled pork skewers.
This is typical Thai street food fare for students and salarymen as they head to school and work in the morning, to be savoured with a ball of glutinous rice in their other hand. No glutinous rice here, which is fortunate, for we need space for the other starches to follow.
I go for the Thai style fried meehoon with ayam rempah, the "Thai style” probably referring to some light use of tom yum paste. The just fried chicken thigh is juicy and crispy enough though more of the rempah or spices would hit the spot better.
My friend orders and receives a generous bowl of curry noodles with Hainanese chicken. "Generous” because there is enough protein here to satisfy even a powerlifter; smaller appetites might struggle to finish the meat and various soy products.
Bai Wei Kopitiam’s extensive menu also includes local favourites with a twist such as charcoal Hainanese toast with butter and kaya, taro and pickled cabbage tomato meehoon soup, and crispy pork chop with salted egg cream sauce.
There are touches of Thai (tom yum Mama mee with river prawn), Taiwan (three cup chicken with Taiwan braised pork rice and marinated egg), Hong Kong (French toast with peanut) and even Macau (the signature Portuguese egg tart).
Anything and everything goes, apparently.
One expects them to continuously expand and update their menu as time goes by. Already I learned they have opened up a branch in my hometown of Melaka; as with most F&B businesses, it’s a rare entity that can thrive without growing. Volume and margins matter.
But for now, their offerings ought to satisfy even the most diverse of taste buds gathered around a table. Everyone should find something they’d wish to eat.
Which might be the true blessing of the profusion of kopitiam chains these days; if the menu at one doesn’t intrigue you or the line is longer than at the voting booth (something my gym buddy observed after voting recently then adjourning to a mall for half-boiled eggs and roti bakar; the latter took an hour!), then there is always another option.
Needless to say, we finish our meal with full bellies and long conversations that would need to continue another time. As we pay our bills and prepare to depart, it does feel as though we are stepping out of a busy soi in Yaowarat, the Bangkok Chinatown, or a rain-drenched alley near Hong Kong’s infamous Chungking Mansion.
Likely this is due to the neon lights in vivid fuchsia, illuminating the name of the shop in Chinese: Bǎi Wèi Bīng Tīng, or "A Hundred Flavours Ice Room”, the "ice room” another nod to the classic cha chaan teng of Hong Kong.
Yes, these neon lights act as accents to the kopitiam décor but they also set the mood: Expect a hundred flavours when you enter, and hopefully a hundred conversations too.
Bai Wei Kopitiam 百味冰厅
22, Jln 5/109F, Taman Danau Desa, KL
Open daily (except Mon closed) 10am-9:30pm
Tel: 012-6707494
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