Old but gold: Kopi gu you

One step into Heap Seng Leong and you may feel a wave of nostalgia sweep over you.

This coffee shop transports you back in time.

Located at 10 North Bridge Road, this traditional coffee shop has been serving customers since 1974.

It is manned by Mr Shi Pong Hsu - who is in his eighties - and his son, 54-year-old Mr Shi Ting Chow.

Despite its long history, not much has changed within Heap Seng Leong.

The New Paper first visited the coffee shop three years ago and it still looks the same.

The plastic jars containing biscuits still stand behind a bright orange payphone - though obviously, they are not the same biscuits inside.

The weathered phone has taken decades worth of calls.

Then there's the truly old-school method of calculating. The abacus here could easily be one of the remaining few still in active use in Singapore.

"Nothing has changed here since we started. Everything is the same," said the younger Mr Shi in Mandarin.

He has been working in the shop for more than 30 years, .

Aside from its old-school look and feel, Heap Seng Leong is also well known for its kopi gu you, also known as butter coffee.

It is one of the last few coffee shops in Singapore that still serves this drink.

Just like the name suggests, kopi gu you is actually coffee with condensed milk and a slice of butter floating on top.

According to Mr Shi, the drink has proven to be quite popular among youngsters here.

Fans who turn up to the time-locked coffee shop, either for the butter coffee or the Instagramable scenes it offers, will be glad to hear that there are no plans to renovate or refurnish the place.

"I don't think we will renovate it," said Mr Shi. "We will most probably preserve it because there are fewer traditional coffee shops like this nowadays."