Ramly Kopitiam (Chop Tong Ah) in Batu Pahat 南利咖啡店 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ramly Kopitiam 南利咖啡店 at the junction of Jalan Engan and Ibrahim was our first stop for our Batu Pahat food trail.

好喜欢这家在峇株巴特的古老咖啡店. 这里的沙爹和爪哇麵都很好吃. 不过还没吃过他们的招牌 lontong 因为每次来到这里都卖完了. 这家有80多年历史的咖啡店的三代老板把咖啡店交给了跟他工作 30 多年的马来助手. 南利讲得一口流利的华语. 东亚茶室改名为南利咖啡店. 南利咖啡店一样是那么的受欢迎, 受到大家的支持. 如果有来到峇株巴特, 一定要来吃南利咖啡店的沙爹, 爪哇麵和龙东.



Ramly Kopitiam is right beside Batu Pahat's Pasar Pagi Jalan Ibrahim - the traditional wet market is also one of my favourite places in BP.


Right outside Ramly Kopitiam we were greeted by the colours and aroma of satay! 😋



We quickly settled down for kopi, satay and mee rebus in the busy coffee shop. The popular lontong was already sold out when we arrived here at 11:00am from Johor Bahru 😂



We had 2 rounds of this satay 😋 When we tried to order a third round, they were all sold out 😂



There's only ayam (chicken) and daging (beef) satay.

The grilled meat have a tender texture and slight spongy crisp to the bite. A lovely aroma is released with every bite into the juicy spice perfumed meat. The meat well marinated with cumin and lemongrass tastes sweet savoury, and a mild nutty spicy flavour is added when we dipped the satay in the peanut sauce.

Lovely additive satay!



Well, this mee rebus looks ordinary... indeed, the watery looking stock doesn't inspire at first sight..

But, the proof of the mee rebus is in the eating.

We promptly fell in love with it as each of us took a spoonful of the watery stock.

The stock has a sweetness from the potatoes layered with crustacean sweetness and accents from savoury chye poh (dried radish), aromatic spices and spicy chili.



Needless to say, we couldn't stop at one of this simple yet delicious mee rebus 😋



While we were eating, Encik Ramly came over with a box full of epok epok. When we wanted to buy the curried potato samosas, Encik Ramly declined our payment.



"It's free of charge, every Friday" friendly Encik Ramly said. It's Encik Ramly's gesture of gratitude for all the support he has received from the community and his former boss, the previous owner of Ramly Kopitiam.



You see... Ramly Kopitiam started life as Kedai Makan Tong Ah (Tong Ah Eating House 东亚茶室) founded in 1932. The well loved kopitiam survived floods and high water, thanks to the support of the Batu Pahat community. 

Located very near the Batu Pahat River, Chop Tong Ah was often flooded but loyal customers just continue eating with their feet in 6 inches of flood water 😄

Reference: Sinchew interview with Mr Tan.



Encik Ramly had been working with Tong Ah kopitiam's previous owner Mr Tan Yin Yoo for over 30 years. Mr Tan is also an avid and well known photographer in Batu Pahat. When Mr Tan retired in 2013, he handed over the kopitiam to his former assistant Encik Ramly.



Today, Encik Ramly runs the historic kopitiam with his daughter Anika and his assistants.



This was the old Chop Tong Ah signboard at the kopitiam in 2012.



Today, the Chop Tong Ah and Ramly Kopitiam signboards side by side - isn't that so beautiful 😊



4-Star (out of 5). Ramly Kopitiam is one of my favourite stops in Batu Pahat. The food is so delicious, but the appeal of this busy little shop goes far beyond that. It's the type of place where folks of all walks of life eat and drink together as one happy community. I always feel the warmth and welcoming friendliness of everyone I meet here. Will definitely be back 😘 (I still gotta try their lontong!!)



Restaurant name: Ramly Kopitiam 南利咖啡店
Address: Junction of Jalan Engan and Jalan Ibrahim, Batu Pahat, Johor
GPS: 1°50'57.4"N 102°55'31.6"E | 1.849267, 102.925445
Hours: 8:00am till 12:00 noon (mostly sold out by 11:00am)

Halal




Date visited: 20 May 2017