When you are in Penang, there is so much culture to take in;
especially trying all the food located nowhere inside a proper coffee shop. Currently
nestled at Campbell Street, Toh Soon Café is one of those breakfast places
where patrons are able to have their traditional coffee and 'roti bakar' by the alley; or you can visit and have it as a dessert before dinner.
The amount of tables occupied is the benchmark on how good one’s business is. That is what you will see if you visited the café: a full house. Most Penangites claim this place to be their favourite breakfast spot and will always make time to have their ‘roti bakar’ and half-boiled eggs to start their day. Aromatic toasted bread and the fragrance of freshly brewed Hainanese coffee can be smelled from a mile away. Toh Soon’s toasts are freshly frilled over charcoal fire and within a traditional oven as well. This is what makes the wait slightly longer than usual because it takes time for it to be nicely roasted to have that crunchy texture. Spread with ‘kaya’ and butter, you can choose to dip the bread in your egg or the coffee to enjoy an enriching meal.
You can cut your hunger by half by trying their ‘nasi lemak’ that is being placed in baskets on the tables. You will get a few mouthfuls of coconut milk rice accompanied with crunchy anchovies and a quarter of a hard-boiled egg, sprinkled with some fried peanuts and a dollop of chili sambal.
The place can be really packed with both tourists and locals
but the food is really worth the wait. Besides, don’t they say breakfast is the
most important meal of the day?
