What is refreshing on a hot sweltering day? A bowl of Iced Cheng Tng is the answer. Ye Lai Xiang Cheng Tng (夜来香清汤) located in Bedok Corner Food Centre is a very famous stall with many years of history stretching all the way back to the 1940s.
The last time Lao Beng had Cheng Tng over here was a few years ago when I attended remedial training at the nearby Bedok Camp Fitness Conditioning Centre. You have the option of either a hot or cold Cheng Tng over at Ye Lai Xiang and they also happen to run the adjacent Cuttlefish Kang Kong Stall.
At $3 a bowl for a traditional dessert in a hawker centre setting, many people would have baulked at the pricing for a bowl of Cheng Tng. This is especially true if the Cheng Tng you have had are from Food Courts or regular hawker centre dessert stalls.
One has to appreciate what Ye Lai Xiang Cheng Tng has to offer by trying a bowl of their Cheng Tng that is filled with a smorgasbord of quality ingredients so as to understand the steep pricing.
You can find the regular ingredients like dried longan, gingko nut, sweet potato, barley, sago to the more premium ones like dried persimmon and candied winter melon which is my absolute favourite. I still remember sneaking a few pieces of it from the fridge when I was a young boy, hoping that my mother will not find out. (Oh well, things you do when you are home alone :p )
The fragrance and sweetness of the great tasting Cheng Tng and its wonderful ingredients help bring down the heat on a hot sweltering day. A super cooling comfort food in hot and humid Singapore.
Lao Beng’s Verdict
All the good stuff in a sweet bowl of goodness, I could not have asked for more! If you can spend money on expensive froyo, you can definitely spend $3 for a traditional bowl of Cheng Tng over at Ye Lai Xiang.
Address
Ye Lai Xiang Cheng Tng (夜来香清汤)
Opening hours: 6.00am – 8.00pm (closed on Mondays and alternate Thursdays)
1 Bedok Road (Bedok Corner Food Centre)
Stall No. 31
Singapore 469572