Sunday November 30, 2008

Home made ice cream

By STEPHEN NG

The best ice cream and ice kacang in Bentong can be found at the Kow Po Coffee Shop.

TAN Kow Po is a legend in Bentong. Mention his name and people in Bentong would immediately point you to Kow Po Coffee Shop. The 74-year-old man, fondly known as “Bentong Uncle Ice-Cream”, has one of the best ice-creams and ice kacang in town.

Ice legend: Tan Kow Po

The locals are so proud of their ice-cream shop, that visitors to Bentong – whether they are from Singapore, Japan, the United States or Australia – would be invited to try out Tan’s home-made ice-cream.

The simple coffee shop, located just opposite the Bentong Bus Station and beside Hong Leong Bank is usually packed with adults, who still enjoy the ice cream and ice kacang served there.

Chong Li Lian, 28, from Kuala Lumpur, is a regular customer. “Every time I come here to visit my relatives, I cannot resist the ice-cream and the ice kacang,” she said. “Nowhere else can I find ice cream that tastes as good.”

It is no wonder that people like Chong will not return home until she has had her regular bowl of Special Kow Po Ice Kacang.

“Just this morning, some 80 cyclists from Kuala Lumpur were here at our coffee shop,” said Tan.

“Many people like our ice-cream and ice kacang, and have asked us to sell it elsewhere, but we do not have any plans to do so at the moment.”

Jumbo X-tra: Kow Po’s signature dessert with ice-cream of five different flavours.

Tan, a true blue Teow Chew man, who inherited the ice cream business from his father, is now passing it on to his two sons, Jeff Tan, 48 and Michael Tan, 40. Tan’s daughter-in-law, Helen Ng also helps out with the business, whenever there are too many customers to cope with.

Tan’s father, the late Tan Soon Chuan, moved to Bentong from Alor Setar, where he started selling his special home-made ice cream in 1956. “Business was good. Later, I joined the business. I have been in this business for 34 years,” he said.

With his ice-cream being truly concentrated and rich in flavours, it is no wonder that his business is so good and the name “Kow Po” has become almost a household name for ice cream that is only available in his shop.

Cool comfort: Ice cream served by one of Kow Po’s employees

“Nowhere else can you find ‘Kow Po’ ice cream or ice kacang, or anything similar,” he said. “We want to keep it that way.”

Their signature dessert is the ABC Ice Kacang Kow Po Special, priced at RM3 a bowl. In fact, with the exception of the Jumbo X-tra, which sells at RM10, most of the deserts sold here are priced at RM3 a bowl.

“Our customers know what to order,” he said. “Sometimes, before we even show them the menu, they have already given us their orders.”

Putting it together: The younger Michael Tan Chee Onn preparing the ice kacang for guests.

For the Jumbo X-tra, customer can choose from a variety of flavours, such as durian, pandan, chocolate, banana and peanut, to name a few.

Their Cendul Kow Po Special, also priced RM3, has red beans, ice cream, cendul and attap seeds.

Kow Po Coffee Shop (09-222 1258 / 016-931 0391) is located at No.2 Bentong Heights, 28700 Bentong, Pahang. The shop is open from 10am to 7pm every day, except Mondays.