Perfect rainy day breakfast combo: Lontong and sotong from Java Corner in Stirling Road

We've got wheels and we're taking you for meals as recommended by drivers in this new Makan Kakis series. This week, I met with cabbie Agus Safwan, 48, who cut an imposing figure when I picked him up for breakfast on a stormy morning. It was intimidating to have, in my car, a taxi driver with four years’ experience under his substantial belt. Especially since he was refreshingly honest about my road skills.

“Just go slow when you’re braking. It’s a bit jerky and that’s something a lot of passengers don't like,” he advised.

For a moment, it felt like I was taking a driving test, but encouraged by his mellow voice and reassuring words, the rest of our drive went smoothly. Interested to know how the former chef and seafood supplier developed his calm and cool demeanour, he revealed that his passion in life is fishing. His affinity with the sea often takes him on trips to Malaysia and Indonesia.

“With fishing, you gotta be patient, just like driving a cab. Because you never know when you’re gonna get the next one. There are trips when nothing bites the whole day. Just like sometimes we may end up driving around without any calls or passengers, so patience is a virtue. You just have to think positively and things will change,” he shared.

I was getting schooled by Agus’ fisherman philosophy in life. It was how he got through the COVID-19 pandemic, which went full force just a few months after he started driving his taxi. It was also how he stayed the course even when his friends questioned his decision to become a “taxi uncle”.

“This is my choice. It’s an honest living, I learn a lot of things and I want more free time for my family. That’s something no money can buy. I don’t have to be so stressed by work. The moment I park my car, that’s it. More free time also means I’ve got time to find food!” he quipped.

Case in point, the lontong stall he discovered along a quiet stretch of Stirling Road at Block 49. After a few meals there and comparing notes with friends, he confirmed it was one of the best lontong in Singapore “taste-wise and price-wise”. Also, it’s very popular with fellow taxi drivers in the know.

Without Agus, the human GPS to guide me, I would not even have known it existed. It was literally hidden in plain sight along a road I have driven down many times before.

Housed in a charmingly rustic kopitiam called Khong Guan Restaurant, Java Corner is its one and only food stall serving up a staggering array of dishes including nasi padang, mee rebus, tahu goreng, nasi lemak and our targeted lontong. All of which are “very traditional, homecooked style” foods Agus craves on cold, wet mornings.

“In my daily routine, after I fetch my wife and my kids, sometimes I can get hungry as early as eight in the morning. Trust me – this lontong, in this weather, is something to warm up your stomach and give you ‘oomph’ for the day,” he laughed.

The lontong is even worth the wait for parking. Most cabbies prefer it ample and convenient, but Agus’s patient approach is different.

“What’s wrong with waiting 15 minutes for a nice place to eat? Don't work on an empty stomach then whatever comes you can face it nicely. A hungry man is an angry man!” he said.

That made sense. And I was more than ready for some good food to put us in a good mood. Agus made haste in ordering us each a portion of lontong and an extra from the nasi padang side of the stall – his favourite sambal sotong (squid).

As the rain poured down, the steam rose up from each piping-hot plate of lontong, piled high with ingredients and topped liberally with sambal as well as serunding (spiced, toasted coconut flakes).

At just S$3.50 for each generous portion, we had a hearty, value-for-money meal packed with vegetables like cabbage, French beans, carrot and bangkuang (Chinese turnip); as well as a hard-boiled egg and tauhu goreng (fried beancurd). All were drenched in a luscious coconut curry and enhanced by rich pops of toasty texture from the serunding.

Agus, who previously cooked professionally for 20 years, was eager to break it down for me. “A nice, thick lemak lodeh consists of many herbs and spices like turmeric, blue ginger, yellow ginger, serai (lemongrass). One of the main ingredients to enhance the flavour with a little sourness and fragrance is daun limau (kaffir lime leaf). And of course, must tumis (stir-fry) slowly and use fresh coconut milk. Then everything comes together perfectly. Well-cooked and balanced,” he explained.

The lady boss of Java Corner, Rashida Ahmad, popped her head out of the kitchen long enough to reveal that udang kering (dried shrimp) and ikan bilis gave her vegetable curry the irresistible umami taste I had detected. She has been cooking for over 20 years, since taking over from her mother’s original Margaret Drive stall.

“Some may do a shortcut and end up with watery sauce, but here you can see she puts in an effort,” Agus said approvingly. I too approved of the care put into the other ingredients. The large pieces of tauhu were spongy and fluffy on the inside for optimum gravy soakage.

Agus added: “Most importantly, the tauhu is fresh. They don’t reuse leftovers from the previous day and re-fry it because when you bite it’s hard and a little sour. But this is perfect.”

And then there were the eponymous rice cakes of the dish. Agus said: “They give one whole big piece of lontong cut into four. I’m a big eater, but one plate is enough to fill me up.”

Explaining its tender consistency, he said, “Just like cooking a fish, you have to rest lontong before serving. Then it’ll be very soft. By itself it’s bland, like plain rice, but eaten with the gravy, heaven!”

High praise from someone who also used to make and sell lontong. Agus has an in-depth knowledge of the dish because he ran a stall in Kallang selling nasi lemak and lontong about 10 years ago. So when he recommended adding a complementary element to the dish, I ran with it. His go-to is always Java Corner’s sambal sotong.

“Surprisingly, it goes with the lontong. If I’m here after 10am, I usually go for it with nasi padang. It’s worth the price, worth the queue. For us, two lontong plus squid for just 10 bucks, you can’t find anywhere else,” he said enthusiastically.

The super-fresh, beautifully cleaned squid was cooked to springy succulence and its sambal, different from the sweeter lontong version, packed a powerful kick. In my mouth, an umami party was happening as the seafood flavours of squid mingled with ikan bilis and dried shrimp.

Excellent quality, fantastic flavours and affordability were clearly the secrets to Java Corner’s popularity. Customers stopping by for excellent kopi from the drinks stall run by the coffeeshop’s owners added to the bustling atmosphere. By 10am, the cosy space was getting crowded with diners and those ducking in from the rain for a takeaway.

I overheard an elderly gentleman telling the staff that he had forgotten to bring his wallet. “Never mind, hutang (Malay for debt)!” came the cheerful reply. He was obviously a regular customer and their easy exchange added to the authentic, old-school kopitiam experience.

When Agus proclaimed “I love the place! Nothing to explain, just eat!”, I understood. We didn’t need more words. Just the knowledge that lontong and sotong were the perfect breakfast combo to chase the storm clouds away.

Java Corner is located in Khong Guan Restaurant, 49 Stirling Road, Singapore 141049. It’s open Mondays to Fridays, 7.30am to 4pm, closed on weekends and public holidays. Catch Makan Kakis with Denise Tan every Thursday from 11am on Mediacorp GOLD 905.