Kluang and white coffee wars

We recently visited Kluang in Johor, Malaysia. One discovery we made was the cafe, Old Taste: Ipoh White Coffee. The name is not the only similarity with the much more famous "Old Town: Ipoh White Coffee." When we first saw the sign in the shopping centre, we assumed it was Old Town. It turns out Old Town is across the street.


Old Taste with Old Town across the street

A quick web search made it clear that we were not the first to note the similarities. Bloggers here, here, and here all point out how Old Taste has been more than inspired by Old Town in its menu, logo, and interior decoration. Both places have blown up black-and-white photos of old Ipoh on the walls. Old Taste seems to have appeared in the past year or so.

White coffee

We found Kluang to be a pleasant surprise. The town is a nice escape from Singapore. Mt Lambak, just a few minutes by taxi from the train station, makes for a great day hike if you're in Singapore. The hill takes about 3 hours to climb up and down. The train ride from Tanjong Pagar is 2-3 hours. A convenient, affordable, under-promoted destination.


Mt Lambak as seen from Kluang