An Dessert : a new dessert stall at Sembawang Hills Food Centre

This is one of the newest stalls in this food centre manned by a mother and daughter team. They have been around for slightly more than a month. I decided to order a Chendol after finished a plate of Beef Horfun from the other new stall in this food centre. While waiting, I chatted with the mother. She saw me taking a picture of their stall and asked, "Do you think you can tell others about our stall?" I replied, "I will tell my friends and ask them to support."

She said, "The business is slow, we are just getting by. The rental itself is already $3,000 and the cleaning fee is $450, there is also the utility bill that we have to pay." She continued to say, "If the business is so good then why would the previous stall decided to quit after been here for more than 20 years?" She was referring to the fish soup stall that has been around for a long while and there was usually a queue during lunch. She also said, "We woke up early and took long hours in doing preparation. Almost everything is handmade at the stall. "

The Chendol is priced at $2 each. It is served in a nice plastic bowl with a metal spoon. The coconut milk is thick and creamy, served with Gula Melaka together with red beans and those droplets of green rice flour jellies. The level of sweetness was well-balanced but I actually prefer to have it slightly sweeter. It would be perfect if the shaved ice is finer and smoother. 

This is not the best Chendol that I have tried so far but it is good enough to taste the amount of effort in making it. 

AN DESSERT

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-36 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 6.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Chendol Melaka : probably the best Chendol in the east

When I posted a picture of the popular Old Amoy Chendol on Facebook, a friend commented that his preferred choice for Chendol is in a popular coffee shop at the junction of Jalan Tua Kong, along East Coast Road. This humble looking stall is serving Nasi Ulam and Chendol only. There are choices of Chendol ($2.30) and XO Durian Chendol ($3.30), Nasi Ulam is priced at $5.30. I decided to go with Chendol and while waiting, I said, "My friend told me about your Chendol and he said, it is the best Chendol in Singapore. The Chinese owner replied, "OK only. There are better ones than mines." He asked, "This is your first time having it?" I nodded. He said, "Welcome to Siglap." 

I shared it with my dining companion. He enjoyed it, he does not usually eat Chendol as he is not a fan of Gula Melaka. He said, "The taste of Gula Melaka is not overwhelming and it also has the right level of sweetness."

This Chendol is probably the best in the east, it is excellent and not too sweet, those chendol stripes are handmade with a distinct pandan taste and those red beans are at just the right softness, the fresh coconut milk has the desired creaminess. 

We decided to order another one to share. My dining companion went to order but he came back telling me that the owner will deliver it as there were 2 other customers waiting for their orders. The friendly owner delivered the Chendol to our table in about 5 minutes. I said, "We liked it so much to order another one." He asked, "Would there be the 3rd bowl?" 

I will come by next time to try the Nasi Ulam together with the Chendol. Nasi Ulam is a traditional dish of steamed rice dish mixed with various herbs that usually serve during the special occasions in most Peranakan households. It is usually sold out quite early.

CHENDOL MELAKA

15 Upper East Coast Road Soy Eu Tua Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 455207

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (Tue to Fri) / 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Sat & Sun)

Old Amoy Chendol : a bowl of simple goodness

It was founded in the 1950s started from a pushcart along Amoy Street but closed in 2004 and recently revived by the owner's grandson, Zhao Youning, 32, the former model and chef Justin Foo of Provisions. It is based on the original recipe from his retired Grandpa. The stall has been around for more than a year, located at the Chinatown Complex Food Centre and it only serves Chendol at $2 per bowl.

They insist in using the fresh cold-pressed coconut milk and not the coconut milk powder like some other stalls, that might compromise the taste. They are using gula melaka that is sourced from an artisanal producer in Sarawak and not brown sugar, which is often a cheaper alternative. 

The pandan jelly worms are made of mung bean flour with juice extracted from the pandan juice, the texture is much softer as compared to those that are factory-made and it has a light pandan flavor. The mashed red bean is soft though not overly mushy at just the right level of sweetness. Everything is made from scratch on a daily basis. Both ingredients are placed on a pile of shaved ice together with coconut milk and the caramelized gula melaka in a porcelain bowl.

It tasted fresh with not a bit of artificial flavoring detected though I prefer the coconut milk to be slightly sweeter and creamier with a stronger gula melaka flavor. It has been a while to come across such a refreshing bowl of chendol. Such simple pleasure of life brings happiness. 

OLD AMOY CHENDOL

Block 335 Smith Street #02-008 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 8.30 pm (Daily)