some time back, i sent out a tweet (twitter message) proclaiming old town white coffee to be the best 3-in-1 instant coffee ever. despite it being a rather brazen statement, given that i haven’t tasted most of the instant coffee out there, some of my followers agreed. even after a year, during which i did try several other brands of coffee, i still feel the same way.
my year-long love affair with old town white coffee is why when an outlet opened at playground @ big splash in east coast park, i immediately added it to my list of must-visit places. never mind the fact that i was already drinking the coffee both at home and at work everyday. i still felt an urgent need to check out the place!
old town white coffee originated from ipoh town in 1958. while they are the biggest kopitiam (coffee shop) chain in malaysia today with 82 outlets, this east coast park outlet marks only their first foray into singapore.
and i’m pretty sure it won’t be the last.

the layout of the place looks pretty similar to most of the kopitiam chains that have sprung up here in recent years. there are the usual marble tables and wooden chairs, as well as coffee served in traditional cups with the all-too-familiar green designs on a white surface.
a cosy lounge-like area and a few six-person booth seats separate this from the rest of the kopitiams, creating the slight ambience of a western café. having a sofa here may seem rather odd initially, but i think most patrons would welcome the option.

an aged image of a busy street scene covers one side of the wall. this is the same photo featured in their logo. for all the hundreds of old town coffee sachets i have had, i had never realised that the logo contains a street scene!

besides the usual coffee and kaya (creamy coconut jam) toast, some other items you would find on the menu include nasi rendang chicken (a recommended dish which i heard is superb), curry chicken rice, ice cream toast, as well as the rather intriguing “ice fire polo bun” and “coffee lava”.
but with our stomachs still working hard on what we had from our previous meal, we could only manage to down a few cups of coffee. that’s okay — it’s what we were there for anyway!

the coffee comes with a foamy layer on top, which kind of resembles coffee tarik. it tastes a little different from the classic instant coffee that i’m accustomed to, but it is still as rich and fragrant. old town fans would love this just the same.
the blend of specially roasted liberica, arabica and robusta coffee beans with small amounts of caramel is what contributes to the distinct taste and flavor of this underrated (in singapore anyway) brew. more coffee lovers need to sample it!

after savoring the coffee, enamored patrons can also purchase it in-store and make their own old town white coffee at home. that’s probably a good idea since this is the only old town outlet in singapore so far. plus, they levy service charges too. (hint: the 3-in-1’s are also sold in most supermarkets.)

Photo credit: Old Town White Coffee
during my visit, i didn’t notice any slowness in service that plagued the outlet when it first opened 3 months ago. even with the large crowd that it drew on a saturday afternoon, we managed to get seats the moment we entered the place. so if you’re in east coast park, i would encourage you to give this place a try.
meanwhile, do excuse me while i go make a hot cup of old town white coffee!



goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.







I know it tastes nice..LoL, cause my cousin has one franchise in Kuantan, Malaysia. And I get 3 boxes of free instant mix everytime I go back Msia..LoL View all comments by xueyu
i went to one of their outlets back in JB weeks ago, when i was last at home… the standards are sliding, in malaysia.. not sure about the one here.
i guess with the many branches mushrooming all over malaysia, its a bit hard to maintain the standard of quality coffee.
not to mention the competition! a lot of such cafes (of other brands) are opening up too. nevertheless, i still prefer such “old school” coffee to the new types of barista-made coffee at starbucks, etc.
ok lunch time! coffee sometime? :) View all comments by Daphne Maia
I have some of their instant 3-in-1 coffee and agree that they are simply great! By the way, do you know that comedian Mark Lee is one of the owners of this joint? He went into a franchise agreement with the owner from Ipoh, and occasionally pops down to the outlet. ;) View all comments by walter
I’m not much of a coffee drinker but when I do, I’ll definitely go for Old Town Ipoh White Coffee! My mum is a fan and whenever we go to Msia, we’ll be sure to get a few packs back!
I was excited to see the outlet at ECP but havn’t had the chance to visit it yet. Thanks for the review! View all comments by tiny M
xueyu: Free coffee is always welcome, especially when it’s Old Town. Lucky you!
Daphne Maia: Sure! Like you, I prefer traditional coffee to the western kind. It’s cheaper too!
walter: Oh I heard that from another blog. He was serving coffee there on the opening day! Hope to see him the next time I patronise :)
tiny M: No problem! My whole family are Old Town drinkers too. I have even converted a few of my colleagues! View all comments by Veron
yes old town 3in1 coffee is the best i’ve tried so far. it’s selling on the shelves at NTUC. i particularly like the hazelnut coffee. it’s fantastic View all comments by J
Mmm… that sounds so well and good. I’ve yet to find an excellent source of Coffee here. We just have the normal and usual starbucks and Tim Horton’s. I need to find myself a great place like White Coffee… View all comments by Destiny
yup, their instant 3-in-1 coffee simply the best i ever tasted.
i was so happy to spot them at a super mart near my place…but i hate it when there’s only 15 sachets in a pack, so every time i have to buy at least 6 to 8 packs….that’s just lasting me about a month, as i share them with my hubby and colleagues. View all comments by KM
hi, i was browsing thru and came across ur webby, i enjoy ur food review entries. I want to suggest a new place that opened up recently,Its at upper thomson,for choc lovers esp.Its called cheeky choc. I want to try it out but i would love to read up on the place first. It did appear in the sunday times today but not much was written on its menu.
so do let us in on the menu,what is worth having and if the place is good.. thanks ! View all comments by annabel
http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/cheeky_chocolates/ View all comments by annabel
J: Oh I love the aroma of the Old Town hazelnut coffee! Each time I open a sachet, I would simply let the wonderful whiffs assail my nostrils. It’s fantastic alright!
Destiny: The traditional oriental coffee tastes quite different from the Starbucks kind. You gotta try it someday!
KM: My family and I run out of Old Town coffee very frequently too. Like you, we find 15 sachets too few, so each time we have to buy a few packs of it!
annabel: I have been wanting to check out the new Thomson “Village” too! There are a good number of restaurants and cafés there. When I do pay a visit, I would definitely take note of Cheeky Chocolates. View all comments by Veron
Today wen to the outlet at Big Splash for lunch with 3 frens. Their food came and i still waiting. Check with 2 waiters and finally captain. Was told still need to wait after 30 mins wait. Finally he asked me : DO YOU WANT TO CANCEL YOUR ORDER ???” Was so shock and angry to hear such comments from the captain ! They have cocked up the order and made me waited and ask me cancel order !!!
Do not go there again !!!!!!!!! View all comments by Eileen
That sounds like a big screw-up on their part. Usually when my partner’s food has arrived, I wouldn’t let myself wait more than 10 minutes for mine. From experience, it’s better to ask them early (just in case they really have missed our orders) rather than to keep ourselves waiting. View all comments by Veron
The service of old town east coast was suck. They don’t even let us know when my order no more i had waited for half an hour. What is that and the staff service is super bad. View all comments by Miss
hi! just wanna ask, the outlet is quite big. what else do they sell besides coffee/usual kopitiam meals? whats in the 1st and 2nd storey? View all comments by curious
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