Old Town White Coffee Gaya Branch
Old Town White Coffee is a kopi tiam-inspired coffee shop that gives a feel of, well, old town Malaysia because of the cozy laid back atmosphere and classic decors. ‘Kopi’ means coffee while ‘tiam’ means shop but the whole term summons tradition so the term won’t apply to coffee shops of today unless with a vintage theme. Aside from the amazing prices of goodies, these are what I figure draw both the young and old crowd alike. Old Town White Coffee is definitely a great place to unwind after a whole day of non-stop touring.
A cup of White Coffee
But the idea of white coffee sounds kind of intriguing, right? The first thing that would probably come to mind is the traditional coffee poured with cream or milk to give it a white appearance just like what they do to white chocolates. Close, but not exactly. Various coffee concoctions here are exotically palate-friendly because of the way the coffee beans are processed. Usually, coffee beans are roasted with butter giving the coffee its dark brown or black color. White coffee has no butter so it’s colored light mocha and that’s what they refer to as white coffee. This is what the shop uses to mix cappuccinos and creamed coffee specials. Sounds fairly quaint.
My father and son enjoying their coffee with traditional Malaysian Kaya Toast
Daughter is still young to drink coffee.
Non-coffee beverages and foods are also served in the shop, one of which is Laksa, a curry-based spicy noodle soup which you can add lots of different condiments to, thus, the name. If you happen to come by during lunch or dinner time, this is the perfect dish. Me and the gang loved to hang out here mostly at the end of the day to catch up. There are also available combos for breakfast to choose from in case you want to turn the morning breeze into the air of the olden days.
Old Town White Coffee is Kota Kinabalu’s own version of Starbucks. You don’t have to be a coffee- lover to appreciate the place although it helps. You haven’t been to Malaysia if you haven’t had a taste of white coffee.
MORE ON OUR KOTA KINABALU TRIP here.
