Dove Desserts: Heavenly Chendol, Traditional Cheng Tng
With smart, liverpool, bashfulhunter, iwatch_ueat, damien and PowerAunty
I have never considered this question before until now. Maybe you haven't too.
This is the question: How should Chendol be taken? With shaved ice like the one in the picture or as a soup-drink with crushed ice, like the ones they serve by the road side in Malaysia? In all my years of eating Chendol, I have never asked the question. In fact, I did not ask the question until I had the answer.
I have decided, after taking this particular Chendol that it should, it must, be taken this way. Let me explain why.
When you eat Chendol as a soup-drink, everything is mixed up and all you get to enjoy is the taste of cold coconut milk with Gula Melaka. When you take it without mixing it all up, you can actually get to appreciate the different elements of the Chendol plus the texture of the finely shaved ice as it melts in your mouth. This is particularly delightful when you have really good Gula Melaka. Oh yes, the lady boss, Helen is so particular about her Gula Melaka that she insists on driving to Malacca to buy the best stuff there to bring home.
Before she started business about 4 years ago, Helen shared with us how she went up to Malacca to taste test several of the top Chendol stalls there so that she has a Gold Standard to compare with. She believes that she has a Chendol that can stand up to the best ones in Malacca. She makes the Chendol herself,using only pandan leaves and passes it through a special Chendol strainer which she also managed to procure in Malacca. Then the other important element is the freshly squeezed coconut milk and the quality extra large red beans. For me the most striking thing is still the shaved ice and the Gula Melaka. So super shiok, it forever changed my thinking about Chendol. Went back twice in a week and still thinking about it. 4.6/5
When Helen set up this stall, she simply wanted to create desserts that she enjoyed as a child ie the traditional way. So she adds dried persimmons and winter melon in her Cheng Tng and not any of the modern stuff like agar agar or jelly. Not easy to find such Cheng Tng nowadays. 4.25/5
Conclusion
Best Chendol I have eaten in years. Make sure when you order that you stress that you want the finely shaved ice. Sometimes after making cold Cheng Tng, they might forget to set the ice shaver back to fine!
Dove Desserts
Blk 22 Toa Payoh Lor 7
#01-21
92725712
11am to 8pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday
Recommended by smart
29 comments:
THE BEST CHENDOL, I had in Singapore so far...:)...the shaved ice and gula melaka made a big difference ....
and I won't mention who almost finished 2 bowls.. ;)
Hi Dr Tay,
Stumbled upon this blog and I must say that it's making me drool! ;) Can't wait for summer holidays to come so that I can get back to sg to indulge in all these yummy hawker foods that I can never find here.
cheers,
Jasmine :)
(2nd year med student at Monash University)
Really so good? Will find time this week to try it.
By the way, do they have bo-bo cha-cha? Can someone recommend one good one? Tks.
Can tell its autenticity by the colour of the chendol. Unlike those mass produced ones that even has a luminous glowing green in the dark chemical... & taste so plastic.
ok ok I exaggerated....
Did you try the $2 for 2 meat 2 veggie rice? Cheapest rice I come across so far.
ok...ok.. I admit I finished ALMOST 2 bowls and the next 1 & 1/2 bowl next couple of days. Reason being, I didn't ate lunch and was really really hungry and first tastes, hmmm, 2nd mouthful, WOW, must take the bowl away from everyone and then.... just carried-on and liverpool, u join in too! Don't blame me! It was good, must try and different from other chendol stalls. So, question is, where is it originated???
Anyone out there dare to put your head on the chopping board? Where is the country of origin?
glad that ieat n gang likes the chendol. So far this is the best I tried in Spore. Yet to try the cheng tng.
Aiya forgot to mention that it was Uncle Smart who recommended this Chendol in the first place!
buy uncle the chendol next time!
Agreed with scs butter about the factory made chendol, looks like its made to glow in the dark ??? Most of the time I would avoid chendol altogether and go for other desserts, but this chendol made me sit up and take a serious 2nd look, would defintely head down and give it a try.
The cheng tng looks good for me too, there hasn't been much traditional cheng tng left, the last traditiona cheng tng I used to go was dropped by me when the Mohd Sultan Cheng Tng at Zion Rd Food Center was passed on from the father to son, and he decided to cut corners and increase the price. I got no qualms about price increase if standards are maintained, but if you do that and cut corners, that would be the end of my patronage.
