Kopi Roti: For Devotees of Soft-Boiled Eggs & Coffee
Kopi Roti group photo — I prefer the eggs without the soy sauce
My Bin tells me that when he was growing up, his mom firmly believed that eggs would make him tall and strong. She’d run around the house after him with a spoon and soft boiled egg in hand screeching, “Eat this! Eat this!” It’s because of this trauma of sorts that’s responsible for my Bin’s aversion to eggs; that he married me, an avowed egg-lover, could be some kind of weird retribution. But he is tall and strong, although I don’t think eggs can be attributed to that.
I cook eggs at least twice a week, most often for breakfast. Whether poached, fried, or usually soft boiled, I want the whites cooked ‘til just set and the yolk very runny. It makes my Bin cringe to see me eating something that to him looks like white and yellow goo. I’ve actually been successful at getting him to eat soft-boiled eggs with me (sometimes), but he prefers them scrambled, really, as does Boo, so I’m alone on this one.
One place that we do all like to eat eggs at however, is at Kopi Roti. It’s similar to the kopi tiams, coffee shops scattered all over Singapore, where locals get their caffeine fix and talk shop. Because I grew up speaking Bahasa Indonesia, which is similar to Malay, the term “kopi roti” is very familiar to me: kopi is coffee, and roti is bread. And that’s exactly what you get at Kopi Roti. While not an extensive menu by any stretch of the imagination, what you’ll find here is representative of what’s served at Malay coffeeshops, quite different from the more recognizable Western counterparts. True to its name, there are breads, coffees, and teas, either separate or in sets.
roti french toast and eggs
There’s a roti French toast, which is French toast as we know it to be served with some butter and kaya jam, a truly wondrous coconut milk and egg-based substance that I could get high on. Kopi Roti also prides itself on its kopi bun, a large, airy roll with a smidgen of kaya jam in the center. If I was an ant, I’d be digging for days just to get to that pandan-flavored coco jam center, so sparse is it. But the bread is soft with a crumbly exterior and it satisfies when washed down with kopi.
kaya bun
Speaking of kopi, you simply shouldn’t eat at Kopi Roti and not have kopi. Brewed the traditional Singaporean way, ground coffee is passed through a sieve with boiling water onto a waiting layer of condensed milk, a play on color and texture. Other types of kopi are the Kopi C or Tea C, coffee or tea respectively, with evaporated milk. Kopi O or Tea O is black coffee or plain tea only. Here, tea is brewed the way it is in Singapore, filtered in a long cloth playfully known as sock or pantyhose tea. The milk tea here is what’s known as teh tarik, the process of transferring tea from one cup to another to create froth. All available drinks are also served iced, including iced tea and homemade barley.
What I always zero in on here is Set B: four pieces of roti kaya toast that comes with a pair of soft-boiled eggs and kopi. Thin slices of toasted brown bread are lightly smeared with kaya jam and butter. Eaten as is or dipped into the softly-boiled eggs, it’s a meal that comforts and soothes me. It’s what I had for breakfast two days in a row when I was at Ya Kun in Singapore, so there can be no other Malay morning meal for me than this. Of course there are differences in Kopi Roti and what I had in Singapore, but I won’t harp on them. When it comes to food, authenticity is something that tends to foster ever-higher standards of criticism and it makes people belittle the eating experience. There’s a time and place for comparisons, and a place where you can get a meal for less than P100 is not the place for it.
toasts at Kopi Roti
Some people might find the soft-boiled eggs a bit too uncooked at Kopi Roti, but I have no complaints. What I will complain about however is the fact that while Kopi Roti already has six branches in Manila, there is not a single one in Makati. But I willingly drive to Morato just to get my Kopi Roti fix. Even at 7:30 in the morning, there’s a whole parade of people dressed in everything from barongs to school uniforms, all bleary-eyed like me, all of us soft-boiled egg/kaya jam/kopi with condensed milk devotees. But open one in Makati already.
