Local boy Ernest Shih met Jeanne Ng in Singapore as two kindred spirits with a joyful outlook on life and work. They knew nothing about the business of running a cafe before opening Cafe Kopi in Kailua, except for the feelings such spaces evoked, of intimacy, warmth and hospitality. All they wanted was to create the perfect ambiance conducive to conversation over good coffee and good food.
“This whole place is essentially an art project,” says Shih, who earned a master’s degree in geology before launching what he said was a failed T-shirt company here, before backtracking to his field of expertise. He was working as an environmental consultant in Singapore, where Ng was working as a travel marketer when the two met. In their view, a lack of experience in running a cafe was not a strike against them, but an opportunity to throw out rules and create the kind of humble space they would enjoy as customers. They had no preconceived notions save for a desire to delight guests. As a result, nothing is off the table when it comes to a menu that mixes Western and Asian specialties.
The room is just as eclectic. Shih built out the space with upcycled materials sourced from Reuse Hawaii and some of their food is plated on dinnerware from Alan Wong’s restaurant, which they consider blessed by one of the local greats. Shabby chic furnishings, a rotating gallery of local artwork and wood deck outside create a comfy, homey space to hang out.
Most people tend to line up for coffee or pastries to go, but if you have some time to relax you may be lucky enough to score one of the few seats indoors, on the sidewalk, or outside on the deck fronting their small parking lot after placing your order at the counter.
The first thing customers see is the glass showcase full of pastries. The couple was able to enlist longtime pastry chef Barry Yadao, formerly with the Halekulani and Hale Koa hotels, to create a small but steady roster of fruit tarts and savory and sweet croissants for them. I was lobbying to have them keep producing a pumpkin spice croissant ($6.50) — introduced as an October special — throughout the fall season. It’s a hearty number, crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, with pumpkin pie filling inside for added moisture and a sprinkling of roasted pepitas on top.
But the ones you can count on to see every time are more classic pain au chocolat ($5.25), and plain, almond and ham and cheese-filled croissants, at respective prices of $4.25, $6.50 and $5.75.
Among coffee selections is “Jeanne’s Fave” vanilla lavender latte ($5.75-$6.25 hot or $6.75 for 16 ounces iced) and Singaporean-style kopi peng ($6), iced coffee sweetened with condensed milk.
The food menu is short-and-sweet, manageable for their small kitchen, though the waits can be long if everyone is ordering dumplings and panini.
I enjoyed the vegan and gluten-free quinoa tabbouleh ($12.75) with its fresh flavors of parsley, mint, cucumbers and tomatoes with garlic and a splash of lime.
Then there is a portobello mushroom panini with onions, zucchini and peppers ($12.75) and a thin layer of mustard that seems more like a meat-like treatment. I think I would enjoy the sandwich more with a layer of pesto.
For meat lovers, there is a Philly cheesesteak panini ($14.75) and combo of turkey, cranberry and cream cheese panini ($12). While enjoying the turkey sandwich, there was dead silence at our table; so intent my friends and I were on savoring every morsel.
The dumplings are an extension of parties Shih started at home, based on a favorite two-step cooking process that involves frying on a very hot pan before steaming. The result is a skin that is extra crispy with fillings that remain juicy. The two options are a Chinese-style pork-and-vegetable filling ($8) and vegan mushroom-and-tofu filling ($8).
The highlight of the experience comes on Saturdays and Sundays, when Shih and Ng make a traditional Singaporean laksa ($18), or shrimp curry noodles, that becomes available after 10 a.m.
There are concessions made as far as ingredients they are able to source here.
They’ve swapped out the more traditional rice noodles for a thicker wheat one that holds up to the heft of the broth. And while they have been able to find the tau pok or tofu puffs similar to aburaage that are so delicious after soaking up all the rich belacan, spice-filled and coconut cream broth, there may be shortages looming. While savoring this miracle in a bowl, the reverent silence returned.
In time, Ng wants to add more Singapore specialties like homemade kaya, a sweet coconut custard jam that also incorporates pandanus leaves. She has been searching for local pandanus with the same flavor as home, and just may be closing in on a source. Once found, kaya toast could become everyone’s new go-to for breakfast as it is in Singapore.
Cafe Kopi
45 Kihapai St., Kailua
Food: ***½
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***½
Value: ****
Call: 808-262-9050
Hours: 7 A.M.-3 P.M. Tuesdays-Sundays
Prices: Breakfast or lunch, about $25-$40 for two
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
