Monday, March 15, 2010

Hai Siang Kopitiam

For most people, being faced with the loss of their employment would be a terrifying prospect. But when a Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) was offered at his work place a few years ago, Adrian Chin took it calmly and then opted to resign.

Prior to this, he had actually never thought of giving up his job as a flight attendant with Malaysia Airlines.

He liked the job and had travelled to almost all the countries that MAS flies to in his nine years with Malaysia’s national carrier.

But when the VSS was offered, he saw it as an opportunity to start his own business. He had always been passionate about food, he says, so it was natural for him to venture into the food and beverage business.

“It happened almost impulsively,” he says. “When they told me about the scheme, I immediately decided to quit and open up a kopitiam. I did not even think of the risks and cost.”

Chin is now the proud owner of Hai Siang Kopitiam, which is located in Bandar Puteri Puchong, Selangor. Opened in 2006, he runs it with his wife Elly.

Despite their lack of business experience, they both managed to get their kopitiam off the ground mainly through sheer hard work plus a bit of luck.

First, they contacted their good friend David Choong, the grandson of the famous proprietor of Hai Peng Kopitiam in Kemaman, Terengganu.

“He helped us tie up some of the loose ends in our business,” says Chin, adding that he also found out that the success of a kopitiam lies in the coffee it uses.

With their consent, he is using Hai Peng’s black coffee as his staple. “I read an article that says coffee is the world’s most popular drink, followed closely by Coke. With that, I was certain that Hai Peng coffee would be able to attract customers around this area to my kopitiam,” he says.

He also found out that people in the Klang Valley prefer white coffee, which is readily available as instant mixes.

However, Chin went on a rather adventurous approach by offering the old-school black coffee mixed and brewed by hand. The result? A strong and aromatic brew that’s still black even with condensed milk!

He says he received mixed reviews at first, with some customers complaining that they were expecting white coffee.

But the hard-core coffee drinkers thanked him for introducing the black brew.

Once the choice of coffee was settled, he began to work on the menu, which comprises, among others, Sarawak Laksa, chicken rice and nasi lemak. The dishes are prepared fresh every day following recipes that he and Elly perfected.

Most of the dishes are below RM5 and are served in portions large enough to satisfy most eaters. In fact, some of the customers have complained that the dishes are too big, says Chin. “That is why all of my noodle dishes come either in regular or small sizes. I had a lot of people pointing out that the Sarawak Laksa was too big so my wife suggested we serve it in two different portions.”

Chin prepared four dishes – chicken rice, Sarawak Laksa, nasi lemak rendang and tuna sandwich – and three types of drinks – iced coffee, the famous Hai Peng coffee and three-layered-tea – for us to try. True to his word, the dishes were very filling.

Chin says he and Elly are aware that things may go wrong and have prepared for contingencies: “Did we mention that we also wait on tables, man the cash register, clean the place, make the drinks and cook too?”

This way, if any of my workers decide to leave, we can still manage with what we have, says Chin who has only a staff of five, three in the kitchen and two waiters.

“Being trained in the airline to be hospitable, approachable and helpful really paid off in the end for Adrian,” says Elly with a laugh.

This family-oriented cafe can accommodate up to 80 people comfortably and has an al fresco area for smokers.

Hai Siang Kopitiam is open from 8am till midnight Mondays to Saturdays and from 8am to 6pm on Sundays and public holidays.

Source: The Star

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