Cendol @Tong Kayu Cafe, Bayan Lepas, Penang

 

Sometimes, the most memorable dishes come not from fancy restaurants or crowded stalls bustling with activity, but rather small establishments slightly off the radar. These unsung heroes are a part of the huge fabric of cuisine in general and what would be easily dubbed as "local favourites". And this is one of them. 

After dark

Tong Kayu Cafe is a simple and modest warung in Bayan Lepas that sells nasi lemak in the afternoon. They are quite well known for that, but not for what we are here for today which is cendol. And under the recommendation of my old friend Samantha, we went there with her husband for some end of the night dessert. Like most warungs located slightly out of the way, it has a real village vibe to it and it was practically empty. So if not for the endorsement of someone, I would probably just ignore it. But that would have been a grave mistake. And soon enough a bowl of cendol with some sticky rice came soon after. 

Green!

Oh boy this was good. The cendol noodles were very smooth and silky. And those little strands of floral aroma just bite off, like well, noodles! It is very different than the nyonya style ones that I used to enjoy, which is loaded with fat uneven strands. It had a lot of flavour too, with that fresh grassy profile at the beginning and then a floral after taste in the end. 

Oh baby!

The coconut soup that came with it is a bit different. Again, compared to the nyonya style that I enjoy it is not loaded with brown sugar or red beans. It is just simple straight up, coconut with sugar. But the coconut is so fresh and vibrant, it makes up for its simplicity. It is not as thick as some places, where the coconut will just sludge like a milkshake, but rather more like a refreshing light beverage. Instead of shaved ice, they used ice cubes here. I know this may be a deal breaker for some but it was fine by me. Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable. 

Chewy

A special condiment would be the sticky rice, or "pulut" in local speak. It worked very well and gave the overall dessert some additional body and chewiness. A contrast of textures is never a bad thing. This hit the spot. 

A little dark but worth the effort. 

Far away from the usual tourist trappy haunts and located in somewhat out of the radar it was. But that little inconvenience was worth it. And my bowl was about RM3.50, so it was a great steal. If you love your cendol or local desserts in general, this is something you need to try. Where can you find this warung? The address is as follows:

11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang