Growing up eating the traditional charcoal-grilled bread toast of Killiney Kopitiam, I cannot help but feel sentimental whenever I am in the vicinity of their flagship stall located on Killiney Road. With a humble beginning dating back to 1919, it is an eatery that I make special effort to visit whenever I am back home not simply for nostalgic sake but rather the quality of their kaya toasts and kopi-o-kosong that had kept my family as faithful patrons over the years.

For some reason, I had always enjoyed my Killiney experience better at their original stall rather than at their franchises which can easily be found islandwide. For the Gen X (1980s) people like myself, you would probably witness the transformation that took place for Killiney. I still remember going there to takeaway the kaya (coconut jam) to bring over to UK every single time I am back in Singapore for vacations. The packaging and naturally the price had improved and risen over the years. The lady boss which can always be seen behind the cash till would never fail to ask about my overseas experience while carefully bubble-wrap my bottles of kaya. I still remember my first bottle of kaya which came in one of those transparent-looking cheap plastic bottles typically used for takeaways with no labels or logo which I had to bring home and transfer over to Tupperwares before bringing them overseas. Since then, it had undergone much revision and that elegant souvenir-looking glass bottle of today with proper branding and label is surely a sign of progressive development.

Kaya is a coconut jam made from coconut milk, eggs, flavouring from pandan leaf and sugar. A food spread which originated from Southeast Asia, it is no surprise to see tropical ingredients such as santan (coconut milk) and pandan leaf as irreplaceable key elements to the jam. There are typically 2 types of kaya readily available in the market - green-coloured or golden-brown spread, each depending on the amount of pandan added and the extent of caramelization of the sugar. Having tried making kaya myself, I understand the tedious work involved in ensuring that no part of that mixture gets burnt in the cooking process.

At the constantly busy eatery, you would be expected to place your orders at the counter in person though the dishes would be served to your table. Is Killiney the best kaya toast chain in Singapore? We did our first tasting across the various kaya toast chains in Singapore in our very first post of this blog which may be found here. Without further ado, let our taste buds do the judging!

Kaya toast (S$1/pc)

Coming in a set of 2 pieces, it would come to S$2 for each order despite stating S$1/pc on the menu. We had 2 sets for sharing in addition to the two other types of toast they offered. As usual, the kaya stood up to the test with a strong egg flavour hinted by its pandan flavouring. Killiney's kaya has a unique differential element that sets it apart from its competitors and that comes down to the texture. With the abundance of eggs in the mixture, the texture of the kaya was cross-grained so expect dishevelled bits in that rich coconut jam. While it might lack smoothness in the spread for some, it suited my palate with the right level of sweetness, in excess just to please and not satiate one's appetite. The slab of sliced butter sandwiched between the toast was served at room temperature so it melted in our mouths with that beautiful kaya. If you are after a bold version of kaya dominated by egg and pandan flavours, then Killiney would be a good match.

If you are a kaya toast fan like us, you will notice that the char-grilled toast was thicker than the ones served at Ya Kun. It maintained a thin layer of crispness on the surface yet fluffy and soft on the inside. While we suspect that the bread used by both Killiney and Ya Kun originate from the same supplier from a humble bakery that operates 24 hours down at Whampoa (though Ya Kun serves a brown bread charactered by brown sugar), we are unable to confirm at the time of writing.

French loaf toast (S$2.10/-)

There were no reasons to resist this delectable toast with that sharp crispness on the beautifully char-grilled french loaf that would surely leave crumbs all over the table. The surface of the french loaf had a nice crust which was well complemented by the soft inside. Sliced into half in the middle, a generous amount of kaya and slabs of butter were sandwiched to give it oomph. You could tell from the grill lines that special attention was given to the french loaf to have it toasted on the sides to give it an even texture throughout.