Chendol

When looking for a dessert, you normally hope to find something sticky, or doughy, or gooey, but all I could find was shaved ice. Normally I would jump at the chance for something a little healthier than a massive pastry, but the pictures on the board above the stall didn’t make their produce look very, ‘desserty’.

Each picture was of a mound of ice with what I would describe as ‘colourful bits of gloup’ sprinkled on top of them. I almost went for the Lemon Ice Jelly because it sounded like the safest option, but I’m not travelling to eat safe, I’m in SEA to try as much as I can. With this in mind, I went for the wackiest looking dessert on the board. Fortunately it was one of the cheapest at $2.10 (that’s roughly £1 to us Brits).

My choice was called Chendol (often spelt, Cendol) I asked the guy behind the counter if he could explain what it was. His first answer was, “it’s Chendol”, so I tried again. This time he said, “it’s sweet”. I must have looked very confused because he added, “it’s very popular. People come back. Buy more.”

I was sold.

I handed him my money and watched another man work the ice machine. Before the ice was ready, he filled the bottom of a bowl with green and red cubes of jelly. Once he was satisfied with the ice crystals, he piled it on top of the jellies. I’m sure it would have been enough for two people, but I was going to have a good go at it myself.

After the ice came the brown syrup, which turned out to be coconut milk. To top it off he added a generous helping of what looked like green beans.

When I sat down with my dessert, I put the green beans and some ice onto my spoon. Ignoring the fact that my head was telling me the food looked like vegetables on a bit of brown rice, I ate the entire spoonful in one. Of course the beans weren’t actually vegetables. I Googled it and found out that they’re jelly noodles made from rice flower with green food colouring, and they are delicious. I expected them to be rubbery and the ice to taste like coke, but the mixture of jelly and coconut milk was heavenly. And even though the portion was big, at the end of the day, it was just ice and jellies. Hardly calorific. As you can probably guess, I went back another day to try something different. I did eventually go back and try the Lemon Ice Jelly. It might not have been adventurous, but for Lauren the fan of lemons, it was worth it.

This however, is my blog’s very own picture of Chendol:

Self-indulgence

The luxury began as soon as we stepped off Sri Lankan Airlines. Ahead of us were toilets that were so clean, I didn’t want to leave them. Where was I going to have such an enjoyable bathroom experience again?

We collected our backpacks from in front of a waterfall and headed towards the exit. At the cash point, I reluctantly withdrew one hundred pounds worth of dollars for the four days we’d be in the city. And ohhhh yes, I managed to spend every cent.

Free from jet lag, and kitted with a three day tourist pass for the metro, we started exploring. But first, we hunted for food. You can’t be a wilderness explorer without fuel. And this, readers of the blog, is where my food journey begins. I enjoyed the spicy tang of the Sri Lankan roti, but this was something special. If you find the right place, you can pick up a meal in Singapore for as little as $5. That’s a whopping £2.50 for a generous cut of duck breast, a mound of rice and some green veggies on the side. From here onwards, I will direct you to another area of my blog if I have something specifically food related to share with you.

Our first food stop was Chinatown. We hopped off the metro and headed towards Smith Street, a recommended hawker centre In the Lonely Planet guide book. The food stalls were lined up through the middle of the street. It was like an outdoor food court. While you’re walking past each food hut, trying and failing to decide which delicacy you wish to try first, waitresses attempt to entice you into the restaurants that are tucked away in the side of the street. But don’t do it. Street food is where you’ll find the best produce.

One beef dish down and I was ready to find some pudding. Okay, here’s where I’m going to ask you to bookmark this in your head, click over to the category ‘Edible Culture’, and read the post titled, ‘Chendol’. It is the beginning of my journey through weird, wonderful and not so wonderful, food. I’ll say no more here.

Unlike London’s Chinatown, Singapore’s popular cultural hub is not dominated by Chinese restaurants alone. Singapore offers a thriving cheap market that’s a bustling mass of locals and tourists until the last store closes. Collectively, the market is supposed to close at 8:00/8:30pm, but many stalls stay open to try their luck.

The next stop on the metro-line calls for a side anecdote:

I remember browsing through my newsfeed on Facebook a few years ago and coming across an article about Singapore’s newest hotel. I whipped the lead out of my laptop and ran downstairs to show my dad. He loves Grand Designs, so I knew he’d love this one.

Tired and aching from the day’s flight, I thought about heading back to the hostel and calling it a night, but Sam mentioned going to see Sky Park and I couldn’t resist. The two hundred metre high hotel looks like a surfboard balancing on three cocktail sticks. At night, the whole building is lit like a Christmas tree, enticing travellers and tourists into paying the twenty dollar fee to head up to the observation deck for a three hundred and sixty degree view of the city. To save myself the disappointment of not being able to go to the top and check out the infinity pool, I declined and admire the building from the outside.

One day, I’ll go back to Singapore with enough money to take my family to Sky Park, especially my dad – I’d like to re-kindle that excitement I saw the day I found the article.

Making the most of our metro tourist pass, we explored as much of the city as we could. There was so much to do there that we had different ideas of what we wanted to see, so one afternoon we split up. I stayed in the National Museum, while Sam headed to Sentosa island. I think the best part of my day was going to Haw Par Villa. But that’s a story for another time, perhaps. It’s too bizarre to add onto the tail end of this post.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Singapore, and I’d like to head back there one day; with more money. Unfortunately, you need a lot of it to take part in the most interesting attractions.

Oh, but if you’re ever there, you have to go to the zoo. It’s amazing. It’s mainly open enclosures for free roaming monkeys. The food is reasonably priced there, too. Always a bonus.