Someting simple for all: Wong holding a serving of toast and buns and a cup of coffee in front of his kopitiam. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
KLUANG: A quaint kopitiam, hidden in a pineapple estate in the quiet town of Simpang Renggam here, has captivated people with its old-world charm and greenery.
The second-generation owner of the coffee shop, Wong Swee Wan, said the shop has been around for more than five decades but started gaining more attention in the past 10 years, thanks to word of mouth.
“We moved from Pontian in the early 1960s when my father got a job with the estate owner. Initially, he was employed to serve coffee to the plantation workers here.
“However, a couple of years into the job, the estate owner offered my father the opportunity to rent the shop instead so that he could run the kopitiam on his own. He accepted the offer and started running the business independently from then on,” he said in an interview.
Wong, 65, said his father, Wong Lok Kee, died in 1996 at the age of 80 after spending almost half his life running the family business.
“I decided to continue running the coffee shop with my wife after my father’s passing,” he said.
He knew the ropes as he had helped his father at the shop since he was eight years old.
According to Wong, the coffee shop was initially only known to locals but later gained popularity among visitors drawn in by its nostalgic ambiance.
“Around 2013, I began seeing more and more new faces coming here, including people from Singapore, Japan, China, Switzerland and Germany,” he said.
The father of four said the kopitiam is usually busy on weekends, with many customers coming from Singapore.
“We sell typical, simple kopitiam food such as toast and buns, coffee and tea. At times, we also have mee siam and economy rice.
“But I believe what makes this kopitiam special is its location and the calm atmosphere it offers.
“Since the kopitiam is located in a somewhat remote area, it gives customers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
“The very fact that it stands on a plantation estate is also what makes it unique,” he said.
However, his children are unlikely to inherit the kopitiam from him.
“All my children have grown up with their own careers. My three sons are engineers, while my daughter is a doctor. It is very unlikely that they will leave their jobs to run the business here.
“For now, I will just focus on keeping the kopitiam running for as long as I can,” he said.
The coffee shop is open from 7.30am to 6pm daily, except on Mondays and Tuesdays.
