There has been a bit of a trend going around oat milk recently — whilst oat milk has been an alternative milk option that is available alongside Skinny Milk at cafes serving up specialty coffee, there has been an increased prominence of the said product in supermarkets and convenience stores that has given it an increased exposure to the general public. While establishments like Toast Box had recently collaborated with Oatside to release their Oat my Goodness limited time-only line of products (i.e. Oat Milk Kopi and Oat Milk Kopi Melaka), it does seem that there are also drinks stalls located within hawker centres that have started to serve up their Kopi using oat milk as well. One example would be 正明茶室 at Hong Lim Food Centre — the stall is situated at the ground floor of the food centre and located just right beside the notable Dong Fang Hong Sotong Ball Seafood Soup.

At $3, the Oat Kopi Beng is definitely pricier than most other regular Nanyang-style Iced Kopi out there, and this is well-expected — after all oat milk does come with a higher cost than the usual evaporated / condensed milk that comes with the usual Nanyang-style Iced Kopi. The version of the Oat Kopi Beng served at 正明茶室 comes unsweetened — also not unexpected considering how those whom tend to opt for oat milk in their cup of coffee at specialty coffee joints are also more health-conscious folks in general. That being said, the Oat Kopi Beng carries a flavour profile that is heavier on the oat milk itself; something that is almost akin to having an oat milk latte especially since the nutty flavours of the oat milk is the dominating flavour profile here as opposed to the coffee in traditional Nanyang-style Kopi. Still, 正明茶室‘s rendition of the Oat Kopi Beng is worth mentioning for how it is a modern take on local Nanyang-style coffee at a traditional beverages stall in the hawker centre; not to mention how their rendition is certainly value-for-money as compared to an oat milk latte at more artisanal cafes. If the Oat Kopi Peng isn’t up to one’s preferences, 正明茶室‘s traditional Nanyang-style Kopi offerings are really competent offerings that would most certainly work well with coffee-drinking locals — at least we had been visiting 正明茶室 quite regularly to conclude them as such!