Chin Mee Chin Confectionery at East Coast Road

Chin Mee Chin Confectionery (真美珍茶室) is a traditional coffeeshop where you can find kopi, pastries and soft-boiled eggs in porcelain teacups and plates, prepared by (grumpy-looking) aunties with their permed hairdo and uncles in their sheer white tees.

Chin Mee Chin is a sharp contrast with the many (many) hippie cafes popping up rampantly nowadays. No fanciful decoration, no 8tracks music, no wifi, it is not even air-conditioned! But by no means Chin Mee Chin is lacking in any charm of its own.

The pastries at Chin Mee Chin Confectionery are displayed at the front of the shop. This is where the chaos start: you can pick whatever you want, pile as many as you want on the pretty plate and then just start eating. No, the pastries are not free-flow, but the folks at Chin Mee Chin go by the honesty policy. You can eat whatever pastries you want, however much, and then just declare it later when its time to foot the bill.

The absolute necessity at Chin Mee Chin is the cream puff. If you cannot make up your mind what to choose from the pastries display, you have to pick the cream puff. Savour that first, and then take your time to choose the others. The puff is fluffy and has a slightly salty aftertaste. It goes really well with the sweet and creamy custard. A heavenly match. The other winner is the chocolate cupcake- rich and soft, with the rainbow bits giving a slight nice crunch. Another favourite of mine at Chin Mee Chin is the egg tart. Buttery crust, sweet custard- we bought many of these home.

The chaos continues when you try to order your coffee, toast and eggs. If you observe for a few seconds, you will soon realise that there is no system at Chin Mee Chin. Grab any auntie or uncle you see (no matter how grumpy they look), and rattle off your order. You will be surprised, they can and will remember. The famous kaya toast at Chin Mee Chin is toasted bun (not sliced bread) with a generous spread of pandan kaya and a huge chunk of SCS butter. Ah, simple but so satisfying. The coffee is gao, and has a slight buttery taste. A small cup of warm happiness.

Apart from the pastries, kaya toast and coffee, Chin Mee Chin does their soft-boiled eggs right. The soft-boiled egg is a lovely combination of white, yellow and transparent- result of well-timed cooking that can only come with experience. Another simple but soul and tummy satisfying dish.

You have to do it like the old folks do when you eat at Chin Mee Chin- be there early, very early, in order to get a seat. No ice coffee- order hot kopi gao to taste the rich beans. Buy a copy of the newspaper- facebook and instagram can wait. Dabao the pastries in a red plastic bag- all your loved ones back home deserve a little piece of heaven too.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

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Chin Mee Chin Confectionery (真美珍茶室)

204 East Coast Road Singapore

830am-4pm (Tues-Sun); Closed on Mon

63450419