Back when i was working in the Agency for Integrated Care at Tanjong Pagar, i was literally pampered with cheap and supposedly good food that was merely a short five-minute walk from my workplace (MND building that is)!
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But, the convenience of such close proximity to the two notable food centres (Maxwell and Amoy for that matter) didn't stop me from venturing further into the Chinatown district where i frequently had lunches at Chinatown Complex hawker centre.
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Two particular stalls had that mystical hold over me; a hold so strong, so addictive that i found it very uneasy if i didn't patronise it at least once a week. One of them was Xue Hua Fei (雪花飞) that has been in operation since 1954; in mandarin, the name is translated as flying snowflakes!
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My walks to Chinatown Complex were mainly conducted under the merciless hot sun for which a sweat-soaked shirt would be the unwanted reward. Hence, what other dessert would be more suitable than a simple bowl of heat-soothing cheng tng!?
By the way (in case you are wondering), the "curse to visit at least once a week" was eventually broken when i resigned and moved out of MND. I went cold turkey for more than a month before driving all the way there to indulge again, together with my dearest mom!
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Just the sheer appearance of ice was already sufficient to cool me down by 49.49%! The broth was a traditional combination of what goes into Cheng Tng and resulted was a clear soup served with only two purposes in mind; to quench your thirst and cool your body.
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Made up of typical traditional ingredients (think lotus seeds, white fungus, dried longans), this lacked the luxuries that some other Cheng Tng stalls have offered. Nonetheless, it was purely because of its uncomplicated plainness (and unexcessive sweetness) that got me hooked to it!
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This was also one of the rare instances where i am actually loving the flavourful "liao" more than the "tng", especially the burst of good old sweetness whenever i bit into the lotus seeds! The above was the hot version for mom (included so that you can see the ingredients clearer).
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Location
Block 335, Smith Street,
#02-19, Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Map of the Food Centre
The hawker centre is huge; please refer to the map diligently.
Price
Cheng Tng - S$1.50 a bowl