One of the very first dishes I had at Nanyang Dao after it newly opened at Parkway Parade was Chendol.
Now, don't laugh, but it is this very bowl of (small-sized) Chendol that had me so impressed I told myself I was going to come back here for more.
What's happened, however, is that I have been back to Nanyang Dao more than a couple of times, but what with the variety of dishes and everything else that they have on the menu, joke's on me, I've tried a couple other dishes- but not this shaved ice dessert generously drizzled with lots of santan coconut cream, lots of gula melaka and topped with green-colored flour worms and a huge heap of red bean.
Is it a pity?
A bit lar.
But there're so many foods I want to have and want to try.
There's a shiokness about their food that is impossible to ignore.
Doesn't matter if it is the deep fried pork chop with salted egg sauce that comes in a lunchtime set where you can choose between a dessert or a drink.
Doesn't matter if it is the nasi lemak set that I also got absolutely impressed by the first time I ate it, because how often is it that a lunchtime set plate gets you two cute chonky pieces of fried chicken, a huge mound of fragrant coconut-scented rice, a fried sunny side up egg, and a little portion of achar that is not too spicy but a great balance of sour and sweet.
Their food is just so good I'm pretty sure it will be the same for the signature Penang char kuay teow that looks so delightful on the menu and which I'm waiting for the chance to try.
And this shiokness- this feeling of being satisfied, this feeling of having your money's worth- it doesn't happen only when you have the mains.
You get the same feeling when you have their snacks, and their beverages too.
I should know.
Couple of weeks ago we were at their outlet in Bugis+, and because I wasn't in very much of an appetite, decided to order their Portuguese egg tarts, and nothing more.
Notwithstanding the fact that the lady gave us three instead of only two, I loved that both tarts were warm when brought to our table.
I wouldn't know what to do if the egg custard inside the tart were cold and hard, so thankfully, it were warm, mushy and soft, making it a pleasant delight when I bit into one. The pastry, too, was crisp and flaky, making each bite have a bit of a light crunch with bouncy, mushy custard that simply melted in your mouth.
To my surprise it was quite filling.
I guess a snack to them isn't just a snack but can also be a literal meal.
I'm not complaining.
At least I know where I can go if I want a light bite to tide me through an afternoon or an early evening.
Not just that.
I also know where to go when I want an IG-worthy drink as talkable as this.
It isn't every day that I go for something so aesthetic, but you see the bear?
This little bear here is a whole solid chonk chunk of ice.
Actually, a whole chunk of iced coffee frozen in a teddy bear mold.
So cute!!
It was so hard to drink the coffee without making the frozen bear drop, I tell you.
At first I tried sipping the drink by the side, hoping that the bear would continue its delicate balance on its bed of ice cubes, but then one accidental swoosh from my companion and the tower of ice cubes upon which the bear perched came crashing right down.
Fortunately I had had a picture taken by then.
There would have been no picture otherwise.
More than that, however, even in the practical, functional sense, besides the pleasant eye, the solidly built bear of ice kept the coffee cool, and cold, for a fairly long time.
It was still there at the bottom of the glass when I finished.
Glad was I.
I needed the coffee.
The sweetness, the thickness, the refreshing ice-cold chill, the way the drink made you slowly sip instead of guzzling it all at one go.
I loved it.
And at another time appropriate, when I'm wanting a siew bao or a tart or both, I'm pretty sure I will be having it again.