Kluang RailCoffee now in Bandar Seri Alam

 

When I arrived, a small queue of people was at the entrance of the café, some armed with umbrellas to shield from the light drizzle, patiently waiting to be shown inside to their tables.

 

Facade of Kluang RailCoffee at
Bandar Seri Alam, Johor

“A café for the community,” aptly sums up the vibe at the 10th and latest outlet of Kluang RailCoffee that was recently opened at Bandar Seri Alam, close to Masai in Johor.

 

Due to a prior engagement, I was unable to join Kluang RailCoffee for their official opening event two days ago, so Barney Lim agreed to meet me there that morning.

 

When he spotted me at the café entrance, he stood up and waved, so I was privileged to enter and joined him at his table for my first experience of dining at this café.

 

A replica of the wall at their flagship outlet
located in the original Kluang railway station

I am familiar with Kluang RailCoffee and got acquainted with the Lim family since my first experience at the railway kopitiam in Kluang many years ago as a guest of Tourism Malaysia, Johor.

 

This was simply unforgettable as our experience included a train ride from Johor Bahru to Kluang and on arrival at the railway station, we were welcomed into the Kluang RailCoffee kopitiam for a dining experience.

 

At this quaint railway kopitiam, I met with Jack Lim who shared valuable anecdotes on their family business for me to write an exciting Travel piece that was published in the Travel Times, then a pull-out section of The New Straits Times newspapers.

 

A wall mural of figure of man in photograph,
Lim Heng Yong, the father of Jack Lim

This was the first of several published pieces about Kluang RailCoffee that I shared in various publications. Then when a new outlet of the kopitiam was opened in Kluang in 2011, I had the privilege to share another piece titled, The rail thing in Kluang.

 

During their kopitiam events, I also met with Jack’s cousin, Barney Lim, who told me about their plans to open a hotel in the floors above this outlet.

 

The plus point about this hotel was that their stay deal included breakfast at the popular Kluang RailCoffee kopitiam located conveniently downstairs. And when the hotel opened in late 2011, I had the privilege to have an overnight stay in order to share a stay experience at the Rail Hotel, Kluang.

 

A section of the bright and airy dining hall;
A collection of framed published articles
are postered on the far wall

After the success of my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, I started working on the book sequel, the contents of which should include stories from various districts in Johor, like Batu Pahat, Muar, Macap, Kulai, Kelapa Sawit and Kluang.

 

As I worked on the manuscript for Book Two, I decided to include the story on the Lim family and Kluang RailCoffee in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People.

 

By this time, Jack’s son – Ben Winn – had joined the business, who brought with him, fresh ideas to take the traditional kopitiam business to new heights of achievement.

 

Another section of the dining hall that 
overlooks a matured garden outside

It was my pleasure to feature the proud legacy of Kluang RailCoffee, opened since 1938, in Book Two of My Johor Stories and was deeply honoured by the presence of members of the Lim family who witnessed the launch of this book in December 2018.

 

As they planned for a network of outlet openings, Kluang RailCoffee also applied to be recognized by the Malaysia Book of Records as the Oldest Railway Kopitiam in the nation, a process that must follow a set of procedures.

 

When the Malaysia Book of Records representatives presented Kluang RailCoffee with the certificate in recognition as the Oldest Railway Kopitiam in the nation, I had the privilege to join their event in 2022, held at their flagship outlet located in the original Kluang railway station.

 

Freshly-brewed Kluang RailCoffee

It was especially meaningful for me when the Lim family presented the VIPs at the event, each with a hardcover copy of My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, that also featured my story on Kluang RailCoffee.

 

Fast-forward to 2025 when I arrived at their 10^th and latest outlet at Bandar Seri Alam, ready to have a dine-in experience in a modern café that (I was told!) served a familiar menu at the same prices as their Kluang outlets.

 

Natural light poured in through glass paneled windows that ran along the entire two walls of the café. A matured garden seen through the rear windows offered diners a refreshing and pleasant green view.

 

One wall inside the café was decorated with framed published articles on Kluang RailCoffee in various publications, with mine displayed there too.

 

Brewed coffee and kaya toast

Barney handed me a spanking new menu, printed with photographs of food and beverage, clearly labeled with code numbers for diners to conveniently place their orders.

 

I was pleased that the café provided small order chits for diners to write in the code numbers for their orders. This took the stress out of scanning QR codes, scrolling and squinting at the menu – much to the relieve of kopitiam connoisseurs.

 

A freshly brewed hot Kluang RailCoffee was a must-have along with roti bakar or toast, sandwiched with a generous spread of kaya and thin slabs of butter.

 

Their signature stir-fried Mee Siam was served with a side of spicy sambal, half a hard-boiled egg, a slice of cucumber and drizzled with a squeeze of lime. This simple combination was the taste of comfort for diners of all ages.

 

She was serving Mee Rebus [Left]
and Char Kway Teow [Right]

While I was munching on Tahu Bakar topped with slivers of cucumber, bean sprouts and crunchy roasted peanuts, Barney shared with me, some of the exciting highlights of their official opening event that was graced by the Johor Menteri Besar.

 

As this new opening coincided with the Visit Johor Year in 2026, Kluang RailCoffee was pleased to collaborate with Tourism Johor to produce a number of premium souvenir items and collectibles.

 

Throughout this time, I observed that diners were coming in and leaving, while serving staff were busy with serving up trays laden with signature dishes like Nasi Lemak, Laksa Johor, Mee Rebus and Char Kway Teow.

 

While all these dishes looked appealing, I wanted to taste something “different” and as I studied the menu again, I decided to try their version of apam.

 

Triple decker toast = apam

I soon discovered that this item was inspired by traditional apam balik, created with three slices of toasted bread sandwiched with kaya and butter, and topped with generous sprinkles of crushed roasted peanuts.

 

Eating this required some effort to jealously guard from trying not to lose any of the precious roasted peanuts and to open my mouth wide enough to bite into the triple decker sandwich. Not very elegant but a delightfully fragrant, sweet and crunchy treat.

 

Not willing to outstay my welcome, I politely took my leave, feeling comfortable and satisfied with my first experience of the Kluang RailCoffee café here.

 

Thanks Barney, for the warm welcome and hosting my visit to enjoy the familiar taste of Kluang RailCoffee, now brought closer to Johor Bahru.

 

Kluang RailCoffee is located within the compound of Gravity Green in Bandar Seri Alam (directly opposite the Regency Hospital) Masai, Johor.

 

Open daily from 7am to 10pm and closed on Wednesday. For more updates, visit the official Facebook page for Kluang RailCoffee.