Cafe Kopi brings international flavors, Singaporean cuisine to Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – This Friday, August 9, marks Singapore’s National Day, and to celebrate, Kailua business Cafe Kopi joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about their international cafe and authentic Singaporean dishes.

Co-owners Jeanne Ng and Ernest Shih, both originally from Singapore, bring a taste of their homeland to Hawaii with a special menu that includes laksa, kopi and kaya toast.

Laksa is a flavorful, spicy noodle soup with shrimp and tofu in a rich, creamy coconut base with a blend of herbs and spices, such as laksa leaf and belachan (fermented shrimp paste). It can be served with rice or wheat noodles.

This dish is a signature offering at Cafe Kopi, available only Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They also showcased their traditional kopi, a robust coffee brewed with Robusta beans roasted with butter that’s traditionally pulled by hand and served with condensed milk, offering a rich and unique caramelized flavor.

A classic Singaporean breakfast — kaya toast — is made of kaya, a sweet and creamy jam made with coconut, eggs and pandan (a fragrant herb abundant in Southeast Asia), with freshly baked bread and salted butter.

“We use [pandan] in place of vanilla essence for a lot of our cooking,” Ng said.

“Kaya” means rich in Malay, originates from Malacca in Malaysia and is eaten throughout Southeast Asia.

Ng says Cafe Kopi is not just a place for international food but also serves as a community hub, art gallery and event space, blending Parisian and Italian traditions with Singaporean and Asian influences.

Ng says Cafe Kopi is the only bakery on the Windward side serving freshly made croissants that come in a variety of sweet and savory flavors, from Spam musubi to ube. They also have a wide range of pastries and samosas.

Located at 45 Kihapai St. in Kailua, the cafe operates daily from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with dine-in and outdoor seating.

For details, visit cafekopihawaii.com, call (808) 262-9050 or email info@cafekopihawaii.com.

They’re also on Facebook Cafe Kopi Hawaii and Instagram @cafekopihawaii.

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