Imagine walking around the beautiful city of Melaka, taking in the sights and sounds and tastes of a city so rich in history and culture, it seems like a living heritage.
After a while, the heat of the day begins to get to you and you start craving a bowl of ice-cold cendol – finely-shaved ice and pandan—flavoured starch jelly swimming in fresh coconut milk, and flavoured with the earthy and distinct taste of gula Melaka.
Cendol stalls are a dime-a-dozen in Melaka, but if you don't know where to start, here are three spots you'll find hugely enjoyable cendol.
The Kappan House
This was one of those surprise finds. Our foodie team was hot, thirsty and ready to try the first cendol shop we came across, and as fate would have it, the Kappan House was the first we stumbled upon along Jonker Street.
Slightly underwhelming, but definitely an option if cendol is not for you. – Pic courtesy of Hungry Go Where, August 22, 2014.We ordered the basic cendol (RM3) and was blown away by how deeply rich and earthy the gula Melaka was. Sweet with the faintest tinge of bitterness, the gula Melaka was perfectly balanced by the fresh and ice-cold coconut milk. The green cendol strips were home-made and was soft, with a nice, springy chew.
We also ordered a bowl of guilinggao (Chinese herbal jelly, RM5) but found it lacked the bitterness of herbs which are a must-have in this traditional dessert.
Jeta Groves
Never say ‘no’ to a scoop of ice-cream. – Pic courtesy of Hungry Go Where, August 22, 2014.Jeta Groves is one of those favoured by locals, as it's not situated along Jonker Street which can be a traffic madhouse during weekends.
It offered the basic cendol with additions such as red beans, durian (it wasn't available, boohoo) and ice-cream. The plain cendol (RM3) was delicious, although the gula Melaka lacked the robustness we had come to expect in Melaka.
The cendol with ice-cream variation (RM3.80) was pretty much exactly the same as the original version, except it turned out sweeter and creamier by the time the vanilla ice-cream melted into the dessert.
The shop also sells some Nyonya dishes, so you can have a good meal to go with your dessert.
Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine
Slightly awkward to eat especially if you’re used to shaved ice. – Pic courtesy of Hungry Go Where, August 22, 2014.Amy Heritage claims to serve all-authentic Nyonya food, and cendol rates highly on the list of recommended dishes here.
Amy serves their cendol (RM3) with ice cubes instead of ice shavings. We were told that is the "original" form of Nyonya cendol, a claim we have yet been able to establish.
Original or not, the cendol was still very enjoyable as the ice cubes did their job of keeping the dessert ice cold to the very last drop.
The slithery cendol had a slight bite to it, and went very well with the bittersweet richness of the gula Melaka. A great way to end a delicious meal there. – August 22, 2014.
* If good food is your passion, then HungryGoWhere is your perennial kaki makan. Get access to one of the most comprehensive online Malaysian food guides available, and bring us along everywhere you go by downloading our mobile application, available on iOS and Android.
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