Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam · Retro Hip in KL Chinatown 何九海南茶店

This was my first time back in KL, one of my favourite foodie cities, after more than 3 years(?) as the borders were closed for over 2 years due to Covid-19. I am looking for new places to eat as well as revisit my old favourites. When we asked locals where can we find a good Hainanese coffee, we were pointed to Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam 何九海南茶店. We like this place and think that if you are visiting KL, Ho Kow is one place you are need to check in at.

Restaurant name: Ho Kow Hainam Kopitiam 何九海南茶店

Address: 1, Jalan Balai Polis, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Pasar Seni station

Tel: 03 2856 8287

Hours: 7:30am - 3:00pm (Mon off)

Ho Kow Hainan Kopitiam is at 1, Jalan Balai Polis near Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown. Driving is a challenge for people from out of town due to heavy traffic and limited parking spaces available. However, there are ample private, open space parking nearby at around RM5 per hour. Alternatively, just take the MRT, alight at Pasar Seni station nearby and walk 5 - 10 minutes over.

Ho Kow was full house this Tuesday morning. We were given queue numbers and hung around waiting for our queue number to flash. We waited about 30 minutes for a table for two.

Meanwhile, I marvelled at how the KL skyline have changed since I was here some 3 years ago.

Ho Kow was founded in 1956 at Lorong Panggung and was known then as Soon Kee. Name was changed to Ho Kow when current owner took over the stall from his father. At its old dingy back alley location, Ho Kow was known to fans (mostly office workers and students) as "alley Starbucks". Three years ago, Ho Kow was evicted from its back lane location and moved into this swanky, nostalgia themed shop in 2019 (before Covid struck).

Covid measures like MySejahtera check-in were still in force today.

The ground level have a rustic old school kopitiam feel with huge dark hard wood counter, wood and marble furnishings, mosaic flooring, long wall mirror, ceiling fans, wood signboard with gold painted carved Chinese calligraphy, etc.

At the upper level, the decor was a little different, reminding me of old chapels (okay...., my imagination is a little rich wild).

Ho Kow have an extensive menu of coffee, tea, eggs, bread, noodles and dim sum. Two of us, we ordered coffee, the usual suspects of side dishes and a nasi lemak.

The staff recommended their signature Butter Peanut Bun. It was like min jiang kueh but made with toasted bun. Between the toasted bun were butter, crushed peanut and kaya. Yeah, tasted like min jiang kueh too but with fluffy sweet bun instead of pan fried crisp spongy pan cake.

The classic Butter Kaya Toast. Buttery with sweet kaya. I like this pretty standard rendition of the old Hainanese kopitiam staple.

Soft boiled eggs dressed with light soy sauce and white pepper powder (unlike in Singapore where we dress our eggs with thicker dark soy sauce). Personally, I prefer light soy sauce as I feel it looks and tastes better.

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I like Ho Kow's classic Traditional Nasi Lemak. Good quality rice made fragrant by cooking with coconut milk. Simple sides of fried peanut, ikan bilis (fried dried anchovies) and hard boiled egg. I like the savoury spicy sambal.

Both of us had kopi O to taste what Ho Kow's Nanyang coffee is like. It was full bodied, robust, quite bitter, a little acidic, and felt coarse on the tongue. I think I will enjoy this coffee more, if drank with milk to smoothen the rough feel and moderate the bitter taste.

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I am quite mind blown by the nostalgic decor, ambiance and vibes at Ho Kow - for these alone, I will come back to Ho Kow and recommend it to you. The staff were attentive, efficient and friendly. The food served quickly, tastes OK 👌, and prices very reasonable. From our brunch this morning, I like the soft boiled eggs and traditional nasi lemak here - simple and delicious.

Written by Tony Boey on 14 Apr 2022