The Joy Kopi 鼎悦茶室

Was scrolling around the phone when we got to know about the fairly new The Joy Kopi 鼎悦茶室 that is situated at the foot of Blk 152 Serangoon North Avenue 1; these folks are situated in the same neighbourhood as Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle, Indulge and Kreme. For those whom are somewhat familiar with the neighbourhood, these folks take over the former premises of the now-defunct XingYe Dessert 星爷甜品 there. Occupying the space that is half the size of the typical HDB shophouse unit, the space within The Joy Kopi is fairly tight. The folks at The Joy Kopi had done some renovations that attempt to maximise the space of the shop unit after taking over the unit from the former tenants; the interior of the establishment now feels as though it is decked for function than for form — the dine-in furnishings being pretty reminiscent to the dining furniture in which Ya Kun Kaya Toast uses for their locations. With that being said, the interior does see the large use of green especially for its counter which does help them distinguish themselves with their very own look nonetheless. Whilst the tables are configured in a way that best suit diners whom are visiting the establishment in groups of four (4) pax, seating space especially within the shop unit is fairly claustrophobic; one can also find a dine-in space that is located outside as well. Despite having opened for a while, the folks at The Joy Kopi are slowly pacing out their operations — a limited hot food menu such as the likes of Nasi Lemak and Curry Chicken are available, whilst also available would be the full range of Toasts and Yum-wich; the latter being fairly similar to the Toastwich that Ya Kun Kaya Toast carries. Beverages available at The Joy Kopi includes the usual Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh that one would typically expect such establishments to serve up; there is also Milo, Beancurd Barley, Lemon Tea, canned beverages and a series of Ice Lava beverages that they are offering as well.

It does seem that The Joy Kopi do fare pretty well when it comes to the Kaya Butter Toast that they serve up; offering their toasts dishes with a number of different spreads, The Joy Kopi also does serve up their toasts in variants such as Kaya Peanut, Butter Sugar and in the format of French Toasts as well. It can be observed from our order of the Kaya Butter Toast that the Kaya Butter Toast at The Joy Kopi uses commercially-made bread loaves rather than that of the brown sugar loaves that most commercialised establishments serving up local Hainanese-style breakfast toasts tend to use; the toast here also does come with a beautiful shade of brown from being toasted — all that whilst featuring Nonya-style Kaya that comes in a shade of green and slices of salted butter in between. Sinking our teeth into the Kaya Butter Toast, the toast is light and crisp as we expect it to be; quite an easy eat despite the seemingly more generous portion size of the Kaya Butter Toast here. Whilst the Nonya-style Kaya carried that familiar whiff of Pandan fragrance that one would usually associate with the coconut jam, the sweetness is well-balanced while the slabs of salted butter came chilled, carrying a good temperature contrast whilst also adding that flavour contrast that achieves the sweet-savoury combination of flavours that one would associate with Kaya Butter Toast.

We initially wanted to go for the Laksa but we were told that they have yet to launch the item — considering so, went with the Nasi Lemak after a bit deliberation between having the Nasi Lemak or the Curry Chicken. The folks at The Joy Kopi does not describe the elements that comes with their Nasi Lemak; that being said, it can be observed from our order of the Nasi Lemak that it comes with the usual suspects such as the likes of anchovies, peanuts, cucumbers, sunny side-up, coconut-infused rice and the fried chicken drumstick. We did feel that their Nasi Lemak wasn’t their strongest suit; whilst their rice was not too bad considering how it does carry a slight hint of coconut-y fragrance and was reasonably moist despite tasting more strongly of ginger, we did feel that the other elements fell a bit short. The fried chicken drumstick despite being crisp, does feel a little bit dry within; not quite as juicy and tender as what we would have expect it to be, though it does sort of work that it wasn’t particularly greasy as well. The anchovies also does come slightly more crunchy than they are crisp; it also does seem that they have been seasoned with a bit of sugar that brings a slight sweetness to the anchovies. The accompanying sambal comes in a shade that is slightly darker than what one would usually expect from establishments that make their very own Nasi Lemak sambal – something more similar to that of those that we typically find accompanied in commercially-made Singapore-style Nasi Lemak that is wrapped in banana leaves that comes with a slight sweetness from Kecap Manis.

While The Joy Kopi does served up a regular Iced Kopi on its menu, we found ourselves going for the Lava Iced Kopi instead — this would be the item to go for if one is to be looking for a cup of Nanyang-style Kopi that comes with a frothy aesthetic with a little bit of overflow as what one would expect when visiting a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment such as the likes of Nan Yang Dao 南洋岛, Oriental Kopi 华阳, Great Nanyang 大南洋 etc.; we did find that the Lava Iced Kopi does come suitably rich with a corresponding hint of sweetness that balances things pretty adequately. Quite a decent rendition of the Lava Iced Kopi that has become quite the trendy drink to have whenever visiting a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment. There is something about The Joy Kopi that seems to carry a bit of Ya Kun Kaya Toast’s shadow — be it in its dining environment or in its menu, there are definitely elements at The Joy Kopi that seems to be reminiscent of the iconic local brand, though The Joy Kopi does inherently also fuses them with the use of Nanyang Kopitiam-themed dining establishment elements that makes them a little more unique whilst trying to also keep things on trend to hopefully capture the attention of those whom are more keen on visiting such establishments. It does seem that The Joy Kopi does better in the execution of their toasts than their hot food; as evidenced by our experience with their Kaya Butter Toast and their Nasi Lemak. Considering so, we do think that The Joy Kopi is an establishment that would likely be a breakfast hangout for those staying around the neighbourhood before they make their trip to the supermarket for their groceries — and one that the same residents would be appreciative of having to their convenience.