The coffee shops will use traditional brown-topped loaves that boast of a fine crumb with a pillow soft texture. Some also opt for soft buns or even the healthier wholemeal version.  It includes Kaya Toast, Half Boiled Egg & Coffee.

These days, the messy charcoal fire used to toast bread has been replaced with modern appliances like the toaster oven. The toast will be spread with kaya with slivers of cold butter placed between the toast that will melt when you munch on it.

Accompanying that slightly dry kaya toast is your creamy soft-boiled eggs. The eggs are served in a makeshift hot water bath — stainless steel mug filled with hot water and covered with a plate. Some places prefer to use a more modern contraption that slowly drains the hot water which doubles up as the timer.

Add a dash of soy sauce plus a sprinkle of ground white pepper and you have your dip with a hint of savouriness that pairs so well with the sweet kaya toast.

Stepping into Chin Mee Chin Confectionary in the morning, you feel like you’ve taken a step back in time. Everything from the tables to the floor tiles, to the coffee and kaya toast they serve, appears that it hasn’t changed since they first opened in 1925.

Chin Mee Chin Confectionary

Address: 204 E Coast Rd, Singapore
Open hours: 8:30 am – 4 pm from Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Monday)
Prices: Set of kaya toast, drinks, and soft boiled eggs costs S$8.20
How to get there: Katong area, walk from Eunos MRT station