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I'm sure many of you have at least seen the Kluang Station outlet, currently available in places like 1 Utama (New Wing) and Ikano Power Centre. Ever wondered the origins of this outlet? Do you know where Kluang is? Read on to find out more!

Toast and Coffee

Background

Both of my parents born and grew up in Kluang. My late paternal grandfather was the headmaster of a boys school. During my younger days, I would go to Kluang during the school holidays to visit my paternal grandmother as well as my cousins, who are about the same age as me. Our relatives would often take us to the Kluang Station, usually to have our breakfast although they are open other times of the day. Nowadays, I will usually go back to Kluang during Chinese New Year and to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.

About Kluang

Kluang is located right in the centre of Johor. Kluang is from the Malay word "keluang", meaning flying fox. Kluang was founded in 1915 to serve as the administrative capital of central Johor. The main railway line passed through Kluang, and that helped with the development. The line separates the town with other parts of Kluang. In the old days, there used to be only one way to town. Whenever a train is approaching, the crossing is closed and all the vehicles had to wait for the train to pass. The gate used to be manually operated, but now it is done mechanically. During the 80's and early 90's, Kluang is pretty much a quiet town. I remember walking to and from town, with barely any traffic. Since the mid 90's, Kluang has gone through a lot of development. However, one thing didn't change, and that was the Kluang Station Coffee.

Kluang Station Coffee

The Kluang Station coffee is the canteen of the railway station. This station is actually a major stop, meaning all trains, including express trains, stop at this station. It now goes by the name of "Kluang Station RailCoffee". According to the Kluang Station franchise website, it started operating in 1938. It is now operated by the 3rd generation of the Lim family.

Unlike the franchise which serves dishes like Chicken Chop, Laksa, Porride, Nasi Ayam Merah and other, there isn't actually much to eat here. The dishes that you can get here are charcoal-grilled toast (bread or bun), half-boiled eggs, packed nasi lemak and mee siam, curry-puff, and of course, the coffee.

They are known for its toast, where they grill in on charcoal. It doesn't taste the same as those oven-toasted toast. I remember at one time, they used oven to toast their bread. It didn't taste the same, and they went back to charcoal. They used real butter (unlike some places which uses marjerin). The kaya is made with the finest ingredients. Just look at the picture below and I'm sure you'll start drooling.

Toast with Butter and Kaya

Toast Bun

Grilled on Charcoal

The coffee is 100% local and roasted with butter. The nasi lemak is also legendary. In the old days, you have to go really early to get a pack of their nasi lemak. They would deliver in cycles. Whenever the new stock arrive, everybody would go and grab as many as they can. I'm not sure if the nasi lemak today is the same as the one last time, but it definitely still taste good. The sambal is still pedas as ever. However, it comes pretty plain, with only the nasi and sambal. It does not have timun or egg to go with it.

Nasi Lemak

The setting is still pretty much the same with the old tables and fan. If you happen to drop by Kluang, you must drop by the station to have a meal. If you're taking the train and it stops in Kluang, you might have enough time to pack some coffee, although I would like to warn you that the train stops for a minute only.

Kluang Station Canteen

Location: At the end of Jalan Station, Kluang

GPS Coordinates: N 2° 01.994' E 103° 19.061'

Map (Zoom in to view exact location)

Operating hours: 6.30am-12.30pm, and 2.30pm-6.30pm daily except Tuesdays.

References:

Kluang on WikiTravel

Kluang Station franchise

Railway Station Signboard

Kluang Station

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