Keong Saik Bakery Cafe - Sor Hei Bun & Kaya Toast in a modern kopi tiam

We stopped by at Keong Saik Bakery cafe for coffee after our wanton noodle and char siew rice lunch at Foong Kee Coffee Shop. It is a fusion between a traditional coffee shop and a modern cafe.

The interior of Keong Saik Bakery is a dark place. A respite from the bright outdoors. The small windows do not let in enough natural light to luminate the inner parts of the long shophouse space. It looks like a traditional coffee shop, with wooden furniture and soft yellow lights. Posters depicting life in old Chinatown at Keong Saik Road line one side of the wall. Another poster explains the origin of their signature dish – the Sor Hei bun which is shaped like a hair bun. According to the KSB website, “Sor Hei means “combing up” in Cantonese and represents the Majie swearing-in ceremony where they combed up their hair and took a vow of celibacy.”

Keong Saik Bakery Menu

A wide range of cakes and pastries are available at Keong Saik Bakery – from Blueberry Danish to Attap Chee Rose Cheesecake. In keeping with the East meets West theme of the bakery cafe, we opted for the signature Sor Hei ($4) and kaya toast to eat with our coffee ($1.70 for black; $3 for latte). Here is a copy of their coffeeshop menu.

The kaya toast was fine, as good as those from more famous coffeeshop chains. The coffee was made from local style coffee beans but brewed with an espresso machine. We thought it was a decent cup of coffee.

The sor hei bun looked beautiful. The streaky lines do resemble the texture of an upward combed hair bun. Taste-wise we did not think it was any different from a good plain pastry. We had tried only the plainer items that day at Keong Saik Bakery. We should try their more fancy items on our next visit. Nonetheless, it is a nice quiet oasis to have a cup of kopi o in Chinatown.