Common Coffee Shop Cuisines in Malaysia

Char Keow Teow

Usually the different Chinese coffee shops in Malaysia serves many different cuisines. But there are some popular cuisines that is found in nearly every coffee shop. Cuisines like Char Keow Teow, Wuntun Noodle, Curry Laksa Noodle, Nasi Lemak, and Hainanese Chicken Rice just to name a few. When I was back in Malaysia for a few days during the later part of April this year, I dined in many of these coffee shops and these popular cuisines were still the same.

Wuntun Noodle with Char Siew

These popular cuisines although available in most coffee shops but the taste, flavour and authenticity may vary from one coffee shop to the other. Nowadays, most of these food carts in the coffee shops are managed by foreigners. The cooks are no longer locals but hired hands. And worst is when the owners of these food carts are foreigners too. The local cooks and food cart owners are in an extinct profession. Slowly we are seeing a lot more foreigners operating these food carts in the coffee shops.

Chee Cheong Fun

This trade is not only slowly losing its glamour and expertise but the taste, flavour, standard and authenticity of these cuisines have also been compromised. There are fewer and fewer really good traditional coffee shop cuisines that was as good, tasty and flavourful as what could be found in coffee shops in Malaysia several decades ago. I guess there are still some really authentic cuisines around but one really have to know where to dine.