Singapore-born siblings introduce kopitiam culture to New York with Lion City Coffee.
As kids, both Chuin and Yeen Tham often found themselves yearning the experience of sipping and stirring a full-bodied cup of tea and coffee in open-air kopitiam. “We grew up eating home-cooked food, which incorporated elements of Singapore cuisine, including chicken rice, laksa, chai tow kueh,” shared Chuin. “Every few years, we would take a holiday, go back home to visit and basically enjoy what’s important in terms of eating and experiencing the culture.
“One of my favourite pastimes as a child was to go to a kafei dian ,” said Yeen. “My dad would take us to the kafei dian, at the bottom of our flat, and we’d just sit down to pick whatever food like, and have a taste of everything. And it was always a gratifying feeling of having very tasty food.” Unlike most western brews, the coffee is made from Robusta beans, which contain a high dosage of caffeine. The beans are roasted in a wok with butter, which caramelises and gives them an unique aroma. They are then strained through a sock and can be had black, with evaporated milk, or with sweet condensed milk.
One day, they want to introduce chwee kueh – a savoury, steamed rice cake served with preserved turnip – which was one of their father’s favourite foods. “He’d jump through hurdles to get that dish when he goes back to Singapore,” Yeen said. “I think we make it pretty good, but it’s not something people are very open to because they never had anything like it.”Although both siblings have day jobs – Chuin an accountant and Yeen a lawyer – they have big dreams for Lion City Coffee.
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