A scuffle. And then sounds of heavy footsteps marching up the stairs. The pale-faced Japanese man, slight in size, throws his body in front of the wooden door as barricade against the uninvited visitors. But it’s to no avail. He’s too late. His clandestine operations are busted.
“... And all the while the guy was operating this place as a photo studio when he was actually a spy. They found all the equipment etc upstairs.If you go outside, you’ll see the words MiCasa Photography on one of the pillars, but the letters are very faded already...,” rattles the bespectacled Amanda Teoh, manager and co-owner of Burps and Giggles, a charming hipster cafe set in a pre-war building located in the old part of Ipoh town.
The arrival of a piping hot cup of cappucino placed in front of me by a smiling wait staff interrupts the dramatic visuals that had hitherto been playing like a film reel in my wandering mind. Teoh’s story of the building’s origins has somehow added a more intriguing sheen to this charmingly rustic cafe, one of the pioneers in Ipoh’s hipster cafe scene.
“So you mean upstairs there used to be a spy hole,” I ask, my eyes travelling to the wooden stairs just to the left of where I’m seated. Teoh’s head bobs enthusiastically in response. “Wow” I mouth to her.
According to the affable 32-year-old, MiCasa was one of the first photo studios in Perak. It was opened by a Japanese and he ran the business as a front for his other activities. But then his ruse was discovered and he was apprehended. The place was subsequently closed down for a few years before it was taken over by a group of Sikh tailors.
“The place then became a tailor shop, sometimes in the late 1930s I think, and it was called U.S. Peter,” says Teoh, brows furrowing in her attempts to recall these nuggets of history. “The owner, Pertap, led a team of tailors, and they basically sewed dresses, gowns and men’s clothing for the British officers and their wives for social events. The meticulousness of Pertap’s handiwork made him a household name among the European community in Ipoh.”
Pointing to an old photograph inside a vintage-looking silver frame hanging on the wall, Teoh tells me that it’s a photo of Pertap and his team of tailors looking resplendent in their turbans and smart suits. I squint for a better look as Teoh adds, pride lacing her voice: “We still have the original shop signage too, which you can see if you look up when you enter the cafe.”
When Pertap and team vacated the premises, they also left behind two mannequins. “Not those modern plastic ones you get today ya. These are made from wood and are over 70-years-old,” shares Teoh, her eyes sparkling under her glasses. One mannequin stands inside the cafe, the sun’s rays filtering in through the window bathing it in a nostalgic glow. The other one is just by the entrance, a sign for ice-cream hanging where the head of the mannequin would have been.
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
When Teoh and her family first set eyes on this pre-war building, it had been abandoned for several years. “Trees and weeds were growing everywhere. There were some worn furniture left behind and we decided to see what we could salvage. We were determined to preserve the natural features of this building, like the walls and general structure, as much as possible,” recalls Teoh, before adding that they did try to save the level above but couldn’t because it had rotted so much and became too dangerous. So they just tore it down and subsequently proceeded with an extensive refurbishment exercise.
Because the building is considered a heritage building, the outer facade couldn’t be touched. So the family focused on creating a cosy sanctuary inside, a nice contrast against the lively bustle outside.
Elaborates Teoh: “When we started, there wasn’t much decor elements. We just had these rugged walls that provided the points of interest. But as time went by, we started putting in collectibles and knick knacks that our various family members picked up on their travels.”
The space is every IG lover’s dream. Every nook and cranny is a veritable photo op and talking point. Look around and you’d be charmed by the old world furnishings like vintage biscuit tins, yellowing posters, an old typewriter that probably occupied pride of place in your grandfather’s house, old gramophone, an old leather suitcase belonging to Teoh’s great grandmother, rusty Coca Cola tins, swaying dreamcatchers and more.
A striking mural of a woman deep in thought is hard to miss, splashed in all its glory on a feature wall. The do-it-yourself lampshades and a smattering of greens complete the eclectic feel of the cafe. “Actually, we’ve just brought in an old sewing machine to add to the decor. We thought it’s a nice nod to the building’s origins,” adds Teoh.
