A toast for kaya

September 2019 · 7 min read

During my first business day in Singapore, my boss introduced to me what he calls as his favorite place for breakfast. He led the way to Chinatown Point which is a mall along New Bridge Road. It was a bit early as McDonalds and Starbucks were still closed then. We went inside the mall and my boss was happy to see his favorite breakfast restaurant was already open on a Monday morning. Back then, he was saying he really liked the kaya toast that they serve in this restaurant. Aside from the lightness of the meal set, I agree that the breakfast was really good. That made me go back to the restaurant on my own during my last day in Singapore before I flew back to Manila in the afternoon.

I got inside the mall and went straight to Toast Box. There was already a queue piling up so I joined in. Three more people got behind me then more came along that I stopped counting. That made me think that this restaurant is indeed good based on many diners that are coming.

Right across myself when I joined the line was this note about their operating hours. I wished I saw this the first I came with my boss. I would not have come for it and ended with a very spicy breakfast.

As the queue eases forward, I came across these small canisters of Hainanese kaya, peanut butter and coffee powder. Apparently, they also sell not just meals but spread and beverage products for takeaway. So what is kaya? It means can (verb form, e.g. can afford) in Filipino but certainly not in Singapore.

Kaya is coconut jam which I did not know is called such in Singapore. I searched for it and learned that kaya is Malaysian term, as Wikipedia says;

Coconut jam (Filipino: matamís sa báo, matamís na báo; Indonesian: seri kaya, srikaya; Malaysian: kaya) is a jam made from a base of coconut milk, eggs and sugar. It is popular in Southeast Asia, mainly in Brunei, Indonesia (especially in Palembang), Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The queue moved forward and these sweet chiffon, rolls and cakes came in to view. If only it was not early, I may have taken the chiffon because it looks yummy. I can imagine the soft and smooth pandan vanilla chiffon or that pandan chiffon cake as I savor them but I need heavier breakfast so I let it pass.

Next to the glass display of cakes and rolls is this menu poster which boasts their irresistibly tasty and satisfying delights! "Ah, here are your options for heavy breakfast," I thought. But then I was missing the kaya toast that I had. In the end, I passed by everything else and ordered for the kaya toast set.

Wonder if kaya means coconut jam then kaya toast means coconut jam that was toasted? Nope. It is bread that is toasted with kaya. As Wikipedia describes it;

Kaya toast is a well-known snack in Singapore and Malaysia. Kaya toast is prepared with kaya (coconut jam), a topping of sugar, coconut milk and eggs, pandan, and sometimes margarine or butter. Kaya is generally served on toast, and also sometimes on crackers. It is considered a breakfast staple, and remains popular in Singapore. The dish is sometimes dipped into soft-boiled egg with a little dark soy sauce and white pepper.

The kaya toast set includes coffee so that was a big bonus.

When I first tried kaya toast, I thought the eggs were hard boiled. I thought it is paired with the toasted bread like a viand for breakfast. However when my boss broke one of his, I realized it was barely done, almost raw. Goodness! It was a good thing that he first did that. Otherwise, I could have broken my eggs like hard boiled and have yolks spread all over the table.

"I thought the eggs are hard boiled!" I exclaimed to my boss.

"Ah, no. You watch..." he answered.

"Watch and learn," I thought.

While I was preparing the eggs as how my boss thought me the other day, I was also looking around and observing.

The inside of the restaurant is elongated with only one column of tables. The other side has the counter from the entrance and then the kitchen. Outside the kitchen right beside its wall to my left is where the condiments are displayed. This is a self-service restaurant so diners take care of their needs.

I also noticed that the queue to the cashier is still there. New sets of diners were falling in line and replacing those who were already served. It looks like the queue has not moved but the crew were actually fast and attentive.

Back to the eggs... So how do you eat kaya toast with almost raw eggs? This is how my boss presented to me.

You break the eggs, beat them and season with soy sauce and pepper. While doing that he was narrating what he's doing. My boss took the eggs like soup. He then took one of his toasts and he dipped into his coffee while saying,

"... then you take this one and make sawsaw into the coffee." Sawsaw means to dip in Filipino.

"Ah, just like our pan de sal that we sawsaw into coffee." I answered and laughed at his attempt to speak in Filipino.

That was how he did it but when I was reading through the internet, it says the beaten egg is where you dip the toasted bread.

I enjoyed my breakfast on my own without the pressure of a boss being around. He has flown back to Hong Kong where he is based. I guess it took me longer than I should for my meal.

When I was done and got out of the restaurant, I was surprised to realize that outside, along the mall hallway, are more dining tables of Toast Box. Why haven't I noticed these the first time we came and even earlier this morning? I guess we were rushing to work since it was our first meeting with the client so my mind was drifting on my presentation in about an hour from then.

There are actually more dining tables outside than the inside. That was when I realized that those who were in queue after me were dining outside. So that is the reason why the tables inside were not fully occupied in spite of the fairly long queue earlier.

I was going towards the mall exit when I noticed this big menu stand of Toast Box. It's funny that I did not even notice this the first time we came and alsowhen I came earlier this morning. My mind must be flying somewhere. If coming from the entrance, this menu is standing on the left side few meters away from the entrance and along the mall hallway. This can serve as a landmark when finding Toast Box.

That was a cool breakfast experience with toast and eggs. It was not as heavy as my usual breakfast but what... I have to cut intake from time to time.

Now off I go to the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest before I cram for catching my flight!

Toast Box
Ground Floor
Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road
Singapore 059413