The weather was really hot outside after finishing lunch, so I decided to go down and try the chendol after all the raving from my friends here. :-)
Verdict: It's the best chendol I've tried so far.
As an aside, my self-awarded "best chendol" title used to go to a stall at a hawker centre in Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, but unfortunately the auntie decided to close down her stall a few years back. :-(
I couldn't find another stall worthy of the title since that stall disappeared, so I'm really glad Uncle Smart shared this gem with us.
Go try it!
You mentioned Malaysia, so I shall recommend this stall in Batu Pahat. (Yes, its a bit too far.. haha)
They sells the traditional Chendol and its only handmade greeny chendol, coconut milk, gula melaka and fine ice shavings. RM1 only. It taste really really heavenly.
When you sit down and eat in, it comes with fine shaved ice, but when you tapow, they have big rock size ice instead, so it remains cold longer till you reach home.
I tried this chendol last week. aiyah - no big deal. True - it is good by Singapore standards (no factory made luminous green chendol noodles) and it is very in expensive (S$ 1.20). But it is not as good as chendol in malaysia. Madam Kwan's and Little Penang Kafe's chendol beat it hands down. Also, the best chendol in Singapore is found in Beautyworld served in a restaurant called Dulukala. But you must call up first cos chendol is one of their daily specials and they might not have it everyday.
toru
To get your penname to appear on top, click on the 2nd option, "other" and sign in as Toru. After a while, people will get to know you and your comments will be treated with greater consideration like smart, damien, liverpool and the rest of our regular commentators!
How much is the chendol at Dulukala toru?
I am now tempted to check this out.
liverpool - cant remember how much the chendol cost. Dulukala is a pretty inexpensive place. The owners are really nice though the restaurant is understaffed. Found a write up on this blog http://cavinteo.blogspot.com/2007/07/dulukala-peranakan-restaurant-it-is.html (no it's not my blog)
thanks! will go check it out...
Dove Dessert served a power cold cheng tng too!4.5/5 for me.
The green chendol has too much essence taste. The gula malacca is not fragrant as those in Malacca. Average chendol compared to those in Malacca.
Shared one cold cheng tng and chendol!
Immediately after, I ordered another Chendol for takeaway.
I. Had. To.
'nuff said.
P.S: We both found the red bean to have that chocalatey flavour! Or is it the top-grade gula melaka??
To ieat,
There's an extra space in your tag after the "9", that's why this doesn't go with the rest from Lorong 7.
This dessert stall seems to be a catagory on its own and not with the stalls in Toa Payoh Lor7 food market:).
Having live in Toa Payoh Lor 7 for like 10+++ years, I would say you missed out on a good stall there. It is directly opposite this dessert stall in the coffee shop.
The vegetarian food in the coffee shop is really good. Lots of choices, cheap, tasty and long queue in the morning
I went all the way there to sample 7 of their top recommendation at one go!
(was attracted by the pictures here)
http://soonhuat.com.sg/desserts.html
Verdict :
Best : Red Tea Jelly
Unique : Strawberry Ice Kachang
Exotic : Chendol (Oh my, it was made of coconut milk! but mmm... delicious)
cheers.
Best place to promote stalls is in our forum!
Never like singapore's chendol. Missed Malacca's...I went last week, the chendol taste exactly the same as Malacca. Great!!!! I dun need to travel all the way there anymore. My colleagues who doesnt like gula melaka also tried and commented it taste different.
When I ask for extra fine ice, Auntie knew that I gt to know her stall through this blog hahaha..
By the way, Auntie had revised her working schedule. Shw opens on Sunday too.
Just checked with Auntie about her revised schedule. Was there on Sun but was closed. Now open on Mon but still close on Sun.
Do not know why people rave about chendol in Malacca. Most of them are Johnny-come-lately stores set up to cater for Singapore visitors. I think their chendols are average. Problem in Singapore is most of the chendols are terrible.
Most people in Malaysia will vote for the chendol from Penang (Penang Rd). Penang Cafe in KLCC has the imitation version at 3 times the price. There is another one in Klang where some will say is the best.
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