Ah Nam Kopi: Under $10 nostalgic Nanyang eatery with yam butter toast & blue pea nasi lemak

The first time I heard about Ah Nam Kopi in City Hall was a couple of months back. Described as an eatery serving nostalgic and authentic yet innovative Nanyang dishes hidden in Singapore Management University, it promised a cosy environment with comforting food under S$10. 

It was easy for my bestie and I – both non-SMU students – to find a seat as their break hadn’t started yet. Entering SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business made me feel slightly awkward, but I soon relaxed as there weren’t many students present at 9.30am anyway.

Ah Nam Kopi has a very retro aesthetic. Old-school photographs covered the wallpaper, and rainbow fairy lights were draped around the exterior seating area. Orders are to be placed via QR code, and customers are alerted of their order collection through a buzzer.

What I tried at Ah Nam Kopi

My top pick at Ah Nam Kopi would be the Yam Butter Toast (S$3.50 a la carte), which I got in a Set (S$6.60) with Soft Boiled Eggs (S$2.20 a la carte) and a drink.

Kopitiam toast, my beloved! This time, orh nee paste instead of kaya spread accompanied the slabs of cold butter sandwiched between the thin bread slices.

We were off to a good start because the combination of crispy bread, yam and creamy butter tasted heavenly and not-so-sweet. I could also detect some coconut milk in the paste that provided an additional fragrance alongside the slight earthiness.

You know the drill – toast into soft-boiled eggs! This was also the day I found out my friend doesn’t dip her toast into her eggs. Is this not a shared experience?

Rich and savoury, the velvety golden, flowy yolk was a great dip. Classic kaya toast would still be the best pairing for this, as the orh nee butter toast tasted the most unique on its own. 

Nasi lemak showdown: Faith Nasi Lemak vs Tian Tian Nasi Lemak

Another one of Ah Nam Kopi’s specialities is the Fried Chicken Nasi Lemak (S$6.90), made with blue pea coconut milk rice.

The rice with the colour palette of an antique china plate looked fancy enough to lift my weekday blues. It was so pretty that it was disappointing to discover it wasn’t as coconutty as I has expected. My friend also said it was too mushy for her, though I found it okay.

On the contrary, the fried chicken wowed me. Perfectly marinated and tender with a deep brown exterior, it was extremely aromatic. Turmeric was the most obvious spice, alongside notes of citrusy and nutty cumin. The meat wasn’t very fatty, meaning I didn’t need to waste time scraping any unpleasant bits off before diving in.

Crispy edges and a semi-liquid yolk are characteristics of a good sunny-side-up fried egg. This one helped to add some richness to the rice and wasn’t too oily.

I haven’t been finding ikan bilis that’s crispy enough in recent weeks, but this one finally met my expectations. The anchovies and peanuts had the perfect crunch to pair with the fluffy rice and they weren’t too salty. 

Though decently spicy, Ah Nam Kopi’s sambal was too sweet for our liking. It had a very bold lingering spicy aftertaste, which while impressive wasn’t my favorite as a non-spice lover. We both agreed that it could be improved with belacan for added umami, as we couldn’t taste any ‘shrimpiness’.

We selected Meow Mie Milk Tea (S$4.20 a la carte) as our Toast Set’s drink for an additional S$1. An adorable wushi kitten-shaped tea ice cube sat atop the froth and clung helplessly to the cup rim but soon tragically drowned in the depths of the teh ping.

Refreshingly milky, the huge glass was thirst-quenching and I could imagine downing it on a boiling afternoon. In hindsight, I should’ve ordered gao to savour a more robust black tea fragrance, but this was enjoyable.

Butter Kopi (S$2.40) isn’t anything new; it was invented in the 1930s but it’s safe to say that it’s not a first choice for most. Luckily, I consider myself daring enough to give this bizarre combination a try (or rather, a shot. Get it?) 

I’d already expected that the Butter Kopi C (S$2.60) would look nothing like the photo on the menu – the butter had melted from the heat and pooled on the surface of the kopi. The sight was somewhat unappetizing, but it didn’t faze me. 

I was a little let down by the lack of buttery taste other than the small hint I’d gotten from sipping the top layer. After mixing it, I picked up more essence of the concentrated evaporated milk than the melted butter. Overall, it was just an aromatic cup of coffee with a slightly oilier mouthfeel.

Final Thoughts

My friend commented that the meal was quite a good deal, and I couldn’t agree more. The bill totalled less than S$20, a pleasant surprise given that we’d stuffed ourselves silly with the Nanyang goodness. I envy SMU business students – imagine coming here for a hearty lunch after your morning lecture or breakfast to start the day! 

Ah Nam Kopi is an underrated gem, at least for those who don’t frequent the area or study at SMU. Their strong suit is combining tradition with contemporary elements, which was reflected in the dishes I tried during my visit. Needless to say, I was impressed. 

Expected damage: S$3.50 – S$11.10 per pax

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