IPOH, Sept 25 — If there is one beverage to try in Ipoh, it’s the iconic white coffee.
Whether served cold or hot, this creamy coffee, enriched with condensed milk and topped with light froth, is the perfect beverage to kickstart your day alongside your favourite local breakfast.
For many, no day is complete without a sip of this beloved white coffee.
In fact, Ipoh’s white coffee is ranked 12th on TasteAtlas’ list of the top 61 coffees in the world, according to its latest update on September 15.
Many kopitiams, restaurants, and cafés serve white coffee in Ipoh, often using the same brand, but each one’s unique preparation makes the flavours distinct.
If you’re planning a trip to Ipoh, here are some of the best spots to visit for a memorable white coffee experience.
Kin Loong Chang Jiang White Coffee
This coffee shop may not need an introduction for many as it is safe to say that this white coffee chain has become one of the icons of the city recently.
You will find a variety of beverage options at the shop, but the white coffee, whether cold or hot, is the preferred beverage among the customers.
The thick, aromatic, sweet and slightly bitter aftertaste makes this white coffee a favourite among locals as well as visitors.
The white coffee goes well with their kaya butter toast, where kaya and butter cut in long strips are sandwiched between two slices of toast. Make sure dip the toast in the white coffee to get more flavours.
Chang Jiang has four branches in Ipoh namely the Home Style Cafe (CJ7), Kopitiam Style Cafe (CJ9), People’s Park (CJ12) and the Kin Loong Valley (CJ4).
These Muslim-friendly and halal certified coffee shop chain are quite spacious and has air conditioning, suitable for visits with family or friends.
Kedai Makanan Nam Heong
The Nam Heong kopitiam located along Jalan Bandar Timah in Ipoh Old Town here is also a famous white coffee shop among the locals as well as the tourists.
Their thick and foamy white coffee is a must try and has a balanced taste of bitterness and sweetness.
There are also options of hawker style food to try at the kopitiam such as fried kway teow, curry noodles, Hokkien prawn noodles, toast with soft boiled eggs and many more.
But the must-try food with the white coffee at this kopitiam is their freshly baked egg tarts.
The aroma of the egg tarts will immediately hit you when you enter this kopitiam. The light and flaky pastry that’s topped with the soft egg custard is a perfect snack for any time of the day.
This kopitiam is mostly crowded due to its limited dining area, but it’s worth a visit for the quality of the food and there are always options to take-away.
Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong
Another kopitiam that doesn’t need introduction among the locals here is the Sin Yoon Loong kopitiam, located right opposite Nam Heong at Jalan Bandar Timah.
Sipping the smooth, light and slightly bitter tasting white coffee from the traditional small-sized coffee cup in the rustic kopitiam atmosphere will surely bring back nostalgic memories.
The white coffee, whether cold or hot, goes well with their caramel custard.
The custard has velvety texture with a layer of brown caramel sauce and sweetness of the sauce was not too overwhelming.
Another popular dish among the locals at the kopitiam is the wan tan mee served with barbecue style sweet roasted pork.
The Sin Yoon Loong kopitiam, which is among the pioneers of Ipoh white coffee, is a great spot for breakfast, but note that the shop is usually crowded due to the authenticity and the quality of the coffee and food there.
Classic Mealody Kopitiam Restaurant
The white coffee at this kopitiam-styled restaurant located at the Falim Business Centre here is served in a unique way — with ice cream.
Yes, you heard it right, the white coffee at this shop comes with two scoops of creamy vanilla ice cream. Their white coffee is thick, sweet and creamy.
This coffee here is a great treat on a sunny day when you need your coffee fix.
Make sure to try their French toast and golden mantou buns as well. The French toast here comes in small cubes, doused in their egg mixture and toasted, then finished off with a coating of Milo powder.
While the golden mantou buns deep fried to perfection with crispy on outside and fluffy inside and served with condensed milk and special curry dipping.
Golden Alley Kopi
The kopitiam located at the Aeon Big in Falim is another shop that serves the white coffee in a unique way.
The must-try white coffee at this kopitiam is their white rose coffee. The iced white coffee served in a small glass jug topped with a frozen rose shaped coffee extract.
As the coffee extract melts, the white coffee will become richer in flavour, allowing customer to feel the rich, thick, sweet and creamy white coffee even if the coffee diluted by the melting ice cubes in the coffee.
Customer can also opt for their signature white coffee without the frozen coffee extract topping.
A must try dish at this kopitiam is their signature curry noodle. This rich curry broth noodles are garnished with tasty roasted pork, fresh cockles, slow cooked pork skin and boiled long beans.
Dong Tai Kopitiam Pasir Pinji
The Dong Tai Kopitiam located at the Jalan Foo Eng Lim in Taman Hoover is another option to enjoy Ipoh white coffee.
The iced white coffee here is bitter and light and served in aluminium cup, keeping the coffee icy cold for a longer time.
So, if you’re looking for a place to sit and talk with your friends while enjoying a cup of cold or hot coffee, then this air-conditioned kopitiam would be the right spot.
The kopitiam has several dishes from meals to snacks, but their pan-fried radish cake is something worth trying. The radish cake has crispy coating and was soft and flavourful inside.
A Jie Cafe
This coffee shop, which is located just opposite Dong Tai kopitiam, is another option for white coffee lovers to satisfy their coffee cravings.
Some of visitors even said that their white coffee is on par with the famous coffee shops such Chang Jiang and Nam Heong coffee.
Their white coffee is foamy, thick and aromatic and has a bittersweet taste. The taste remains similar whether you opt for the hot or cold version.
Just like other kopitiam and cafes, A Jie Cafe has typical Malaysian breakfast cuisine such as nasi lemak, classic Hor Fun noodles, prawn noodles soup, kaya butter toast, egg toast and many other dishes.
Yinzo Kopi
The iced white coffee is popular in this restaurant. It has thick frost on top and the white coffee is creamy, with a hint of bittersweetness.
Customers have a range of rice and noodle dishes to choose from, ranging from kaya butter toast, egg toast, polo bun and many more.
The air-conditioned restaurant is located at Persiaran Bijih Timah in Ipoh Old Town.