LEARNING THE TRADE
Burps and Giggles, which is a family business, finally opened its doors in 2012, when the hipster cafe scene in Ipoh was fairly non-existent. The coffee-scape was still dominated by kopitiams serving the famous Ipoh local coffee.
Elaborates Teoh: “Before we opened our cafe and introduced ourselves into the scene, there were very few cafes in Ipoh that actually offered espresso-based coffee. The scene was still very much inclined towards bubble teas or colourful cocktails. In fact, if you wanted something remotely resembling designer coffee, you had to go to hotels.”
Teoh aspired to bring the ‘alternative’ coffee – to her hometown, and along the way, educate people on its merits. “We use a blend of beans from Brazil, Guatemala and Honduras. Ultimately, we wanted people to be able to enjoy more than just Ipoh white coffee!” By the time Burps and Giggles got into their groove, more hipster cafes began sprouting up, attracting the patronage of many Western tourists and well heeled students, in particular.
Of interest is the fact that Teoh doesn’t have an F&B background. She’s a medical research scientist by qualification! But, she confides with a chuckle, her dream had always been to open her own coffee place. “Isn’t it like everyone’s dream to have one,” she poses, eyes dancing. “The opportunity came when my well-travelled grand aunty suggested for us to have a coffee shop where people could enjoy more than Chinese coffee. My grand aunty travels a lot to Australia and really loves the Australian coffee culture. I guess she wanted to bring that back to Ipoh!”
Ever since they opened their doors almost seven years ago, Ipoh’s coffee culture has grown tremendously; today it’s a very competitive landscape that she’s playing in. There are at least 20 cafes within walking distance from Burps and Giggles alone. In fact, this whole stretch on which the cafe is sandwiched, is just one cafe after another. Thankfully, they’re not all serving the same things.
“We keep our menu very limited but we ensure quality is good. We try to master every little thing,” shares Teoh. Signature offerings here, in addition to the great coffees which have fruity base notes, are burgers and fish and chips. The patties are made inhouse and the fish used for the fish and chips is Norwegian whitefish, which is similar to codfish albeit of slightly lower grade.
“Our food menu is nothing too fancy,” confides Teoh. “We don’t have a specialised chef or anything. All our workers here are trained to be versatile so they’re able to play various different roles. They clean, cook, make coffee and so on. But the major stuff like baking the cakes and pastries and making the sauces and gravy, I handle.”
Teoh makes everything from home before bringing them to the shop, which is why she’s not normally in the cafe on weekdays. Today, she tells me that the barista is away so she has to run the show.
Continuing, Teoh shares: “If you go a couple of doors up, the cafe serves really good nasi lemak. At the end of the row is a French cafe and they pride themselves on their cakes and pastries. The good thing here in this part of the old town is that instead of competing with each other, we actually work together quite harmoniously.”
Smiling broadly, Teoh adds: “We try to sell different things. On and off, like on Halloween or Christmas, we join up and try to create small events together that would draw the crowd to all our shops. During off days, we sometimes even go for clay making workshops together. All this helps to create a nice close-knit community here.”
As more customers begin to trickle in through the wooden door for their late afternoon coffee fix, and I can see that Teoh is needed to assist her grand uncle on the shopfloor, I couldn’t resist throwing the soft-spoken Teoh my final question: “Why Burps and Giggles?”
And just like the name, the genial proprietor breaks into a hearty giggle. “My niece was the first grandchild in our family,” shares Teoh, adding: “Every time she finished her milk, she would burp and then start giggling. My grandmother would always be cheered by the ‘scene’. It was she who suggested that we named the cafe Burps and Giggles.”
BURPS AND GIGGLES
Where:93-95, Jalan Sultan Yusof, Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours: Wednesday to Friday – 9am to 5pm. Weekends – 9am to 9pm, Closed on Monday and Tuesday