Speaking of Malacca, first thing that comes to my mind will be nyonya cuisine, chendol, chicken rice balls & Jonker street.
I have never been to Malacca previously and this being my maiden trip, was kind of exciting as you may imagine.
The road trip took about 2.5 hours from Tuas Checkpoint (2nd link).
I settled for a quick lunch at a nearby stopover pitstop along North-South Highway before continuing with the journey.
For this trip, we have about 14 of us and we decided to stay in an airbnb instead of the usual hotel for accommodation. This is my first experience staying in an airbnb. Many firsts for this trip of mine. 😜
This is a shophouse airbnb located in 68 Jalan Laksamana 4 which is directly above 7 Eleven. The airbnb is within 5 minutes walk to the famous Jonker Street. Pretty good location I must agree.
It comes with 7 bedrooms and 17 beds with 3 bathrooms (2 small and 1 big). If you have a big group, then it is fun to be housed under one roof. Personally, I would not recommend if you need to share with other users for privacy reasons.
Immediately upon checking in, we took a leisure stroll to Jonker street and settled in one of the nonya restaurant, Our Kitchen which we passed by for our dessert fix.
The must eat Chendol though I was told that the most champion chendol actually comes from Penang. 😊
Gula Melaka Sago is another good dessert choice too.
Thereafter, we proceeded to Restoran Tong Sheng at No. 378 Jalan Melaka Raya 6 for our dinner.
Restoran Tong Sheng is one of the famous zi char restaurant that the locals go to. I was told of the super long waiting time when dining at this restaurant. The restaurant opens at 5.30pm and we reached the restaurant just before it opens. Fortunately for us, we managed to get ourselves a seating for 14 pax even though we did not have a prior reservation as it was fully booked when we called earlier.
Shortly after we were seated, the restaurant were swamped with diners. Guess we were really fortunate in not having to wait in queues.
The signature cheesy prawn bee hoon.
Butter crab
Black pepper crab
Deep fried gui hua fish in lemon sauce
Steamed salted egg yolk
Fresh grilled squid with garlic
The four heavenly kings
Overall, food quality was great. Only disappointment is that you have to wait a long while before you are being served.
We wanted to take a stroll in Jonker street after a hearty meal but was dampened by the sudden downpour that resulted in most stall closing early for the night.
This is how quiet the place looks like. 😞
In the end, a couple of us took shelter at a nearby cafe to end our first night.
Day 2 started off bright and cheery. We went over to a coffee shop, Restoran Lee Ho at 20 Jalan Bukit Cina for the recommended champion wan tan noodle.
The noodle is tastefully done especially with the crispy pork lard condiment that further enhances the flavour though it is sinfully good.
Their wan tan dumpling and soup are flavourful too. No wonder it is one of those highly recommended place to visit.
There is a push cart selling fried kway teow right outside of the shop. Needless to say, I have to had a go at it. The presentation is slightly different from what I usually have. The sweet black sauce comes separately aside on the dish as compared to having it cooked together. On the whole, it is still delicious. 😋
Thereafter, some of us went over to a nearby temple to offer prayers. Interestingly, there are a number of stalls selling fruits just beside the temple.
The highlight of this trip in my view will be none other than the lunch at Restoran Nyonya Makko located in 123 Jalan Merdeka, Taman Melaka Raya.
Restoran Nyonya Makko serves really good nyonya food and has been rated as the best nyonya choice in Malacca. You can literally see from the number of people waiting in the queue.
Rendang Ayam
Sambal Petai with Prawn
Nyonya Chap Chai
Hee Peow Soup (Fish Maw Soup)
Steam Makko Tofu
Chincalok Omelette
Steam Otah
Fried Ngoh Hiang (Meat Roll)
This meal is really satisfying and beyond words description. 👍👍👍 You need to experience it for yourself to understand this feeling.
There is a Pak Putra Tandoori & Naan Restaurant at Jalan Laksamana 4 which is right beside the airbnb. This restaurant is packed every night both with tourists and locals. It seems that it is another one of those recommended and popular place for dining.
Being our last night in Malacca, we decided to give it a shot just to avoid disappointment. (宁可杀错也不可放过) 😀😀
Tandoori Chicken – the chicken is tenderly soft and it is one of those better ones that I have had.
Aaloo Gobi – a dish cooked with potatoes and cauliflower. This is something different which I used to have which is usually dry in nature.
Mutton Vindaloo – this is supposed to be a spicy dish however it is not the case here. It is very mild in spice and feels almost tomato-rish to me. Probably this is unique to their taste here I suppose.
Spicy fried chicken wings – looks are definitely deceiving in this instance. This is by far the most disppointing dish for this meal. It is not spicy as the name suggested and tastes extremely bland.
The nasi lemak though plain looking but taste good especially with the chilli paste. This is a typical nasi lemak style in Malaysia where it comes only with ikan bilis (fried anchovies + peanuts), sunny side up egg & a dash of chilli paste.
Tonight’s weather is great for a walk at Jonker Street. We took a leisure stroll down to the street.
What’s so great about Jonker Street?
Jonker Street was once renowned for its antique shops but over the years it has turned to clothing and handicrafts outlets as well as restaurants and street food stalls. The night markets are especially packed on Fridays and Saturdays and literally you can find everything from tasty treats to cheap keepsakes.
It is like our local pasar malam or the Myeongdong night market equilvalent in South Korea.
This is the must eat nyonya rice dumpling in Malacca and you can find it here in Jonker Street night market. The nyonya rice dumpling is freshly made and what is uniquely special about it is that their version is created by the Peranakan community, whose cooking blends both traditional Chinese and localised Malay elements. The uniqueness comes from having a touch of blue in the rice dumpling and this naturally blue tint is extracted from a kind of blue pea flowers (butterfly pea flowers or bunga telang).
Look at the generous amount of meat fillings that comes with it. 😋😋😋
That brings me to the end of Day 2.
Rise and shine to a bright and sunny Day 3 morning. Time passes as you are having fun. A quick 3 days 2 nights getaways just got by in a blink of an eye.
Before you know it, it is time to check out from our airbnb to head back home. Immediately after checking out, we swing by Huang Chang Chicken Rice Restaurant located in BB, 376 Jalan BB 1 Taman Damai to have our fix on chicken rice ball.
This restaurant seems to be a hot favourite pick by the locals judging from the long queues. It takes a while to get a table for 9 pax. Turnaround time is fast and you will not have to wait long for the food to be served.
The steam chicken is cut up and serve on a plate instead of the traditional way of having the whole chicken being served which we are very much used to. You know what I mean. 😉
A standard side dish of the “street food” which is a must on every table here.
Last but not least, the star of the meal, chicken rice balls! Looks more like fish ball to me. Frankly speaking, I am not too impressed with the chicken rice balls though it has been recommended repeatedly. Perhaps I am used to eating our version of the chicken rice with fragrant flavours. I find the chicken rice balls bland and in my opinion, it is definitely over-rated. Only saving grace is the price. I have to admit that it is really value for money. Nonetheless, it’s a case of been there and done that for me.
Another checklist checked off followed by a breezy 2.5 hours ride home. Overall, it was a fun trip being my maiden trip. Time spent is just right. Not too long or not too short.
Will I come back Malacca again?
Well, if there is another chance, I might. I will surely miss their nyonya food…