Sip nostalgia at Great Nanyang, the latest olden day kopitiam concept of old Malaysia and Singapore, from founder of Yang Ming Seafood

Culture and heritage come alive at Great Nanyang with every serving of kopi, teh, and toast, the latest olden-day kopitiam concept from the founder of another heritage brand Yang Ming Seafood, Keith Kang. 

Address: 5 Craig Road, Singapore 089665

Operating Hours: 7.30am - 9pm daily (last orders: 8.30pm)

Start your day with sips of nostalgia and bites of hope just as our grandparents did in the golden age of old Malaysia and Singapore with coffee shop favorites of nasi lemak kukus, dry mee siam, egg fried rice, and more. Hand-made toasts pair perfectly with fresh kampung half-boiled eggs, each serving bringing to life the heydays when Malaysia and Singapore were still young nations looking forward to a bright future together before history rewrote the tale of the two nations. 

Great Nanyang presents a menu drawn from Keith’s fondest memories of growing up in Penang, Malaysia, and his adult career of growing coffee shops and eventually Yang Ming Seafood in Singapore. Bringing together his favorite flavors from the olden day kopitiams of both locales, both so similar yet distinct with their own personal touches, he hopes to share this cultural heritage fast disappearing in today’s modern world with the new generation in a time capsule of a Kopitiam that is Great Nanyang.

A food enthusiast, coffee shop concepts are nothing new to Keith, who has successfully founded and launched a string of kopitiam-style eateries. The biggest feather on his hat is Yang Ming Seafood, the renowned live seafood restaurant familiar to every Singaporean, serving up iconic dishes such Salt Baked Crab, Soy Bean & Egg Steamed Fish, Andrew Lobster Chee Cheong Fun, and Pig’s Stomach Chicken Soup. Deviating from the heavy zi char influences of Yang Ming, his new venture Great Nanyang focuses on the slower, quieter indulgences of morning pick-me-ups and afternoon tea delights. 

Great Nanyang’s Great Reminiscence of the Past

Take a step back in time with signature dishes like the Signature Hainanese Chicken Cutlet ($15.90). One of Keith’s favorite foods, Hainanese Chicken Chops became a mainstay in Singapore following the boom of Hainanese nannies to British children residing in the country. Keith tasted over 20 renditions of Hainanese Chicken Chops island-wide before coming up with the rendition perfect by his standards, made exclusive to Great Nanyang by a sauce he concocted from home using premium butter and a special addition of fragrant pandan leaves amidst other ingredients.

A shared quintessential breakfast of both Malaysia and Singapore, the Nasi Lemak Kukus ($8.90) serves up fragrant and fluffy steamed coconut rice made from long-grain basmati rice for more satiation and a side of hot sambal slow-cooked for full flavor. Choose from four add-ons – Chicken Berempah Leg, Curry Chicken, Sambal Petai Prawn, or Rendang Mutton – finished off with the full frills of cucumber slices and fried egg. 

Those who prefer noodles will relish in the Dry Mee Siam ($8.90) another breakfast icon of Malaysia and Singapore with mihun noodles cooked to a punchy fragrance with a secret sauce of 13 herbs and spices, including dried shrimp paste for a prized earthiness. Have it with the Chicken Berempah Leg, deboned for easy consumption and fried to a juicy crunch with 15 different spices, or opt for three other choices of Curry Chicken, Sambal Petai Prawn, and Rendang Mutton. 

Another must-try includes the Egg Fried Rice ($6.90) of simple yet satisfying rice fried to smoky golden grains, completed with add-ons of Chicken Berempah Leg, Curry Chicken, Sambal Petai Prawn, or Rendang Mutton. 

Try them alongside other zi char delights like Moonlight Hor Fun ($7.90) of stir-fried hor fun topped off with a runny yolk, Shredded Chicken Hor Fun ($8.90) an Ipoh icon of silky smooth hor fun dressed up with shredded lean chicken meat and Penang Assam Laksa ($8.90), slippery rice noodles served in a bowl of tart and a spicy broth flavored with fish, fermented prawn paste and lashings of cucumber and mint. 

More flavors of Penang can be indulged in with the Penang Prawn Noodles ($8.90), Nyonya Curry Laksa ($8.90), and Mee Goreng ($6.90). 

For the peckish, local snacks stand at ready for small nibbles, such as Curry Fishballs ($4.80), Prawn Paste Chicken Wing ($6.90 for 4pcs, $8.90 for 6pcs), Hainanese Prawn Fritters ($12.90) and Sambal Kangkong ($8.80).

Breakfast of Nostalgia

For breakfast or a sweet treat in between meals, Great Nanyang’s offers a selection of Hand Made Kaya Toast in a choice of traditional ($2.50), thick ($2.70), or wholemeal ($3.00). Made using bread that is freshly baked daily by an old-school supplier, it sandwiches between them a house-made kaya and premium butter for the full experience. They are best paired with Soft-Boiled Kampung Eggs ($2.50 for 2pcs) that are supplied fresh from a farm in Malaysia, promising lower cholesterol and higher nutritional values. 

Modern takes on savory toasts add toppings like Tuna Mayo, Chicken Floss, Egg Mayo, Egg Cheese, Cheesy Ham Egg, Garlic, and Luncheon Meat, while sweet renditions are accounted for like Butter Sugar and Peanut Butter. For the dainty, there are options of French Toast that are readily cut into cubes for ease of eating and are available in flavors of Peanut Butter ($4.50), Kaya Butter ($4.50), and Cheesy Ham ($5.00). Make it a set with Soft Boil Kampung Eggs and coffee or tea for an additional $3. 

Kopi and Teh options at Great Nanyang come in traditional recipes complete with prized frothy foam on top for a smooth finish whether hot or cold. A signature must-try includes the Coconut Coffee ($5.90), a blend of fine Nanyang coffee and sweet condensed coconut milk creating a light and enduring fragrant flavor enough to smitten with delicate flavors of creamy coconut. Something more refreshing is presented with the Golden Lime ($3.50) kumquat drink made zesty with limes and tangy with prunes. Both fruits are preserved in-house.

Step Into The Past 

Be transported right into the heydays of kopitiams in the 1950s-1980s with each visit to Great Nanyang, where furniture is sourced from antique shops and walls are adorned with vintage movie and advertisement posters – a collection of throwback relics to a time gone by. Old photographs bring the past to present, like the first edition photograph of ex-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s visit to Malaysia in 1963, as well as old tools of the trade that helped food traders flourish, including traditional molds of mooncakes and angkukueh. Corners are enlivened with vintage retro elements of old vinyl players and speakers to really set the mood. 

Fixtures continue on the reminiscence of the past with olden day window grilles, carefully restored and reinstalled, as well traditional wooden doors of Peranakan and traditional Southeast Asian influences, most of them salvaged from old heritage buildings and given a second life here at Great Nanyang. This preservation of heritage can be most appreciated in the main signboard, carved from wooden planks from old colonial houses. The theme of embracing the past spills over to even the smallest minutiae like the floor tiles of the bathrooms, statement mirrors on the walls and light switches for a true immersion into old-school kopitiam culture brought back to modern life.