Durian Cendol by Rojak N Cendol, Ipoh, Malaysia

Durian Cendol

by Rojak N Cendol, Ipoh, Malaysia

It was midday in Ipoh, Perak State, Malaysia, and it was hot. It's the hottest part of the year in Southeast Asia, and the bright sun, intense heat, and humidity are especially miserable this close to the equator. I had been walking around the city's beautiful and historic old town, but I needed a break. I wanted to go somewhere to cool off and found a local cendol shop.

Cendol is a popular Malaysian dessert made from shaved iced, coconut milk, and rice flour and pandan noodles. I ordered mine with durian.

Malaysian cendol with fresh durian by Rojak N Cendol, Ipoh, Malaysia

Durian has a very strong flavor, and people typically either love it or hate it. I've come to like durian well enough, but the Malaysians are crazy about the fruit, and I figured that I'd try the local specialty.

The bowl of cendol was filled to the brim with a generous serving size. The sweet shaved ice and pandan noodles were drowned in a cup of rich, sweet coconut milk and topped with two big, meaty pieces of durian fruit. I stirred it up to mix everything together so that I could get a little bit of every taste and texture in each bite.

The dessert was really nice and very appreciated on such a hot day. If you're not into durian, the shop sells all sorts of varieties of cendol, but if you can appreciate the admittedly complex smell and taste, I highly recommend ordering durian with cendol. After all, when in Malaysia...

an ice-cold bowl of Cendol served with durian in Ipoh, Malaysia

Like its name suggests, Rojak N Cendol serves both rojak (Malaysian fruit salad) and cendol. For more of these delicious Malaysian desserts, check out Georgetown, Penang, one of my favorite foodie towns in all of Southeast Asia.

• Penang Cendol Traditional Northern Malaysian Dessert by Penang Road Nyonya Cendol
• Rojak Penang, or Malaysian Fruit Salad, by Penang Road Nyonya Cendol

Location

Rojak N Cendol is located at 17, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. The restaurant is near Padang Ipoh (Ipoh Field) in the center of the old town and is easily reached on foot from many of the town's main historical attractions.

Rojak N Cendol, Padang Ipoh, Malaysia