Sweet-i Tong Sui House @ Sungai Dua, Penang.

Have you noticed that the word Desserts is actually Stressed spelled backwards?
Dessert is just the superlative solution to cure the stress, tension and despair curse easily and naturally.

All you need is some cash to splash.
Just for your information, i have defied the famous adage 'there ain't no such thing as a free lunch' a few hours ago.
I credited Foodtok and the super friendly sellers who are husband and wife for the free of charge little snacks.
Actually, i have tasted four types of Tong Sui if counting in the chrysanthemum tea tonight.
Two of them were redeemed via vouchers which i have won from a Foodtok event and the remaining two were on the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Soon.
I have made a few attempts to try the well-known Tong Sui out and the Tong Sui house did not open for business on those attempts.
This is what i have heard from the founder of Foodtok who knows the couple well, Mr. and Mrs. Soon work like cow from night to the morning just to prepare for one-day business.
That is the reason why their operation hours are not consistent and why they don't open for business without prior notice.
I blahed too much and it is time to show you where the house is located.
If you are on the way from KFC Sungai Dua to Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal, you should be able to spot terraced houses on your left after passing through Pelita Nasi Kandar.
Sweet-i Tong Sui house is among the terraced houses.


I enjoyed a chit-chat session with the couple and i have known that they are super fans of the old school Chinese dessert.
Five years ago, they started their Tong Sui stall business by the roadside.
With the supports from their regular customers and the herculean effort they have put in throughout the five years, they finally managed to move into a terraced house from a humble make-shift stall.
What behind their success is that they have passion as the foundation.
Mr. and Mrs. Soon truly loves Tong Sui, especially the black sesame soup i guess.
Unfortunately, black sesame soup is facing extinction crisis and is getting more rare as day goes by.
They then made up their mind, took their very first step into field of the Chinese traditional dessert, started to inquire Tong Sui masters and began to cook Tong Sui.

Mr. Soon insisted he spent 4 years time only in mastering the black sesames frying skills.
Practice makes perfect.

Could you imagine how much time the couple has spent just to produce Tong Sui masterpieces?
Besides, he also claimed that most of his Tong Sui's are vegetarian-friendly.
The best part is that no colouring agent and seasoning powder are used in making the low-sugar Tong Sui's.

The empty wall spaces of the house are partially filled up with only colourful handmade laminated papers in which details of their signature dishes are written on them.
People come just for ambrosial Tong Sui, not for the ambiance.

There are quite a number of cooking pots as they serve a variety of Tong Sui.
They have added a little twist in some of the desserts, quite innovative huh?
The prices of the Tong Sui range from RM1.50 to RM5.00 which are considered reasonable for such genuine ones.



Among 4 of my selections, two of them were the Barley Fungus Soup or more commonly known as Barley Foo Chuk (薏米腐竹雪耳) and the Coralline Algae Lemon Fungus Golden Pear Soup (珊瑚藻柠檬雪耳雪梨汁).
I wonder where the heck does the couple got the inspirations in naming the Tong Sui's with such long and complicated names.


First, i will talk about the Barley Foo Chuk.
The mixing of Barley and soya gave the Barley Foo Chuk its white colour chalky appearance.
Its texture was a bit lumpy due to the softened bean curd sheets and crunched Barley seeds.
According to Mr. Soon, the bean curd sheets can be such soft and smooth if and only if they are water-soaked for days.
Yes, it was sweet but the sweetness came from the crushed Barley seeds and the soya.
Speaking of the ginkgo nuts, they were dulcet unlike those you can find at other Tong Sui stalls.
Apparently, Mr. Soon sweetened the nuts by removing their poisonous core before pickling them in sugar water for some time.
The white fungus was so smooth and it tasted like jelly fish when i was tearing it apart with my teeth.
Guess what? It was so yummy until my other half finished it while i only got to test 3 spoons of it.



Next, it was the Coralline Algae Lemon blah blah blah which is innovated by the couple.
Lime juice was blended into this Tong Sui to create an extraordinary taste.
I could see a cloud of white fungus floating on the surface.
There were pear cubes which tasted sour and pears do help a lot in reducing internal body heat.
Overwhelming of internal body heat loss may cause some side effects.
To prevent that from happening, wolfberries were added.
Wolfberries which are commonly used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine are responsible in increasing internal body heat.
It was so refreshing and it succeed in curing my tiredness.



I was quite surprised when these very adorable mini cups of chrysanthemum tea were served and i was told that i would not need to pay for them.
Chrysanthemum tea is one of the most popular herbal teas no matter in China or Malaysia.
This tea is notable for its cooling properties that aid in decreasing body heat and is recommended for those with fever, sore throat, and other heat-related illnesses.
Mr. and Mrs. Soon really made the tea a real tea.
It tasted moderately sweet and slightly bitter.
No doubt, i would describe it as the best chrysanthemum tea i have ever had.



Last but not least, i needed not to pay for this too.
Mr. Soon felt sorry as there were not much Tong Sui choices left.
Hence, he gave me a bowl of Black Sesame Soup as a compensation.
That was what he said but the truth is, they did sell like 10 more bowls of Tong Sui after i have got mine.
Technically, it should be named as black sesame paste.
No more nonsensical words and let's take a look at the black sesame soup.
Don't you ever judge the paste by its appearance just like i did.
It did not look tasty, the taste is just unpredictable if you are to guess based on its appearance.
Seriously, i was like Wow when i tried the first spoon of it.
The highlight of this dish is that the paste was extremely smooth, there was no lump at all.
Referring to my pictures, it was thick, wasn't it?
It was full of black sesame aroma and you could feel tiny bits of black sesame powder on your tongue when you are tasting it.
Furthermore, the gentle sweet and bitter taste occurred simultaneously.
It was very unique.
Like what i have mentioned above, it took Mr. Soon 4 years just to master the frying skill.
Therefore, you must give it a try.
From what i have read from the great Internet, this is the toughest dish to master among all the Tong Sui's.
In accordance with Mr. Soon, while he was mastering the Black Sesame Soup, he would make some of it and let the elders try it.
He immediately perfect the imperfections after receiving feedbacks from the elder ones.
Hard work does pay off.


No pain, no gain.
Mr. and Mrs. Soon did sacrifice a lot just to ensure that our Chinese traditional desserts live.
They are currently in need of shopkeepers, contact them if you are interested.
This is the second time i am giving away 5 stars in term of taste and the first time for 5 stars in term of service.
In conclusion, i was in heaven when i was at Sweet-i Tong Sui House.
If you are intending to try it out, please kindly contact them to confirm their availability.
Thanks for the treat, Mr. and Mrs. Soon.

Address : 727-F, Jalan Sungai Dua, 11700 Penang.
Operation hours : Daily 1600 - 2200 & closed on Mondays.
Contact no. : 012-4853627



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Posted in: Chinese Cuisine,Dessert,Non-Halal,Snack Food