It’s James Cendol time! No seriously, it’s Chinese New Year (“CNY”) again! Say hello again to the super jammed up roads and super hot weather! It just seemed like yesterday it was Christmas though. This year the timing between Christmas and CNY is rather near.
This year, the weather is much hotter as compared to previous years’. Seems like it’s getting hotter and hotter as the years go by (we need to start taking steps to preserve the environment!)… And what better way to cool down than a tasty bowl of James Cendol?
| Fun fact: Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly (the green colour is usually derived from pandan), coconut milk and palm sugar syrup (gula Melaka). |
To be honest, I didn’t know the green wormy things were actually called green rice flour jelly till I started researching about cendol. Sometimes, stalls will have additional toppings available for add-on, like pulut (glutinous rice) or red bean.
James Cendol’s Location
Located right in front of a Hindu temple, this cendol stall offers cendol served with red bean or pulut, or if you’re feeling greedy, both. It has the royal stamp of approval from the Sultan of Perak who once had cendol at their very store!
Verdict – Must try! But…
Over the years I have frequented their store, they have switched from metal bowls to polystrene bowls and then back to metal bowls when serving their cendol. There is a noticeable difference in taste when the different type of bowls were used. I personally prefer it when the cendol served in a metal bowl. Perhaps it’s because the shaved ice melts faster in the polystyrene bowls, or the metal bowls are able to keep the cendol cool more consistently.
The quality of service at their store has also dropped. The lady who is currently mending the store can get rather grumpy at times. The original owner, who once minded the store back then when I was a kid is no longer based there.
Read also: Choong Kwok Restaurant @ Sitiawan, Perak
Price-wise, the store is charging for a bowl of cendol slightly on the higher side, comparable to of those in the city. The serving is also rather small. Though probably on hot days like these, I wouldn’t mind spending a little more for a cold dessert to cool down in the hot weather. The gula melaka that they use here is one of the better ones, so I guess it makes up for the premium pricing. But I would appreciate if they would give more shaved ice, as the ice tends to melt rather quickly in the hot weather.
Do give it a try if you ever drop by Sitiawan!
My Rating
60%: Ambiance
60%: Price (value of money)
75%: Taste
90%: Location
70%: Service
71%: Overall rating
Opening Hours
11.30 AM – 7 PM (Daily)
