Sai Kee Kopi 434 (才记434咖啡) started as a coffee producer in Muar in 1953 and later expanded to operate kopitiam-style cafes in several states in Malaysia to promote its coffee products with local delights. Known as Kopi 434 Cafe, the Muar flagship outlet is housed in a bright yellow building located right opposite Terminal Bentayan Muar, the express bus terminal in Pekan Muar.
Why “434”? In the 1980s, local Muarians would call Sai Kee Kopi to order their coffee powder and “434” was the last 3 digits of the telephone number. The number was catchy, known to locals, and was, thus, used to brand their coffee products.
Inside the cafe, Sai Kee Kopi’s range of traditional kopi products, especially its signature “elephant” bean coffee, lined the shelves behind the cashier. Apart from local coffee, there are imported coffee beans too.
The cafe’s dine-in section offers an opportunity for customers to try the local-grown coffee with popular Malaysian delights, such as nasi lemak, mee siam, etc. Other than “elephant” Liberica coffee, there are also the highly-priced musang (civet cat) coffee, the famous Blue Mountain Arabica coffee and Queen’s coffee — the special coffee may not be available all the time and needs tons of luck — I missed it by one day on my last trip to Muar.
The signature hot Elephant Bean Coffee 1960s (六十年代传统大象咖啡) is a must-try. The coffee uses locally-grown, large-seed Liberica beans rather than the fruity Arabica or bitter Robusta beans that are often used to make traditional kopi across Singapore and Malaysia. The black Liberica coffee has well-balanced fruitiness and bitterness with a smoky, woody flavour profile. Although the aromatic coffee can be added with milk — sugar is self-service —, the best is still black to savour the flavour of the original coffee.
The Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng 434 (炸鸡椰浆饭) — fried egg added separately — is one of Kopi 434 Cafe’s signature main dishes. The coconut-milk-flavoured rice has a very nice aroma and accompanied by sweet-spicy nasi lemak sambal chilli. The nicely-fried crispy fried chicken is tasty and not oily. It is a nice dish for lunch.
The Mi Bandung 434 (万隆面), Kopi 434’s own version of the Muar-specialty dish, is served using thick yellow noodle in flavourful gravy with chicken meat, a poached egg and greens with garnishes (chopped spring onions and green chilli) and sambal chilli. The gravy is spicy and easy to drink. The sambal chilli adds sweetness and flavours to the dish rather than sheer spiciness. It is a nice and delightful dish.
Before leaving the cafe, get some Muar coffee beans, powder, instants or sachets to bring home — I bought a pack of the elephant coffee powder and another pack of normal coffee powder.
As Kopi 434 Cafe is located opposite the express bus terminal, it is very convenient to have coffee and meals at the cafe or buy its coffee products on reaching Muar or just before departing. There are also big vending machines outside the cafe to sell their coffee products.
Address:
121, Jalan Maharani, Taman Sri Emas, 84000 Muar, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
8am to 5:30pm | Daily
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