Not too long ago, I did a piece on a coffee shop called Pulp, an old publishing complex cutting-room turned coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Pulp was opened by a Singaporean coffee company called Papa Palheta, that had come to the country by popular demand from people who wanted top-notch coffee in their own city. Having fond memories of the coffee shop, their headquarters became one of my top priorities whilst in Singapore.
In their native country, they converted not an old publishing complex, but an old hardware store. Chye Seng Huat Hardware could almost pass as just another hardware store on a street lined with similar establishments if not for the twinkling lights that could be spied peeking from their windows and from the people walking in and out holding not hardware appliances, but cups of coffee.
Stephanie, the barista from Pulp, had told me that they roasted all their coffee in their Singapore facility. Now, I finally got the chance to actually see the room where it all went down. Housed in its own shack, their roaster stood proudly ready to turn green beans into brown treasure.
If you didn’t feel like having a cuppa, no worries. Next to the roastery was a small beer dispensary stocked full of beers the passionate people behind Chye Seng Huat hand-picked for those who felt like having a brewski instead of a cold brew.
In true Papa Palheta fashion, the interior of the shop held true to its hardware store roots, and simply layered on more modern elements. The counter was a unique keyhole shape and spanned from one end of the room to the other. Most of their patrons sat around the baristas’ counter and were able to see their orders being made right in front of them.
While enjoying our Americano and hot latte with a side of two sweet treats (an indulgent slice of Earl Grey cheesecake and a beautiful olive and orange cake), I spotted a familiar face at The Annex, a space dedicated to the showcase of the shop’s coffee beans, equipment, and other coffee related tools. On closer inspection of my camera roll, I realized that I even had a picture of that very person working the espresso machine at Kuala Lumpur’s Pulp. Curious, I approached him and asked if that was indeed him in my picture, to which he answered that it was.
Marcus is Papa Palheta’s coffee purveyor and moves back and forth between their outlets in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. When he’s not jumping between outlets, he’s also jumping between countries on the search for great coffee. In fact, he was set to travel to my native Indonesia in a few days’ time to visit the Tobing Estate in West Java.
This time around, I got a chance to ask a nagging question that had been on my mind for quite some time. Who is Papa Palheta?
The name Papa Palheta refers to Francisco de Melo Palheta, an 18th century Portuguese diplomat based in Brazil who was sent to neighboring French Guinea to resolve a border dispute. Before returning to Brazil, he received a bouquet spiked with coffee beans from the wife of French Guinea’s governor, who legend has it, he seduced. So while Palheta had a good time, Brazil finally got a share of the coffee industry, something they had wanted for quite some time.
A great story behind a quirky name reflecting some of the most pronounced passions we find today: romance and coffee. I can’t help you with in the former department, but if it’s the latter you’re looking for, then I know just the place. Crafted by dedicated people, and served in a building with an unlikely history, Chye Seng Huat is a place to visit when in the Lion City.
