Kopi UP’s story starts with the son of a Teochew porridge restaurant owner, who decided to carry his father’s legacy into a new chapter. It blends old-school Nanyang coffee traditions with the foods he loves, a playful axolotl mascot and a vision of doing things a little differently.

CARRYING ON A FAMILY LEGACY 

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Darryl Peh has spent most of his life in Singapore watching his father run his Teochew porridge business with his whole heart. For 26 years, Darryl’s father built his reputation around the simple principle that freshness and quality come first. He also adopted a very hands-on approach, personally selecting the ingredients at the market every morning because he believed that good food doesn’t have a secret—just the best ingredients.

But when health issues and the challenges of running a business during the Covid-19 pandemic took their toll, he decided it was time to stop. The thought of losing the food Darryl had grown up with, however, didn’t sit right with him. 

Rather than letting the business end there, Darryl chose to continue what his father had built.  He learned alongside long-time staff—one of whom is now Kopi UP’s co-founder and head chef, Goh Wei Sing—and carried those invaluable lessons into his own venture.

A NEW-SCHOOL TAKE ON NANYANG CAFE CULTURE

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Kopi UP is where Darryl and Wei Sing’s new story begins. Based in Johor Bahru, the new-school Nanyang cafe brings together traditional coffee culture and a menu shaped by Darryl’s own tastes and travels.

The result is Darryl’s special take on the Nanyang blend. After years of drinking kopi o kosong and researching traditional roasting methods, he began roasting his own beans, swapping the use of the usual use of sugar and butter in favour of Arabica beans and a process that lets the coffee speak for itself without compromising on its aroma and flavour.

Meanwhile, the food menu follows a similarly personal approach with dishes such as smashed ayam berempah nasi lemak, Shibuya spicy oil noodles, and The 5-Daily. Rather than sticking to one culinary tradition, Kopi UP is a meaningful assemblage of things Darryl enjoys eating under one roof with accessible prices to boot.

MORE THAN WHAT’S ON THE MENU

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It’s time to address the axolotl in the room. This quirky little amphibian is the cafe’s beloved mascot and a reflection of Darryl’s attitude: easygoing and carefree. But behind the light-hearted branding is an ambition to build a business where good ingredients, fair prices and the people behind the food all matter.

Having worked alongside Malaysian staff at his family’s Teochew porridge restaurant in Singapore, Darryl hopes Kopi UP will lead to opportunities to bring them back home and closer to their families as he knows what it's like to be away from loved ones all too well. In its own way, Kopi UP continues the philosophy that shaped his father’s kitchen, while making room for new ideas. It may have started with wanting to preserve his father’s legacy but this next chapter is very much taking a shape of Darryl’s own.