Fun Toast @ Tengah CC is the Tengah Community Club outpost of a Singapore coffeehouse whose story stretches back to 1941. The brand began life as Kheng Nam Hong (琼南芳), founded by the grandfather-in-law of current co-owner Ah Hian, who together with his business partner perfected the art of Nanyang coffee roasting and charcoal-grilled kaya toast during the war-torn years. From a modest Hainanese coffeehouse on Telok Ayer Street, it grew into a household name among the early communities — famous for fragrant, well-brewed coffee and crispy kaya toast whose aroma could be savoured from afar.
In the early 90s the family relocated to Amoy Street hawker centre, and a generation later Ah Hian, inspired by his father-in-law's stories, teamed up with sworn brother Ah Yang to revitalise, re-innovate and re-brand the house as Fun Toast — a fun, innovative and uniquely Singapore coffeehouse. Today the Tengah CC outlet serves the classics that built the name: kaya butter toast and its set, French toast varieties, soft buns like Min Jiang Kueh and Yuan Yang, traditional Nanyang coffee, and savoury local delights such as soya sauce chicken with CCF.
As part of a brand whose outlets are sprouting island wide, this branch brings traditional Nanyang food and beverages to one of Singapore's newest neighbourhoods, moving ahead with the times while keeping in touch with the community — just as the founding family promised back in 1941.
Fun Toast @ Tengah CC is the Tengah Community Club outpost of a Singapore coffeehouse with roots stretching all the way back to 1941. The brand began life as Kheng Nam Hong (琼南芳), founded by the grandfather-in-law of its current co-owner, Ah Hian. Together with his business partner, the elder coffee maestro perfected the art of Nanyang coffee roasting and charcoal-grilled kaya toast through the difficult, war-torn years, running a modest Hainanese coffeehouse on the historically rich Telok Ayer Street.
The original shop was unassuming to look at, but what came out of it was anything but ordinary. Well-brewed, fragrant coffee and tea, and crispy kaya toast famous for a mouth-watering aroma that customers could savour from afar, turned the little coffeehouse into a household name among the early communities. There was poetry in the name itself: the last character, pronounced "Hong" in Hainanese, translates as "Fragrance" in English.
Change came in the early 90s, when the government's refurbishment of Telok Ayer prompted Kheng Nam Hong to relocate to the Amoy Street hawker centre. In the spirit of carrying on the legacy, the founder's son — Ah Hian's father-in-law — took over the reins.
Sixty-eight years after the story began, that history was passed to a third generation of traditional coffee aficionados. Deeply moved by the tales his father-in-law told, and inspired to preserve the tradition of Nanyang coffee brewing, Ah Hian teamed up with his sworn brother, Ah Yang, fulfilling a promise they had made years before. The pair set about revitalising, re-innovating and re-branding Kheng Nam Hong — and Fun Toast was born: a fun, innovative and uniquely Singapore coffeehouse that moves ahead with the times while staying in touch with the community through delectable traditional Nanyang food and beverages.
Toast is the headline act. The Kaya Butter Toast — charcoal-grilled in the tradition the founders perfected — is the classic, and it can be had as a Kaya Butter Toast Set, one of the brand's featured signatures. Alongside it, the Fun Toast Set menu lists the Min Jiang Kueh Soft Bun, a soft-bun take on the much-loved traditional pancake; the Yuan Yang Soft Bun, flavoured with the classic coffee-and-tea mix; Honey Butter French Toast; Ham & Cheese French Toast; and Egg Mayo Toast. One thing worth knowing: the brand is upfront that not all outlets carry every menu, so the exact line-up can vary from outlet to outlet.
For something savoury, the Soya Sauce Chicken with CCF — soya sauce chicken served with chee cheong fun — has been featured on Fun Toast's own home page, making it a natural pick for anyone who wants a proper plate alongside their kopi.
And then there is the coffee. Nanyang coffee is the beating heart of this story, fragrant and traditional, brewed Singapore style. If you have ever wondered how to order traditional coffee the local way, Fun Toast even publishes a Fun Coffee Guide to walk you through it. Lighter options such as Honey Lime Tea round out the drinks list.
Situated at #01-04 of the Tengah Community Club on Plantation Crescent, this outlet brings the brand's kopitiam classics to one of Singapore's newest neighbourhoods. The ritual here is simple and satisfying: fragrant traditional coffee in the cup, crispy kaya toast on the plate, and time to enjoy both. As a community club tenant, it sits naturally at the centre of neighbourhood life — an easy stop for residents of Tengah and nearby Plantation district homes.
The brand has been sprouting outlets island wide, and it also sends visitors to its stores in search of Fun Merchandise, so there may be a keepsake for those who want to take a little of the fun home.
Few coffeehouses can claim a lineage older than Fun Toast's. Eight decades on — from Telok Ayer Street to Amoy Street hawker centre to a community club in Tengah — the idea remains unchanged: well-brewed Nanyang coffee, crispy charcoal-grilled kaya toast, and a warm welcome for the community. As the brand itself puts it, the best thing in life is having Fun — and at Fun Toast, fun tastes a lot like 1941.