SINGAPORE – The sun is blazing overhead. Fat, salty droplets of perspiration trickle down your back.
You know the feeling. In this weather, there is nothing most people want more than some ice-cold relief. Even better if you do not actually have to reach into your wallet to pay for it.
Here are some places where your CDC vouchers can help you cool down.
Burnt Cones
Forget the heat. I would make a stop at Burnt Cones even if it were zero degrees out and snowing.
Here, you will find familiar ice cream flavours – vanilla, chocolate, pistachio – alongside more exotic options like ube (purple yam) and scamorza (a type of cheese). They come in generous scoops: smooth, creamy and, most importantly, freezing cold.
Single scoops start at $5 for premium flavours. Handmade cones – both burnt and unburnt – come at an additional $1.50, while buttermilk waffles are available from $9.
Burnt Cones’ ice cream is sold at four locations, but bear in mind that CDC vouchers are accepted only at its Sunset Way outlet.
Where: 01-02, Block 105 Clementi Street 12
Open: 11am to 10pm, Mondays to Thursdays; 11am to midnight, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Info: burntcones.com
Nyonya Chendol
If you prefer desserts with local flair, head to one of Nyonya Chendol’s branches. It has four outlets across Singapore, but only the ones at Chong Pang Market & Food Centre and Old Airport Road Food Centre accept CDC vouchers.
This is the only chendol stall in Singapore featured in the Michelin Guide, which praises it for imparting “the right level of sweetness”. The dessert comes in four flavours: original ($2), red bean ($2.50), sweet corn ($2.50) and durian ($3.50).
Where: 01-115 Old Airport Road Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road; and 01-162 Chong Pang Market & Food Centre, 105 Yishun Ring Road
Open: Old Airport Road, 10.30am to 9.30pm, Tuesdays to Sundays; Chong Pang, 10am to 9pm daily
Info: facebook.com/nonyachendol
Reiwa Soba
In the mood to slurp some noodles but unable to stomach a bowl of piping hot soup? No problem – one place in Bedok serves them cold.
At Reiwa Soba, noodles are made fresh from scratch with buckwheat flour. They are chilled, springy and best consumed as soon as possible.
Dunk them in a subtly spicy dipping sauce ($13 for a set with pork or chicken) or stick to the traditional combination of dashi soya, leek, sesame seeds, nori and wasabi ($10).
The restaurant also serves hot soba (from $10), sashimi rice bowls (from $14) and an assortment of side dishes, including prawn tempura ($14) and chicken karaage ($14).
Its Bedok branch is the only outlet listed on the CDC vouchers website.
Where: 01-3177, Block 740 Bedok Reservoir Road
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 5.30 to 10pm, Thursdays to Tuesdays
Info: facebook.com/reiwasoba
Jin Kimchi Express
If you favour Korean cuisine, Jin Kimchi Express whips up its own version of cold noodles too.
Its icy mul naengmyeon ($8.80) consists of chewy buckwheat noodles in a chilly beef-based broth, topped with a boiled egg and pickled radish. This dish originated in North Korea, where it was initially a delicacy, and became popular throughout the South as well after the Korean War.
In addition to the franchise’s Sengkang outlet, CDC vouchers are also accepted at its Ghim Moh joint.
Where: 03-22 Fernvale Community Club, 21 Sengkang West Avenue; and Kopitiam Corner, 29 Ghim Moh Link
Open: Fernvale, 11am to 2.30pm, 5 to 8.30pm daily; Ghim Moh, 11am to 8.30pm daily
Info: jin-kimchi.com/pages/jin-kimchi-express
Salad Co.Sg
Some nutrition experts recommend swopping heavy meals for lighter bites in hot weather – especially those that contain hydrating ingredients like fruit and vegetables.
Refresh yourself with slices of cucumber or celery at Salad Co.Sg, located in the CapitaSpring foodcourt in Market Street.
The steps are simple: Pick from a base of romaine lettuce ($6.90) or baby spinach ($7.90). Both come with five toppings a bowl. Alternatively, forget the base greens and fill your bowl with six toppings instead ($6.90).
They include black olives, broccoli, edamame, soba noodles and peach slices. For added protein, top up $1.50 for barbecue chicken or $2.50 for smoked salmon.
Drizzle some balsamic vinaigrette or wasabi mayonnaise for a final flourish.
Where: 03-30 CapitaSpring, 88 Market Street
Open: 10am to 2.30pm, Mondays to Thursdays
Info: saladco.sg
The Whale Tea
Regardless of where on the island you live, you are likely to find a bubble tea store nearby that accepts CDC vouchers. There is Dew Station in Woodlands, Each A Cup in Jurong West, PlayMade in Bukit Merah and Bumble Tea in Tampines, just to name a few.
Those living in central Singapore are spoilt for choice as well. For a taste of The Straits Times’ top bubble tea of 2023, drop by The Whale Tea’s Toa Payoh stand and order the Dark Plum Tomato Tea ($5.30). It is the chain’s only outlet that accepts CDC vouchers.
Where: 01-536, Block 190 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
Open: 10.30am to 10pm, Mondays and Tuesdays; 10.30am to 12.30am, Wednesdays to Sundays
Info: thewhaletea.com.sg
