ARTISANAL CAFÉS ARE now as ubiquitous as kopitiams in Penang.
In the early 2010s, new Melbourne-inspired independently owned cafés serving coffee along with Western-style meals and desserts emerged in Malaysia. These flourished despite the presence of Malaysian traditional coffee shops (kopitiams) and international coffee chains like Starbucks. One only needs to walk down Beach Street to realise that we live, work and play in a city where food is diverse. The average Penangite is likely as comfortable eating in a hot, noisy and greasy kopitiam as in a chic, novel and upscale café.
