Fete Kopi & Toast: Zhng-ed kaya toast with mentaiko & yuzu, with house-made caramel kaya by 51 Noodle House

The humble kaya toast, though simple enough to be served at as a breakfast staple in Singapore, is hard to get right. More often than not, the kaya is store-bought and usually too sweet, while the bread is burnt or limp. Fete Kopi & Toast manages to get their kaya toast just right, plus, they’ve put their own creative spin on it, whipping up versions with mentaiko and yuzu marmalade.

Fete Kopi & Toast is run by the same folks behind 51 Noodle House, the hawker stall well known for its fusion bak chor mee, which comes with Japanese chashu and an onsen egg.

In fact, Fete Kopi & Toast is housed within its 2nd outlet at The Venue Shoppes, a mixed residential and retail development at Potong Pasir.

You’ll be able to grab its delectable kaya toasts (as well as its more modern versions) during breakfast (10.30am – 12pm) and tea time (3pm – 7pm), as lunch is reserved solely for patrons of 51 Noodle House.

What I tried at Fete Kopi & Toast

But of course, I started the ball rolling with Fete Kopi & Toast’s Kaya Butter (S$1.90), which comes with handmade kaya and butter, sandwiched between 2 slices of freshly toasted white bread.

What’s impressive about Fete Kopi & Toast’s kaya is that it’s house-made, and is said to contain more coconut egg jam to give it a richer flavour.

Note that you’ll need to top up S$3.80 for it to come with a set (soft-boiled egg & choice of kopi or teh).

First impressions— I absolutely loved how much kaya was given. Every nook and cranny of the toast was slathered in it, making it a real joy to bite into. Even the cool slabs of SCS butter seemed to be drowning in the kaya!

The fragrant taste of coconut filled my entire mouth upon the first bite. This certainly wasn’t your average store-bought butter— this was eggy, creamy and rich kaya with a strong coconut flavour profile. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the coconut was a tad bit overpowering, and I wished there had been more pandan to counter the tropical nuttiness of the coconut.

Apart from that, the Kaya Butter was incredibly enjoyable. I loved how the smooth and fragrant kaya melded together with the cold, rectangular cubes of butter to create a luscious mouthfeel. Not to mention, the bread was toasted perfectly, resulting in crisp slices that were neither too thin or thick.

Moving onto perhaps my most anticipated toast of the day— Fete Kopi & Toast’s Mentaiko (S$3.50), which features blow-torched spicy cod roe slathered on toasted white bread.

This was heaven in a single bite. I literally had to close my eyes for a few seconds just to enjoy every single morsel.

Stunningly savoury and mouthwateringly delicious, the mentaiko was buttery and creamy, and retained a spicy yet umami-filled flavour that made me wish this experience would never end.

To top it off, the lovely mentaiko was sandwiched between two fluffy pieces of white bread that had been lightly toasted, giving it a crisp and flaky texture.

I know that mentaiko can usually get too salty, but Fete Kopi & Toast somehow managed to cover the entire piece of bread from head to toe in grilled mentaiko, while ensuring that it wasn’t too overpowering or savoury.

This was insanely addictive. The combination of torched mentaiko on grilled white toast is something I’ve just discovered thanks to Fete Kopi & Toast, and it’s something I’ll gladly come back here for again.

Last but not least, I got Fete Kopi & Toast’s Sandwich (S$5.50), which came with shoulder ham, cheese, egg, Japanese cucumbers and lettuce.

It might be worthy to note that the shoulder ham used here is also the same chashu that’s served in 51 Noodle House’s signature fusion bak chor mee.

For a sandwich this loaded, its flavours were lighter than expected.

I had fully anticipated a strong, meaty savouriness from the chashu, but what I had gotten was a gentle sweetness instead, which paired well with the soft eggs and crunch from the lettuce. A faint butteriness came through at the end of each bite, accompanied by a tinge of saltiness from the Kewpie mayo.

You’re certainly getting your money’s worth with this sandwich— just look at the 3 slabs of chashu in each slice!

I decided to top up S$3.80 to try Fete Kopi & Toast’s eggs, kopi and teh.

Each set will give you two soft-boiled eggs, which are accompanied by your standard soy sauce and white pepper.

I must say, Fete Kopi & Toast has managed to nail down its soft-boiled eggs almost perfectly.

Most renditions I’ve tried are either too watery or too cooked, but these were timed just right. The egg whites were jiggly and runny, while the yolks had just begun to set and retained a tinge of firmness.

I drink black coffee like it’s water (trust me, just ask my colleagues, Pavin or Aaron), so I had extremely high hopes for Fete Kopi & Toast’s kopi-o.

Instead of the rich roastedness that usually hits me with coffees made using the sock method, Fete Kopi & Toast’s kopi-o was much lighter, smoother and cleaner, and the taste of the roasted coffee beans only came through at the end of each sip. It reminded me of instant 2-in-1 kopi-o bags rather than the classic kopi-o from your standard coffee shop.

As someone who prefers her coffee extra strong, this disappointed me slightly as it tasted more watered down than I’d expect. It’s still decent, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not potent or rich kopi.

Similarly, the teh also tasted cleaner and lighter, as if evaporated milk had been added rather than condensed milk (if so, it’d have been teh-c). However, because of that, I could taste the fragrance from the tea. I also enjoyed it that the teh wasn’t too sweet either.

Final thoughts

Am I still dreaming of Fete Kopi & Toast’s Mentaiko? Yes. Hands down, yes.

This was probably one of the best uses of mentaiko that I’ve come across in my entire life. Somehow, Fete Kopi & Toast has managed to ensure that each bite was filled with savoury mentaiko, while not overdoing it at the same time.

Residents who stay nearby, or those who work around the area, count yourself lucky. These toasts, regardless of whether it’s the Kaya Butter, Mentaiko or Sandwich, would be amazing to have on a daily basis.

If only I had known that its coffee wasn’t as strong as I’d have liked, I’d have asked for kopi-o gao instead!

Expected damage: S$1.90 – S$11 per pax

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