Ice Cream Anyone?

An ice cream parlour never fails to become everyone’s favourite hangout.

RUMOUR has it that this ice cream parlour owes its beginnings to a rich young man who, for want of some place romantic to take his date, had specially built a dessert café for his lady love. This way, the two lovebirds would have a café all to themselves whenever the lady wanted a cold, sweet, treat, which was quite often as she loved ice cream. Most importantly, the private nook would also eliminate the prospect of competition as the young, wealthy suitor was rather possessive of his beautiful fiancée.

But, when the owner of Sidewalk Ice Cream Lounge, Alvin Lew Kean Chong was approached to verify the story, the first thing the 40-year-old father of two did was to burst into a loud incredulous laugh.

Perfect match: Alvin and wife, Oi Ling of Sidewalk Ice Cream Lounge.

“Where on Earth did you get such a story? This is the first time I have heard it and we opened for business in 1991,” queried the unbelieving Lew.

To set the story straight, Lew denies that he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The eldest of three siblings, Lew, a credit supervisor’s son, said that the ice cream lounge had been made possible through hard-earned savings. The former Michaelian had worked 12-hour days for three years as a cook in Holland.

The lady love, however, was real. Cheam Oi Ling, 34, whom Lew married in 1996, had appeared a few months after he opened shop, thanks to his cousin Wendy Ee. At the time, Cheam and Ee were in Form Five and the visit to the ice cream lounge had been part of the Main Convent girls’ school holiday itinerary.

“The first thing Lew said was ‘Hello, can I get you some ice cream?’” said Cheam, recalling the first thing her future husband had said to her.

Though Lew would forget what his future wife had ordered on her first visit, Cheam clearly recalled that it had been a Snowy Mount Fuji. Made up of three scoops of ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce, desiccated coconut and angel flakes, it was also flanked by peaches, watermelon and nata de coco.

To have such fond memories of one’s early business days has undoubtedly acted as a source of strength and inspiration for Lew.

“When I first opened the shop, critics commented that I would soon close shop. Unfortunately, I am still here,” he joked.

Woodlands Butterscotch: A scrumptious creation of almond flakes, whipped cream, cornflakes, rice crispies and home-made butter scotch sauce over three scoops of ice cream.

When he first opened, there was only one other ice cream parlour in Ipoh. That one soon closed down when the owner lost interest in the business. The idea, he revealed, had come from his aunt, Alice Goh, who had advised him to venture into business instead of seeking employment.

“I thought an ice cream parlour was ideal because it was simple enough to start. Furthermore, ice cream is a universal food. If you look back, some of our fondest childhood memories involved ice cream. Mine was of a scoop of cold delight sandwiched in between a bun, a favourite after-school snack,” he pointed out.

On the psychological aspect, Lew also said that the smooth creaminess of ice cream had the ability to stimulate the pleasure centre of the brain, which is perhaps why his ice cream lounge is a favourite spot for courting couples.

“Some of my first customers came here on their very first dates. When they got married and started their families, they brought their children for my ice cream. Now the children are bringing their dates to my lounge,” said Lew.

To date, Lew has no less than 20 different ice cream creations in his menu. Creativity and artistry, he said, had played a sure hand in maintaining the lounge’s quality.

“A successful sundae requires a sure knowledge of how the fruits, sauces, toppings and ice-cream flavours will work together. For example, while vanilla will go well with almost anything, the same cannot be said for a stronger flavour like chocolate. In this case, one must know how to blend the different flavours so that it will harmonise with the taste buds. Otherwise, the end result will be bitter,” he pointed out.

Royal Dutch Chocolate: Four scoops of ice cream enriched with ladlings of chocolate sauce, fruit cocktail, whipped cream and chocolate rice.

To ensure freshness, Lew revealed that the fruits are bought fresh from the market while the chocolate sauce and butterscotch are made in-house. As for the ice cream, Lew would only say that they have been sourced from different suppliers whose names he has chosen not to reveal.

“Suffice to say, I have sourced for the best flavours from each supplier,” he assured.

Sidewalk Ice Cream Lounge is at 26, Lengkok Canning, Ipoh Garden, 31400, Ipoh, Perak (% 016-562 6844). It is open daily from 7.30pm, except on public holidays when it is open from 2pm onwards.