By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Aug 16: For more than five decades, the aroma of freshly steamed pau and hot coffee at Yong Kwang Kedai Kopi in Kenyalang Park has been drawing Kuching folk back to a simpler time.
The humble coffee shop at No. 22 Kenyalang Park Commercial Centre has become a familiar stop for traditional handmade pau (bun), sio bee (steamed meat dumpling), local kuih, noodles and rice dishes.
Behind the business is the Ong family, whose food heritage in Kuching dates back to 1938.
Jovial 76-year-old Ong Tee Hua, who now helps her brother run the shop, said the family’s story was often recounted by their late father, Ong Hiap Kok, who started a coffee shop along Wayang Street.
She recalled a time when a cup of black coffee cost just one sen, while customers could even get half a cup of coffee and a cigarette for the same price.
“Those were the days when life was simple, food was cheap, and people loved the kopitiam. It was a place to meet, talk and socialise,” she told DayakDaily.
But the family’s journey was tested by the Second World War and Japanese Occupation, which disrupted their father’s business and left many people displaced and struggling to make ends meet.
Despite the hardships, Ong Hiap Kok remained determined to support his family and ensure his children received a good education.
His children went on to build their own careers, with some eventually moving overseas, but the family’s roots in the food business remained.
In 1971, the family moved to Kenyalang Park and opened Yong Kwang Kedai Kopi.
The shop’s traditional handmade pau quickly became one of its main attractions, with the family preparing the dough and fillings by hand before steaming the buns fresh.
Sio bee was later added to the menu and became another favourite among customers.
As Kenyalang Park developed into a bustling commercial and residential area, Yong Kwang became a familiar meeting point for residents, workers and visitors.
Today, Ong, a retired civil servant, spends part of her time helping her brother, who has managed the business since their father died in 1992 at the age of 84.
She said the family is now in its third generation of running the business, while tracing its ancestral roots to Hainan, China.
For Ong, however, Yong Kwang is about more than food.
She said customers who have moved away often make a point of returning whenever they are back in Kuching, with many heading straight for the shop’s familiar pau and sio bee.
“People come back because they remember the food and the memories,” she said.
Perhaps that is the enduring charm of Yong Kwang Kedai Kopi.
The shop may be modest, but its food carries decades of family history, offering a warm taste of old Kuching that continues to bring people together, one pau at a time.
Yong Kwang Kedai Kopi is open daily from 5.30am to 5pm, except on public holidays. For inquiries, call 016-862 0338.
— DayakDaily
