Submit Feedback
Member Login
Blogs Homepage
Featured Entries
Recent Entries
Recent Comments
Tags
My Starred Entries
Create A Blog
RSS FeedRestaurant Review- Kopitiam Restaurant, Lafayette |
Feb. 6, 2009
Categorized in: Restaurant Reviews
Equally, even if you noticed it, you could be forgiven for glancing at the menu and thinking “Oh yes, another Chinese restaurant of some kind” before moving on. And yet you would be so wrong!
Kopitiam is not a Chinese restaurant. Their web site says that that Kopitiam is a “traditional breakfast and coffee shop found in Singapore and Malaysia” yet this Kopitiam seems nothing like a coffee shop. Certainly it does open for breakfast and also for lunch and dinner and when Sylvia and I visited on a recent Friday evening it was apparent that Kopitiam has gained a dinner-time following from Lafayette residents. It was by no means full but it was certainly popular.
Although fairly small, this restaurant (and it really is a restaurant, not a coffee shop) is very tastefully decorated and well laid-out. The black and white checkerboard tile floor contrasts nicely with the wood paneled walls and the white marble topped tables are a nice additional touch and a central wooden half-wall provides some separation between the tables.
Not having a clue about Singaporean cuisine, much on the menu was unfamiliar to us although everything is very well described.
The service here is first-class. This is a friendly family-run restaurant where the owners appear to enjoy what they are doing. Everything tasted like it was cooked to order, yet our food arrived quickly and we were made to feel that we could stay as long as we wanted.
For a starter we shared a dish of Vegetarian Popiah, deep-fried vegetable spring rolls served with a special sauce. Now I have had a lot of spring rolls but these were possibly the lightest, freshest I have ever tasted. The portion size comprised five small spring rolls - which would have been more than enough for one person. The sauce reminded me of a Thai sweet and sour dipping sauce.
As regular readers know, we are both curry enthusiasts and Sylvia ordered the Nanyang Kari Kay for a main course. This is described on the menu as “Chef Thian’s creation of mouth-watering Nanyang Curry Chicken with the right hint of spiciness”. This superb preparation is very different from an Indian curry and is really closer to a Thai curry yet the flavors were quite different. Again the freshness of the ingredients were noteworthy and Syvia was impressed when asked if she would like Jasmine rice or brown rice as an accompaniment (she chose brown rice of course).
I had the Kopitiam Mee Goreng for my entrée. This is Chef Thian’s interpretation of a Chinese egg noodle based dish and uses a wide variety of ingredients including shrimps, beancurd, tomato, onion, garlic, a variety of vegetables and of course egg noodles, which were thicker than those found in Chinese restaurants. This was absolutely as good as I had hoped for and the shrimp were full of flavor and fresh taste.
Neither of us had a dessert and although there were some desserts, the choice was sparse. Not that we felt any desire for more. The portion sizes were fine and we were well satisfied.
I should point out that the menu has some very interesting sounded dishes that I would certainly like to try at a future visit. Their signature dish is Kopitiam Organic Chicken Rice which I am told is phenomenal. They also have a big selection of small plates (mostly seafood based) and a wide range of vegetarian dishes.
Note that Kopitiam does not have a beer or wine license so if you want alcohol with your meal, you should take your own. Of course Trader Joe’s is next door. We took our own bottle of Chardonnay with us and were a little surprised to find that they had no wine glasses. Still it tasted fine out of Coca Cola mugs. I noticed other diners with beer that I imagine came from next door.
A final point I should make is that this place is such a bargain. Admittedly we took our own wine but even so… The total bill, including tax and tip came to just over $30. Now that’s what I call value! For more information visit their web site at www.kopitiamrestaurant.com
Kopitiam Restaurant, 3647 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette
It would be easy to walk by this tiny restaurant without even noticing it was there, located as it is, in a space right next door to Trader Joe’s in Lafayette.
Word of the Day
Ask the Experts
Question of the Day
Member Login
Join RealTown
Request Password
RealTown RSS Feed