You’ll encounter all the usual suspects here – deep-fried chicken drenched in a tangy tomato gravy, roti bakar done just right, and bitter-sweet Hainanese coffee.

“If possible, pop by around 2.30pm. There’ll be less customers then,” advises Jenny Teoh, proprietor of Cathay Hailam Kopitiam, Klang’s go-to Hainanese haunt.

Unless you’re familiar with Klang, it’s easy to miss this kopitiam. Parking spaces are scarce too, so save yourself the hassle by parking at the narrow lane next to the shop.

With the exception of the automated temperature scanner at the entrance which sticks out like a sore thumb, everything else in the kopitiam feels like it’s caught in a time warp – from the marble tables and old paintings on the wall to the elderly customers merrily chatting while slurping Hailam noodles.

FMT recently met-up with Teoh, 37, at the kopitiam where she introduced her father, an elderly man enjoying his cuppa at a table nearby.

“My father and I have been running this kopitiam for the past six years. We are the fourth owners,” she chirps, adding that she’s a full-blooded Hainanese, born and bred in Klang.

While she’s unsure of the actual date the kopitiam opened for business, she does know it was some time in the 1950s.

“But the building was constructed in 1941. It was originally a hotel. My more elderly customers tell me there was a bar here and a very famous chicken rice shop.”

She points towards a hole in the wall, saying, “Apparently hotel guests would stick their head out of that hole to request for assistance.”

Teoh, who also runs a hardware shop, says that never in her wildest dreams thought she’d own a kopitiam but because her father loved spending his mornings here, she relented when he suggested taking over the business.

“That was in 2015 when we received news that the shop was about to close,” Teoh says, adding that had they not bought over the business, Klang would have lost a precious part of its heritage.

As the new owner, Teoh was adamant that everything stay as it was decades ago, from the décor of the kopitiam to the recipes on the menu and even the cook himself.

“The cook came to work at the kopitiam at the age of 16. He’s now 60.”

Even so, Teoh has switched things up a bit by adding new dishes to the menu. So today, there’s kung pao chicken, chicken lollipop, Hainanese tofu, and sweet and sour tofu for those who have grown weary of dining on the staples.

However, she ensures all the dishes are pork-free as it was years ago.

As with any Hainanese kopitiam worth its salt, the chicken chop is a must on the menu.

Get ready for some seriously lip-smacking deep-fried battered chicken, thigh piece of course, drenched in the signature tomato gravy with potato halves and peas on the side.

Teoh flashes a wide smile as she presents a large platter of neatly stacked golden-brown crispy tofu cubes generously garnished with thin strips of cucumber and carrot, drenched in a sweet sauce.

Do not let this humble-looking Hainanese Tofu dish fool you. One bite will send you to heaven and back and you’ll be forgiven for wanting to finish it all in one sitting, despite other tempting dishes to relish here.

The Mee Hailam here is second to none. The thick brown gravy coating the noodles is richly-flavoured with chunks of prawn, chicken and vegetables.

The portion is generous and two people with moderate appetites can easily share the dish yet feel surprisingly satisfied at the end of the meal.

If you’re the kind who can’t function without your morning breakfast, then the roti bakar with kaya and butter served with a piping hot cup of butter coffee will jolt you into a jolly mood right away.

Known as ‘bulletproof coffee’ to many, this early-morning kickstarter comes with a pat of butter melting in your cup of strong, black coffee.

For dessert fiends, a must-try is a sinful tall glass of coffee ice cream. Rich, sweet and cooling, this is everything you would want and need on a hot day.

As Teoh watches her elderly patrons engage in banter over a plate of Hainanese chicken chops, this mother of three says she isn’t sure her children will be up to the task of taking over the kopitiam when she’s ready to retire.

She does however hope they will so that generations to come can partake in a little of the old Malaya.

Cathay Hailam Kopitiam
No 23, Jalan Kem
42000 Port Klang
Selangor

Operating hours: 6.30am – 5pm (closed on Sunday)