Cafe Review: Hidden Finds- Chin Mei Chin Confectionary

Before i get accused of being too atas, let me reiterate that my idea of good food is not expensive food but food that tastes good. I love my foie gras as well as my kway chup. I would choose the economic bee hoon from the coffee shop aka kopitiam near my place over brunch at Wild Honey. I'm the versatile and flexible diner who eats according to my cravings and my mood. I can feel at home in a hawker centre or a high end restaurant though i very much prefer a more relaxed and vibrant setting (many high end restaurants feel stuffy and uptight!) I'm always darn happy when i find cheap and good food. 

Chin Mei Chin is one of such places. It has remained true to its roots, serving kaya toast the old school style in an old school shophouse with mosaic tiles. Whenever i feel like having some traditional chinese breakfast, i would head there. 

Join in the queue (boy there could be one, especially on weekends) and wait for your turn to grab an empty table. There is no need to flip through the menu (there isn't one), just pick up what you like from the open shelves and bring it to your marble table tops and sit on the old wooden chairs and start eating. My favorite is the luncheon meat bun which is so fluffy on the inside. Pick through the bun to arrive at the little strip of treasure hidden within. The only downside is that it's a really small piece of meat. :( The cream horns aren't too bad themselves. You just need to look past the greasy texture of the cream. Again, it's the kinda stuff we used to eat as kids.   

There are other baked goods like cupcakes (a little dry), custard tarts, raisin buns etc. You can also purchase their bottled home made kaya. More on that in a bit.

I remember when i was a kid (hard to believe i'm no longer one), my mum would always pour our hot milo onto the saucer to cool it for us before we drink it. My sis and I would pretend to be little kittens trying to lick the drink off the plate. If i do that now people would probably think i'm nuts. These are the things you can get away with when you are young.

Order the other stuff with the aunties aka kopi-sohs. The tea here is quite gao3 (thick and strong). The kaya toast is actually mini buns that are sliced into half and toasted on a charcoal grill. Little airy buns, cripy on the outside, slapped with eggy coconutty kaya and topped with my favorite SCS butter (because it's so salty)! I think i eat the buns mainly for the butter heh! 

 Just look at that.. drools...

Kaya toast is never complete without the half boiled eggs. I like mine with lotsa dark soy sauce and pepper. This is better than poached eggs really. :))

If you are craving for some old school chinese breakfast, this is the place to go. Be prepared to queue! Oh and parking can be quite a bitch, turn left after the bakery into the residential area to find parking, you may have to walk a long way but it's definitely worth it.

Chin Mei Chin Confectionery

204 East Coast Road, Singapore

Tue- Sun: 8am - 430pm

Closed Mondays