October 2012
kopitiam or kopi tiam is a traditional coffee shop or "food court" found in Southeast Asia. The word kopi means "coffee" in Malay and tiam which means "shop" in Hokkien dialect. Kopitiams are widely found in Singapore and trust me when I say widely. They're like mushrooms. It's like a one-stop food shop for people who either don't have time to cook or are just plain lazy. Food found in kopitiams are virtually the same but some koptiams are locally renowned for better taste (some say) or for some other reasons. It is therefore common for locals to drive to the other end of Singapore just to order a plate of famous "chicken-rice" or say "rojak" (a traditional fruit and vege salad dish) or "char kway teow" (stir-fried ricecake strips) or whatever local dish they would want for the day. There's always a particular coffee shop who specialises in a particular dish, or so they say.
Stall crew preparing somesort of char siew pao.
Duck and Char Siew (bbq-ed pork)
Chinese Economy Rice Stall.
Somewhere in Chinatown, September 2012
