Old-world charm: The nostalgic environment at Kopi Jiran. — Bernama
KAJANG: Behind a row of single-storey terraced houses in Taman Kantan Permai here lies a hidden gem of a coffee shop adorned with a collection of antiques and vintage items that are decades old.
Not only the furniture, but also the cups, plates, bowls and glass bottles that are used to store food evoke nostalgia of the 1960s, especially with the sounds of old songs filling the air.
The owner of the premises known as Kopi Jiran, Wan Atiqah Misha Mohd Hairul, 26, said all the antiques that adorned the stall were part of her parent’s personal collection accumulated over the years.
“Actually, my parents have long dreamed of opening a cafe. So, when my cousin and I expressed our desire to open Kopi Jiran, they were very supportive and shared ideas in terms of decoration.
“The oriental decoration aims to relive the past so that today’s generation can have a taste of that bygone era. Alhamdulillah, many customers enjoy the atmosphere,” she told Bernama recently.
Wan Atiqah started running the outlet with her two cousins, Sofia Zaireen Mohd Kamal, 36, and Sofia Mariah Mohd Kamal, 23, during Phase One of the National Recovery Plan on Aug 31, 2021.
“We were targeting residents in the surrounding area so that it would be convenient for them to enjoy a cup of coffee in a laid-back atmosphere without having to go far, given the pandemic situation at that time.
“But we did not expect the response to be very encouraging, including from outside where the cafe became a conversation piece among coffee enthusiasts and went viral on social media,” she said.
Kopi Jiran, which opens on Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm and can accommodate 30 to 40 customers at a time, has been receiving up to 200 customers a day.
Wan Atiqah, who has lived in Kajang for more than 20 years, said they had to limit the operating hours of Kopi Jiran to respect the neighbourhood and did not want to disrupt the peace enjoyed by the neighbours.
Speaking on the menu, she said Kopi Jiran serves a variety of coffee-based drinks that use local coffee because of its uniqueness and enticing aroma and fresher taste.
Among the popular items at Kopi Jiran, she said, were banana leaf nasi lemak, baked bread, banana pancakes, pastries, scones, rainbow bread, croissants and kuih lopes.
“Besides being home-made, the food is also provided by the surrounding neighbours, thus providing a side income for them,” said Wan Atiqah, who plans to expand her business to the city next year.
