Got to learn about the existence of Mum’s Kopi House when we were scrolling through social media some day — these folks have actually been operating within the grounds of Hillview Community Club for quite a while. For those whom are not familiar with the area, Hillview Community Club is located a short walk away from Hillview MRT Station along the Downtown Line — the building is located right across from hillV2. Mum’s Kopi House is a Muslim-run dining establishment that occupies a kiosk space that is hidden right behind the outlet of KOI there — despite occupying quite a small area within the community club, Mum’s Kopi House does have a small dine-in space that comprises of a handful of dining tables that can seat four (4) pax each, as well as a high table that can accommodate single diners or groups of up to five (5) pax as well. The kiosk is decked fitted out in a rather chock set-up that sees the use of green tiles, faux plants and wooden accents — the dining furniture comprising of wooden tables and dining chairs with faux rattan accents. The menu at Mum’s Kopi House is segmented into various sections that comprises of categories such as Nasi Lemak, Roti Prata, Thosai, and Goreng (Fried); there also a selection of Kuehs and cakes that are available on display at the counter as well. Beverages available at Mum’s Kopi House includes a range of local-style Kopi and Teh.

Mum’s Kopi House does offer on their menu several types of Nasi Lemak which includes the one that comes with chicken wings, as well as that of chicken thigh — that being said, the version that comes with chicken thigh is priced slightly higher than the rest. Mum’s Kopi House does not describe the elements that would accompany their dishes on their menu; that being said, it could be observed from our order of the Nasi Lemak Chicken Thigh that the dish does come with a Fried Chicken Thigh, Pandan-infused rice, anchovies, peanuts, julienned cucumbers and some leafy greens. Interestingly, Mum’s Kopi House does offer two variants of fried chicken thigh for their patrons to choose from; a spicy and a non-spicy variant — we went with the spicy one for our order. It is interesting to note that the folks at Mum’s Kopi House does place a lot of emphasis on their plating — the Pandan-infused rice that Mum’s Kopi House serves up come in a green hue that we aren’t too much of a fan of; that being said, it does come in a flower-shaped aesthetic that gives it a different vibe from the usual Nasi Lemak served elsewhere. The flavours of the rice laid towards the more gingery type, though can be described as decently moist still. The fried chicken thigh does come with a crisp, golden brown exterior; the spicy variant seemingly having pepper infused into its batter. Whilst so, some may feel that the chicken flesh could be done with a little more of the moisture being retained; there was also a little bit of difficulty trying to get all of the flesh come off the bone — not sure if this is also in part due to the choice of utensils provided by Mum’s Kopi House. Other elements like the sambal chili were pretty on-point; the sambal chili here is a sweet sambal that comes with a rather intense kick of spiciness that slowly creeps up as one side into it further. The julienned cucumbers were sliced thinly and is less intimidating to have when compared to the usual slices of cucumber that one would typically find at other establishments serving up Nasi Lemak. The Anchovies in the meanwhile remained crisp and provided a saltish note without feeling limp as though they had been left lit for too long.

We wanted to like the Roti Prata Sarang Burung that we had ordered but we found it difficult knowing that the egg yolks came fully cooked; one would usually expect that the egg yolks for Roti Canai / Roti Prata Sarang Burung to come with molten yolks that would burst eagerly as one likes it with a fork. Whilst the Roti Prata was surprisingly light and airy despite looking fairly dense and thick, we weren’t too much of a fan of the light-tasting fish curry. Still, due credit should be given where these folks did serve their Roti Prata Sarang Burung with the same sambal that came with their Nasi Lemak, and how the fish curry does come with some chunks of sardine which does seem to be rather generous. We initially wanted to go for their variety of Kueh-Kueh but eventually found ourselves settling for the Kek Lapis Red Velvet — whilst Red Velvet Cake is known for being an item that typically comes with cocoa and cream cheese, the Red Velvet seems to be referring to the colours in this rendition of the Kek Lapis instead. This variant seem to have come with layers of prune within; this adds a slight sweetness and fibrous bite amidst the hint of spices and the dense and firm cake layers that one can typically find in Kek Lapis — there is also bits of haw flakes that is seemingly speckled over the cake for a soft bite that provided a slight tang as well. Meanwhile, the Kopi C was something which we found to be difficult to finish; a rather weak and bland cup of local-style coffee that lacked depth in its body — something which we would gladly skip on. Whilst we did find the food at Mum’s Kopi House to be mostly on the average side, we did find that they did seem to place a lot of emphasis on the presentation of their food items when served to the diners; even the presentation of the various food items at the counter could be said as well taken care of, though we did wish that they could perhaps find a way to better manage it considering how their shopfront is located in an open area more prone to nature. Still, we do recognise that Mum’s Kopi House is rather popular with Muslim diners within the area; likely also due to the fact there is a lack of halal dining options of its type within the area in general. Considering so, Mum’s Kopi House is a welcome addition to the area, though not an establishment that one should expect a particularly gastronomical meal out of.