with my first blog I thought of starting by talking one of my favourite desserts of all time. CENDOL.. its truly a wonderful dessert that brings a smile on almost every Malaysian’s/ Singaporean’s face the moment they hear its name yet alone eat it. A coconut milk and ice flakes-based dessert glazed with palm sugar(Gula Melaka) and pandan, that has a magnanimous power of dragging us back to the past, reminiscing our childhood days..reminding us of home.
I would usually try my best to try the Cendol in almost every place and every state I visit, to see if I have actually tasted the best cendol in Malaysia, or perhaps the world. Though I must admit, I have only had a few and I am still continuing my journey in tasting all the cendol in Malaysia.
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SKUDAI, JB…infront of the Hindu Temple(next to the old Telekom building)
of course this will always be number one for me. It is small stall that is managed very well by an elderly Malay couple. It is located right in front of the Hindu temple in Sri Skudai, known as the Balasubramaniam Temple. It is also known to some the cendol next to the old Skudai Telekoms building.
It is a clean stall equipped with a couple tables and chairs for those who would want to sit under the shady trees. However most people would just pack their cendol and head home. The elderly man would make the cendol for you while the elderly woman would be in charge of the money. Don’t let their age fool you because inspite of the huge crowd, the uncle will always know who came first to the order the cendol from him. So, don’t ever think of cutting the queue, hoping to be served first. You would just lose face instead. Another interesting thing about this Cendol stall is that, it is only opened during lunch hours, from 12 NOON(or 11.30am depending on the uncle’s mood) to 1.30 or if you’re lucky, till 2pm, SUN-THURS. It really depends on the availability of the cendol as the uncle usually prepares the cendol in small quantities.
Price: RM2 if you sit there and eat, RM2.50 if you pack
2. Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul(Chendol)
this is not a secret as almost everyone whose ever to been to Penang knows this place. Located in Lebuh Keng Kwee, Georgetown. Finding a car park to go the shop is not easy due to intense traffic, so make sure to peel your eyes and find for a car park to avoid making multiple rounds as the road are mostly one-way. Buying a cendol from this place is not easy though not impossible. There’s also asam laksa sold in the shop so, if you would want to sit in the shop and enjoy your cendol, be sure to order their asam laksa! This happens if the shop is crowded of course. I’ll be talking about their asam laksa on another blog later on.
Price: RM2 per bowl of Cendol
picture courtesy of Google Images.
3. Street 88, Jonker, Melaka
ah yes, another food haven. The Cendol in Melaka is more emphasised on the Gula Melaka. Places to sit yet again are very limited in this shop on weekends, but a freely available on weekdays. There are many types cendol sold in this shop, for example the Durian Cendol, the Baba Nyonya Cendol, Both taste amazingly amazing!
Interesting fact about this shop is that due to limited seating, people would just randomly share tables just so they can sit and enjoy their bowl of cendol. There is even asam laksa sold here. Perfect for soothing your palettes after enjoying a bowl of steaming spicy laksa with a bowl cool and sweet cendol. Though the price for a bowl of Cendol is slightly more expensive than the usual, but hey, it is definitely worth the try.
Price: RM4-6 (depending on the type of cendol) Baba Cendol is better, I feel.
4. Cendol Jam Besar(by the river, opposite St.Paul Hill)
If you wish to enjoy your bowl of cendol by admiring the beautiful Melaka River, then this is the place for you. This shop is located along the Melaka River, right opposite the Stadthyus/ Dutch Square/ Red Square. The cendol served in this stall has a lesser taste of the Gula Melaka but more of the smooth coconut milk, which is perfect for those who like their cendol less sweet. Sipping the cool sweet Cendol under the shady umbrellas of the table, while admiring the Melaka River is truly a remarkable experience.
5. Justberrys, Kota Laksamana-Melaka
yes, this is also in Melaka. Well then, I guess its no wonder that Melaka is called a Food Haven right? This is a legit, proper cafe-type dessert shop that is located in Kota Laksamana, Melaka. The best part about this place is that it is opened till 12am midnight, and its slightly further away from Jonker Street, hence we get to avoid the immense traffic.
What I loooooooooove about the cendol from this shop is the Durian Cendol. When we hear durian cendol, we immediately assume bits and pieces of the durian flesh to be in the cendol. BUT, this is not the case. This cafe serves their Durian Cendol with an ACTUAL, WHOLE DURIAN FLESH. That’s right. You heard me a full piece of durian flesh is placed on top of the cendol. Now, THAT’s what you call Durian Cendol.
Price : RM18
Well that concludes my mini Cendol adventure. Though they were only a few, I hope it helped some of you food lovers out there. I hope to continue my cendol quest and write another blog with the title, Cendol Cendol Cendol 2.0. Fingers crossed!
Eats, sleeps and whatnots 