The Ondeh Ondeh Hungry Guppies Face-Off
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Foodies and Foodies…
And…you are reading about YET another HUNGRY GUPPIES FACE-OFF This is Sweet Tooth Guppy reporting after an afternoon of sweet indulgence… Yummy! Nothing like a mid-week SWEET treat I say.
For this FACE-OFF, we pit Ondeh Ondeh (s) from two famous stalls in Singapore against each other. We have Tiong Bahru- HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondeh on one side of the battle ring and Maxwell Market- Xing Xing Tapioca Cake (Stall name)’s Ondeh Ondeh on the other side.
For easy reading: Xing Xing Tapioca Cake shall henceforth be referrred to XXTC.
This has been one of the more closely fought out battle in our Face-Off series I must say! This Sweet Tooth Guppy had to take several helpings before she can finally come to a conclusion. (Not that I really mind that. Haha) And I must say as this lies in my area of expertise (sweet stuff), I it is in my personal interest to best advise on the BETTER Ondeh Ondeh of this Face-Off. Muahahah…. so here’s my most humble opinions on the two Ondeh Ondehs.
Round 1 - APPEARANCE !
Tiong Bahru HariAnn’s
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Xing Xing Tapioca Cake (XXTC)
I tried the Ondeh Ondeh from XXTC first because it looks really authentic, it looks chunky and is practically “submerged” in a sea of grated coconut. HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondeh (s) look like any other regular Ondeh Ondeh you get from wet markets/ kueh shops, bright green, small and cute BUT “submerged” in grated coconut as well.
Note: The purple colour Ondeh Ondeh is offered by HariAnn’s as another option for customers. It is yam-flavoured. But I found it more strange than refreshing to see my Ondeh Ondeh in a purple hue.
so that’s XXTC 1 and HariAnn’s 0
Round 2 - TASTING! (Yes we Hungry Guppies waste no time getting to Round 2)
XXTC’s Ondeh Ondeh is chunkier and has a really chewy texture that I am not quite used to. Chewing too much makes my jaws hurt. Ok that’s an exaggeration, my jaws did not really hurt. The gula melaka in the Ondeh Ondeh is a bit bland for my liking… Not sweet and fragrant enough for this Sweet Tooth Guppy. The tapioca skin is too thick for me as well. Give me more gula melaka please!!!
In comparison, HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondeh is of the right size for me. Once I sank my guppy FANGS into it, there was a spurt of sweet gula melaka which rewarded me. There are also small little chunks of soft gula melaka amidst the liquified gula melaka. This is definitely a treat that satisfies my SUGAR pangs! Yummy!
So for this round: HariAnn’s has my vote! Yeah!
Round 3 - THE FOLLOW-UP MANEUVER
Simply put, the next Ondeh Ondeh I reached out for instinctively after trying one each from both stalls is…. HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondeh and for that this SWEET Tooth Guppy crowns HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondethe victor in a not so much of a knock-out Face-Off. I don’t really mind having XXTC Ondeh Ondeh anytime but if I have a choice’, HariAnn’s will be the one I pick.
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What other Guppies think:
Health Freak Guppy:
Knew it was time to get an underwater treadmill when I saw the Ondeh Ondeh. When I ate the ondeh ondeh from XXTC, I thought it was fantastic … until I ate the similar version (gula melaka) from the HariAnn’s. The one from HariAnn’s was heavenly…as the brown liquefied gula melaka burst in my mouth, I SAW STARS bursting in my inner eye. Pure euphoria.The yam ondeh ondeh from HariAnn’s is a little let down. But good enough if you do not have a sweet tooth.
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Angel Guppy:
I prefer HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondeh. HANDS DOWN. I really enjoy the heavenly taste of the gula melaka bursting into my mouth as I bite into
the Ondeh Ondeh. I love how sweet it tastes. Compared to HariAnn’s XXTC is less sweet and hence less appealing to me.
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Grumpy Guppy:
Not a fan of Ondeh Ondeh. However, I do like the Ondeh Ondeh from XXTC, I was even afraid that the gula melaka in it might dripped onto the floor as I was eating it. The Ondeh Ondeh from HariAnn’s sadly fails to impress. Oh well, at least for Face-Offs like this, I do have a second option and in this case, XXTC managed to chase my grumpiness away.
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Da Bao Guppy:
I prefer XXTC to HariAnn’s Ondeh Ondeh because it is soft and chewy. It is also not too sweet, just the right amount of sweetness. I will definitely go for more Ondeh Ondeh at XXTC and packing some to bring home for my family is not out of the question.
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Sommelier Guppy:
The Ondeh Ondeh from XXTC is very soft and has a really fine texture, there are no fibres in the tapioca skin. It is also not too sweet. I wish I can have more of these Ondeh Ondeh but alas, the other guppies are really fast when it comes to finishing up good Ondeh Ondeh(s).
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Give-me-rice guppy:
Hariann’s ‘kueh’ part was nice and soft, but the filling was a little too sweet for my liking. The Ondeh Ondeh from Xing Xing in Maxwell Food Centre was nicer and the filling was just right.
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Missy Guppy:
I like Hariann’s Ondeh Ondeh better because it is softer. When I bit into the Ondeh Ondeh, I was expecting the “juice” to come out immediately, but it didn’t. Then after a short while, the “juice” BURST out into my mouth!! How scary!! As for the Ondeh Ondeh from Xing Xing, the “skin” is too thick for my liking.
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XXTC:
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HariAnn’s:
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Travel-Bug Guppy
Ondeh ondeh are little balls made from a dough of sweet potato/tapioca flour. It usually contains a filling of gula melaka(palm sugar) in the middle and is coated with grated coconut. The gula melaka gives this a delightful sweet taste which goes well with the chewy dough. Be careful when you bite into it, the gula melaka might just spurt out, onto your clothes.
Details:
HariAnn’s Delights
Blk 30 Seng Poh Road
#02-25 Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre
Note: Ondeh Ondeh(s) are only sold on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Xing Xing Tapioca Cake
Maxwell Road
#01-31 Maxwell Road Food Centre
