Ji Sheng Kopitiam in Taman Universiti

While food finding in Taman Universiti, I noticed that Ji Sheng coffee shop was the most crowded – actually every table was filled. Even at 10:00am, I had to share a table with another customer.

As always, I observed what the other customers were eating and realised Ji Sheng has an extensive menu of many items. I also noticed that their coffee, toasted buns, mee siam, and nasi lemak were very popular as most tables had these items.

I ordered mee siam and nasi lemak, but was told they were sold out L  I asked the lady boss and the customer whom I was sharing table with for recommendations, and they suggested fried mee hoon which the shop will fry on order i.e. always available J  So I settled for coffee and fried bee hoon.

Wow, the coffee (kopi kau) was a blast! The coffee was full bodied and flavoured. The fragrant aroma was dense and the brew tasted bitter and sweet. Excellent.

Every cup of coffee is personally brewed by the boss MR Ngwan and he told me that it is an art that follows a precise process that demands precision timing – otherwise the coffee will taste different.  Knowing the precise timing takes years of experience and thousands of cups of coffee to master.

The boss further explained that consistency is crucial – his regular customers will instantly detect any differences with their taste buds. That is why his shop has been getting his supply of coffee beans from the same reliable supplier Chop Chai Huat coffee factory for the past nearly 20 years.

I also enjoyed my tasty fried bee hoon made from simple and fresh ingredients such as shrimps, sotong, eggs and taugeh (bean sprouts). Subtly salty and sweet. The bee hoon and taugeh were tender yet crunchy. It had just the right moistness – not too much water nor too oily. In fact, there was almost no trace of oil left over on the plate after I finished my bee hoon.

Definitely must come back for another cuppa, and try out the other popular items on their menu.

Restaurant name: Ji Sheng Kopitiam

Address: 55, Jalan Kebudayaan 16, Taman Universiti, Johor Bahru

Map: http://g.co/maps/wnk8v
GPS: 1.539676,103.630697

Hours: 6:30am to 5:00pm

Non Halal

Date: 20 Mar 2012