Morning Round Up

A taste of Singapore morning glory along the crowded Ayala Avenue.

Before going to work on a usual weekday, my friends and I stopped by Kopi Roti to have breakfast. The store opens as early as 7 a.m. and is a famous breakfast choice among the Makati working class. We entered the store just in time for the servers to arrange the tables and chairs and set the air-conditioner on. The lady cashier sweetly smiled at us and assisted us to the second floor where we could eat and chat privately.

Tracing its beginnings in Singapore, Kopi Tiams (coffee shops) sprouted to serve quick breakfast to workers during the morning rush. ‘Kopi’ in Malay means ‘coffee’ and ‘roti’ means ‘bread’. 

We ordered kopi buns, kaya toasts, soft boiled eggs and coffee at the counter and waited for our food upstairs. The service was pretty fast, maybe because we were the first customers that day.

Kopi bun (P40)- white bread bun with a hard layer of coffee flavored crust baked to perfection. The bread itself was good enough until I reached the butter filling and I totally fell in love with it. The core was heavenly soft and creamy. I devoured a whole and still wanted a piece or two to bring out. *gluttony alert*

Kaya toast (P45 for four pieces)- thin crispy toasts layered with cold butter and creamy kaya jam. ‘Kaya’ translated to Malay is ‘rich’. It is a coconut jam made from coconut milk, duck or chicken eggs which are flavored by pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar. Eversince I was a kid, I really loved coconut jam (even the local ones sold at the nearby bakery) so it was no surprise being hooked to the kaya jam. I didn’t know that butter would perfectly compliment the sweetness of the jam. 

Soft-boiled eggs (P35) - two soft-boiled eggs with special soya sauce and pepper. I didn’t like this one maybe because it was too raw (and quite unpalatable) for me. I had a stomach upset on my first try and didn’t dare a second one. My friends liked it though, and they had fun dipping their toasts on the runny yolk.

Kopi with “O” (P50)- coffee with no milk. Plain black. I liked the dark blend, all by itself. I was stunned on my first sip as I didn’t expect it to taste pleasantly bitter plus the aroma was really exquisite.

There are very affordable ‘set meals’ if you intend to order a combination of the kopi buns, kaya toasts, french toasts, soft-boiled eggs, coffee or tea. If dining in a group you can order different sets and then share. Try dipping the bread and toast in your coffee for a more enjoyable treat. That’s a total perk-me-up tip to shoot you back on track.

*** Kopi Roti

Ground Floor, The Columns, Ayala Avenue corner Gil Puyat, Makati City

(02) 409.92.50