i have been going to hsl coffeeshop weekly for almost 5 years now. this place made butter coffee popular before hipsters were old enough to beard. over the years, the baristas and some of the elderly patrons knew me by face, and my order - kopi see kosong (sock-pulled coffee with evaporated milk without the carcinogenic sugar).

occasionally, when i feel like living dangerously, i would order kopi gu yew (coffee with a heavy-handed scoop of sweetened milk topped with a slice of frozen scs butter), kway neng (a pair of runny eggs) and kaya loti (partially stale white bread toasted over charcoal fire and smothered with coconut jam).

what keep me coming back is not the coffee or the accompanying chow. it is the people i meet. several of them would look forward to having a chat with me every saturday morning, and the pleasure’s all mine.