After a hearty pork organ soup and braised pork breakfast at Ah Khoon (which made us drowsy 😴), we suddenly craved for a good caffeine kick, the type which only traditional Hainanese kopi can give 😰
Frantic Google search and Facebook / Instagram scrolling didn't turn up anything that gave us much confidence.
So, I sent out a SOS.
A few answers came in quick succession from trusted sources 🙏🙇♂️
The name Pot Aik came up. That's a quintessentially Hainanese name - we all agreed to bet our sugar and caffeine quota there.
Pot Aik is not a crowded place but homely and well patronised by locals. The vibe is laid back, calm, without the humming buzz of social media favourites.
Ellone had a coffee black which she felt was "poak" or thin / watery. She runs a restaurant herself, so she is a bit more fussy 🤭
But, I was quite pleased with my kopi. The watery kopi body was thicken up by condensed milk (they don't have evaporated milk here). The kopi's bitter subtly acidic taste was rather nuanced with its own (unique) profile. I enjoyed Pot Aik's bitter acidic sweet kopi. (Reminds me of Kheng Guan Hiong at Pontian fish market but a bit lighter.)
The family running Pot Aik was a little reserved, but bags of beans made it clear that they mean business roast their own beans, hence the unique taste profile. To me, like that, win already lor.....
It's like durians - we are more excited by small plantation cultivars than generic mao shan wang from vast plantations 😅
We then decided that we could wager more calories for their kaya toast and soft boiled eggs. We are calorie misers.
Their kaya toast was a winner. Well browned, very light, fluffy, crisp, kaya was not sugary, and with just a touch of margarine for a bit of balancing savouriness.
The soft boiled eggs were nicely done, runny good but otherwise nothing memorable.
Bouyed by scoring the early goal at Pot Aik, we gained confidence to extend our foray - this time to the well known Han Kee (which really doesn't need any more introduction).
Actually, I like Han Kee too. It's another family run business. Everyone was friendly, earnest, and went about their tasks purposefully like a well oiled machine.
This is important as Han Kee is packed with customers.
I like the rustic utilitarian decor too. It's the same old school type of coffee shop with well worn mosaic floor, sturdy marble top tables, throw about stackable plastic chairs, surrounded by shelves of old school cakes in oversized glass cabinets with sliding windows (that makes that nostalgic creaky, squeaky ball bearing sound).
Air conditioning allowed us to hangout here without breaking a sweat. Very cosy and fun to be in. It has the busy buzz of popular cafes but feels very inclusive
They have kopi C kosong here and it was nicely bitter sweet too. My cup runneth over.
Their signature toasted kaya bun was good too with not overly sugary kaya and a bit of salty margarine.
So yeah, if you come into Batu Pahat and need a caffeine boost and carbing up, I can vouch for Pot Aik and Han Kee. I will be back as I like these two places.
Han Kee or Pot Aik? The choice is yours or be greedy like us 🤣
Restaurant name: Pok Aik Coffee Shop | 百益咖啡店 | Since 1969
Address: 8-2, Jalan Abu Bakar, Kampung Pegawai, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor
Tel: +6012 772 7158
Hours: 7am - 12 noon
Restaurant name: Han Kee Cake & Café
Address: 48, Jalan Jelawat, Taman Banang, 83000 Batu Pahat, Johor
Tel: +607 434 7562
Hours: 7:30am - 10pm
Written by Tony Boey on 2 Jan 2024
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Pls try the otah bun next time. Yum Yum!
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