Tong Sui Po 糖水铺: Chinese Dessert Retreat in Georgetown
Agnes brought us to a Chinese dessert store on a Georgetown residential street. There was a large wooden 糖水铺 (tong sui po/sweet soup stall) signboard hung on the gate, and a retro milky motorbike parked in front of the gate.
This eatery is a combination of two changed terraced houses: one for cooking, and one for dining. A wooden stall at the entrance imitated the old-style roadside eatery setting, with top-selling food orders written on a row of wooden signs. We were guided to a round marble table, apart from the regular dark brown square seatings.
“Is that mint jelly?” I pointed at the blue-coloured pudding on the menu, probably extracted from butterfly-pea. It looked similar to the jelly in a mobile game I played.
From the menu, the shaved ice looked invigorating. Even the peanut soup, aiyu jelly, and green bean sago were calling me to order those. Maybe I should try the lotus pancake with vanilla ice cream on top, the coldness could counter the fried pancake’s ‘heatiness’.
“You can’t have iced desserts,” Agnes moved my fingers away from the cold desserts. “You need something hot.”
She’s right. I did not want to risk having agonising cramps. I could only choose hot drinks like the ginger tang yuan soup, and a plate of plain lotus pancake.
While waiting for our order, we chatted while admiring the interior decor. Around us were ceramic plates with roosters and floral patterns, and a few retro posters featuring powdered cheongsam women.
I noticed Esther was staring at the stairs, which she claimed the design looked unsettling. Aside from having an ordinary structure, multiple green and red torn Chinese calendar sheets plastered all over the original white surface.
“Do you feel it looked like the talisman from Mo Dao Zu Shi?”
“Right?” Esther cried. “They might seal something evil behind the stairs.”
In many Chinese fantasy settings, the exorcists would bring stacks of talismans with them to ward off demonic energy or evil spirits. Usually, when you find those charmed papers on doors or windows to prevent any dark creatures from leaving or entering. I wonder if they hid a spirit who could cook wonderful desserts.
What You Can Eat?
Our order came in one go. Usually people stay for a bowl of dessert soup or two, but customers can opt for their char bee hoon set if the sweet soups could not satisfy the grumbling stomach.
Ginger is a healthy ingredient which has been utilised in many Chinese cuisines and medicine. The soup’s spicy after-taste helps in staying alert, and it relieves menstrual pain. I am not really a ginger person as I find the strong taste unbearable, but having ginger soup was a better option than icy dessert. The two large black sesame tang yuans were the embellished sweetness within the pool of pungency. I had always been a big fan of this delicacy, the chewy, soft, and round balls with black paste hidden within .
We shared the lava mochi, lotus pancake, and fried mantou. Although plain in taste, the fried mantous were lightweight snacks compared to the crispy lotus pancake. Then, we tried the lava mochi.
“It’s sticky,” Agnes gently brushed off the crushed peanut coverings. “But they are very generous with the peanuts.”
“What’s that?” I asked, poking gently at the light brown liquid oozing out from the mochi.
“Looks like peanut butter,” Esther said. “I’ve never known peanut butter can be paired with mochi.”
This bountiful dinner with soup and snacks eventually had to end as more customers were coming in. It would be another time for me to try some of the cold desserts.
Date of Visitation: 26 Mar 2022
Overall Rating: 8/10
Location: 64, Jalan Seang Tek, George Town, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Opening Hours: 3pm-11pm (Wed-Sun), Closes on Mon & Tues
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