Drove to Malacca with the family on a recent weekend. It was not a very long drive, all in all including going through Immigration at the second link, it took us about 2½ hours to reach Malacca city centre.
The drive was smooth, although Friday evening traffic was quite heavy, especially as we neared our destination. We arrived only slightly after our appointed time at Melaka Raya for dinner at Restoran Bibik Neo. We were lucky to find a parking space just outside the restaurant on the main road.
Cinchow Lime Sambal Balachan
The keropok was very good, especially when dipped into the sambal balachan for which they charge. The chinchow lime was also very refreshing, especially after a long drive.
Sambal Daun Keledek
Chicken Asam Buah Keluak
We ordered the sweet-potato leaves (daun keledek) fried in sambal. It was too dry for my liking although the sambal was spicy enough. The Chicken Asam Buah Keluak was alittle disappointing. They did not dig out the buah keluak and mixed it with meat. Instead, the black buah keluak flesh was left in the shells and the holes were so small you could hardly dig it out with the small spoon provided. The dish also did not have the classic buah keluak taste, and the gravy was neither spicy nor tasting of assam.
Otak Otak
Sambal Prawn Petai
The otak-otak was steamed but did not have the aroma of spices as expected. Rather bland and tasteless. On the other hand, the Sambal Prawns with Petai was good and spicy. If the dish had come with slightly less gravy then it would have been easier to differentiate the prawns from the petai beans. The Itik Tim, salted vegetable with duck soup, was good. Except that the soup cooled very quickly under the constant blowing of the air-conditioner. It would have been better had it been served on a heating stove to keep the soup hot. The best dish of the evening was the Cendol Read Bean. The generous amount of gula melaka blended well with the fresh coconut cream to give a dessert that was of just the correct sweetness. And the green strands of cendol was soft and melts in the mouth. Simply excellent.
Itik Tim
Cendol Red Bean
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Melaka, at Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz. It is quite a new hotel and the service is very very good. We got upgraded to the top floor, got a free extra bed, internet/wifi charges waived for the room and also a free van to ferry us to Jonker Street. I will definitely be back.
Another place I have always wanted to visit is Jonker Street at night, but never got the chance so far. On this trip, I finally made it there. It was Friday night and the Jonker Walk begins with a flying dragon welcome. It was crowded even at 10:30pm, and the whole street is closed to vehicular traffic. There are all kinds of stalls, selling things from antiques to fridge magnets, from umbrellas to ear-rings, from toys to household tools. They are also many food stalls selling fried carrot cake, steamed peanuts, nonya delicacies and ting-ting candy. Wish I did not have so much to eat during dinner, so that I could try all the street food.
The next morning, amidst drizzling rain, we went to Jalan Bunga Raya for breakfast. It was around 9:30am and most of the shops were still closed. Found a coffeeshop serving wanton noodle, so we stopped by to try. The noodles with charsiew and stewed chicken feet were passable. Too bad their fish dumplings were not ready so early.
The simple breakfast was not enough to satisfy us, so we drove over to Jalan Gajah Berang, to my favourite noodle shop in Malacca, Hing Loong Restoran, which serves Taiwan Mee. Owned by a Malaysian and his Taiwanese wife, this eatery has been around for over 30 years. I was first brought here by my University mate and have been coming back every time I visit Malacca.
The restaurant is famous for their pork rib noodles and the beef noodles. The pork ribs are deep fried when ordered and can either be ordered as stand-alone dish or mixed with noodles in a clear soup. The pork ribs are crispy, yet succulent and very tasty. The beef noodles are also very good, especially when immersed in the home-made broth. The noodles are smooth and not soggy, and the pieces of beef are tender and cooked just right. A must try.
After breakfast, I brought the family up St. John's Hill. This is not the touristy St. Paul's Hill and is relatively quiet. You can drive half way up the hill on the road which is at the apex of Lorong Bukit Senjuang. Then you need to climb up the rest of the way on the red brick steps. At the top is the ruins of the small St. John Chapel built by the Portuguese in the 17th century, and the fort built by the Dutch in the 18th century.
I especially like it up there because of the tranquility and the feeling of peace all around. The view of Melaka City and the Straits of Malacca is also quite stunning.
From St. John's Hill, a short drive down Ujong Pasir brought us to the famous "Portuguese Settlement" at the end of Jalan D'albuquerque. The area has been extensively redeveloped and now features a boardwalk and even a hotel. However, fortunately, two of the old restaurants are still operating there.
We had lunch at the Restoran De Lisbon, one of the old restaurants there. The outdoor seating area used to be just beside the sea, but now you look out into a paved car park instead. The food here is rather inexpensive and quite good, especially the baked fish and the deep fried brinjals.
Lime Juice
Devil's Curry
Sambal Lala
Deep Fried Brinjal with Pepper
Baked Fish
However, I still prefer Restaurante San Pedro, an old wooden hut along Jalan Daranjo. The food there is excellent, more authentic Portuguese and more tasty. Too bad it only opens for dinner now.
After lunch, we drove back to Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street) and queued up for the durian cendol at San Shu Gong. The queue was very long and we had to fight for a table to sit down after the self-service take-away cups of very commercialised packs. All that hype is over-rated. It was just shaved ice with coconut milk and sugar and durian essence.
Durian Cendol
The cendol strands were so small, you could hardly taste them. The durian scent was there, but definitely no taste of real durian. Quite a disappointment, actually. Walking down a short distance on Lorong Hang Jebat towards the Cheng Ho Museum, there is a small little shophouse selling pineapple tarts and dumplings. The pineapple tarts there are really good. Get the ones made with SCS butter. Fragrant and just the right sweetness, the pineapple paste was very good.
long queue for chicken rice Pineapple Tarts
Satay Celup at Jalan Ong Kim Wee
For dinner, we had to have the Satay Celup at the famous Ban Lee Siang Restaurant along Jalan Ong Kim Wee. Refrigerators full of sticks and sticks of skewered meats, seafood, tofu, mushrooms, vegetables and even dumplings, just like a large buffet, for you to choose from.
Once you have collected your first tray of ingredients, just sit down and start dipping your catch into the boiling pot of satay gravy to cook. The satay gravy here is very tasty, not too concentrated and constantly topped up while you are eating. The ingredients are kept fresh because of the fast turn-over. It was a great dinner, but be prepared to wait if you arrive at the peak hours of between 5 and 7pm.
The restaurant is so popular that they have opened a branch near Jonker Street, but when we drove by, the queue was so long that it snaked onto neighbouring roads. So you really need to have lots of patience.
And how can one visit Malacca and not come away with all the local variety of fruits. Fruit stalls can be found almost every where in Malacca. One of the stalls that I frequently patronise is in the Bunga Raya area. The fruits are fresh, and more importantly, very sweet and juicy. Nangsat, mangoes, mangosteens, jambu and of course, durians. Another good stall to buy fruits from is the one just opposite Hing Loong Taiwan Noodle shop. The local mangoes there are so sweet.
There are so many things to see, and eat and buy in Malacca, just 1 day is never enough. Although I have not visited Malacca for many years, the memories just come flooding back once I drove into town. On my next visit, I will bring you more interesting food and places in my future reviews.