Kopi Roti
Tomas Morato, Q.C. 414-1754
Blue Ridge Ave., QC 439-1546
SM Mall of Asia (South Parking) 556-0213
NAIA Terminal 1 Arrival Area 879-5440
NAIA Departure Area Gate 5 &6 879-5436
NAIA Departure Area Gate 12 & 14 879-5438
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Just dropping by to say Hi! I read your article in Appetite magazine. : )
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if i’m not mistaken, kaya toast isn’t malay – it’s got hainanese roots
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I am likewise a lover of soft boiled eggs! This looks really good Lori…I have always wanted to try this place since my brother started raving about it…you’ve just given me another incentive!
(love the coffee with condensed milk too!)
On another front, I bought Appetite to read your column! How exciting! Kudos to you girl…you definitely deserve it. Looking forward to more
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I first tried Kopi Roti at the airport then at Tomas Morato and I too always go for the soft-boiled eggs!Sarap!
I grew up having it for breakfast at least thrice a week. hehehe. I always looked forward to weekends when I get to stay at my grandma’s place as she loves to feed me with soft-boiled eggs of a “Manok Tagalog”-the eggs with a light brown shell. I find it tastier than the other kind. It didn’t made me too tall though, how I wish I’m taller. hehehe
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How funny, I just had this Tues. night! Ever since I heard about the Kaya toast and Kopi Bun from wysgal and tried this last year, I’ve been hooked. And now I find every excuse to drive over to MOA (which is currently the only Kopi Roti I know near my office) on our lunch break so I can get me some.
The other night, my excuse was I needed to buy an overdue baptism gift. I didn’t mind sitting alone inside the cafe with a magazine and my kaya toast, soft boiled eggs and their delicious coffee (which tastes so much like my favorite Vietnamese coffee).
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loved that soy sauce on soft eggs, buttered toast and kopi o’s when i lived in singapore. still don’t like kaya though.
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The first time I tried Kopi Roti, it was at their branch at the NAIA, while I was waiting for my dad to arrive. I only ordered the kaya toast, which was very satisfying.
The next chance I got was at the branch at Blue Ridge, which is a boomerang’s throw away from the high school (I have to go all the way to Santolan to take a U-Turn to get to Kopi Roti). This time, I ordered the eggs along with the toast. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as the first time I tried it; I found the toast too dry.
Maybe third time will be the charm.
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i have childhood memories every time i’m eating those soft boiled eggs. except of course, i like salt in mine before. kopi roti’s version is with soy sauce and some black pepper.
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Hi, Lori. I’ve never been to Kopi Roti (and this despite the fact that Morato’s just a stone’s throw away from my office), but now I know I have to go there! I haven’t had kaya toast, teh tarik, and soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce in ages!
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Went on a sort of “field trip” with my family to MOA recently (that’s how far we think it is), and I persuaded them to have merienda at Kopi Roti. Since it has STILL, after quite some time now, not opened in Makati (ATTN: Kopi Roti owners!!!), I have to take advantage of the few times I’m in the vicinity of one of their branches.
I wish they’d put more than a scrape of kaya inside the kaya toast. And I never noticed the Kopi Bun had kaya inside! I do love this bun, but I thought there was nothing more than butter in it.
Lori, you’ll be so proud…Like Bin, I NEVER liked my yolks the least bit wet; they had to be cooked till dry and a pale yellow. But after reading you go on and on about runny eggs, and finding myself salivating at the sight of your beautiful egg pictures, I decided to try the soft-boiled eggs at Kopi Roti. And…I enjoyed them! Yay, a new convert! Now it’s Bin’s turn.
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hi Lori! i’ve bought kopi roti’s buns several times before (i LOVE it) but it only had butter…i’m surprised to find out that it now has kaya inside. sadly kaya has yet to grow on me >_<
expect more visitors here 
off-topic: my essay will be critiqued in class next week, and so far 2 of my classmates gave positive comments
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Lori that kopi roti bun is so good. i have tasted t only once. a friend gave me a cold, stale bun but it was still good. i have been meaning to go to a kopi roti outlet to buy myself a fresh one right out of th eoven. I imagine that would be out of this world. =)
Chris
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kopi roti’s finally made it here in your blog, i’ve been wondering quite some time now why there’s no review yet hehe.. i love there iced kopi and soft boiled eggs with french toast. i first tried kopi roti back when they were still operating for a few weeks in T. Morato. Starbucks was closed already so my girlfriend and i tried kopi roti instead. what do you know we loved it!
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My hubby and I love Kopi Roti! They also have a branch along Katipunan – the one we frequent.
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Yum!
I was fortunate enough to be able to taste the kopi bun in Malaysia which they call Roti Boy (supposedly named after the bakery chain that started it all). Kopi Rot’s kopi bun’s are good but I have to say that the Roti Boys are so much better because one thing – they really slather on the butter!! In any case, I’m glad Kopi Roti makes this snack available here!
(On different note, I was surfing around for the calorie content of kopi buns around two months ago and read somewhere that eating one of them supplies you a whopping 500 calories! Well worth it, if you ask me)
If the owners of Kopi Roti are reading this though, please do something about your service in MOA! Service is always terrible – the buns are almost always cold, they never greet customers as they come in and generally it feels like the staff can’t be bothered with you.
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Nice blog! Very informative. i also love soft boiled eggs (at home we use the term “malasado”)
i’ll try kopi roti one of these days.
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Hi Lori, thanks so much for this post, really appreciate it. If you happen to drop by again, please introduce yourself. My mom and brothers are usually there.
To everyone, thank you for the comments and will definitely do something about them. Hope that next time you go to our shops, you’ll have better experience.
Oh, Kopi Bun doesn’t have Kaya Jam inside, only sweet buttery filling.
We’re super looking into opening a branch in Makati, just having a slight difficulty in finding a good spot, any suggestion?
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i love kopi roti … wish there was an ortigas branch
i would definetely go there almost everyday hehe. btw … my nephews love the kpi buns! they could eat 2-3 a piece …
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Hi muttleyap, hopefully before the year ends, we’ll have a branch in Ortigas already. It will most likely be in Silver City…as long as franchising will push thru.
Glad to hear that your nephews love the Kopi Buns
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I am interested in opening a franchise of Kopi Roti. Do you own all the branches or are you franchising out branches?
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I am interested in opening a franchise of Kopi Roti. Do you own all the branches or are you franchising out?
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Hi all! On the way here to the office, I saw a Kopi Roti sign at The Columns Tower 1 (between New Bomb. ay restaurant and Mag.net). Finally, Kopi Roti is at Makati. There wasn’t any construction activity yet but the sign sure made my day being a Kopi Roti fan myself.
Yay!!!!
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Are these available anywhere in cebu?
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Hi. I’m bringing my bestfriend to the airport on Thurs. She is flying to New Zealand for good and we would like to hang out together for as long as we can. I will be able to go in the airport bec I was able to reserve for a pass inside but the only place I can be is the lobby. Question, is kopi roti near that area where we can stay and have a snack? Please email back.
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Am interested in a franchise or subfranchise. Who do I talk to?
Thank you.
Resi V. Maralit
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hi,
you may send your Letter of Intents to the email address.
thanks!
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KopiRoti in BF Homes, Sucat will open in July 2008! Watch out for our grand opening (and please visit our website)! http://kopirotisouth.blogspot.com/
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How can I franchise Kopi Roti. Been looking for a business for some time now. I already tried Kopi Roti and I really loved the taste. I am living in Taytay, Rizal. Hope you can help me. Please email me. Thank you and God bless!
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I am interested in franchise..How do I go about it?
Thanks…
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Seriously– the french toast with coco milk is to die for! I cant get over it. My husband and mom say it’s way too sweet but not for me! LOVE IT!
-Sylvia
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my mom has a coffe franchise near seattle and she earns a lot from it”~;
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