Eating Malacca In Half A Day

What does one do if one is given a day in Malacca, well half a day more like it? Why, eat of course! Hahaha....So, the weekend is creeping up soon, and I love short weekend trips, impromptu ... throw caution to the wind, jump into the car and drive away towards the horizon. Oh well, at least towards Malacca's horizon for this post :o)


So what did we do? With limited time, we headed for the usual spots ...


Hoe Kee Chicken Rice
4, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker St)
7.30am-4pm, closes last Wednesday of the month


Somewhere already familiar to me (blogged one of my previous visits HERE), we sat down and put in our usual orders and in a jiffy, the food arrived.

Eating rice balls more for the sake of novelty as I do find it a tad mushy for me. However, it's still tasty.

Marvelous Malacca - Part 4 (Final)

(NON-HALAL POST)

On our last day in Malacca, we decided have wantan mee for breakfast. After hearing from me about the tasty noodles I had at Restoran Makanan & Minuman Wantan Mee (40, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) during my previous visit, we decided to pay a visit to this place again. I was truly looking forward to eating my chilli paste added wantan mee.

However this time round, we were quite disappointed as the wantan noodles had too much of an alkaline taste to it this time round. I added lots of the chilli paste to mask the taste but the three of us couldn't finish our plate.I told the lady about this and she mention that it must be the batch of noodles supplied and I thought so too as I had really enjoyed the noodles my first time there back in September last year. Guess I will try it again the next time I'm in Malacca to see if things are back to their yummy state! Ha ha...

Walking around town after that for some souvenir shopping, it was soon time to check out of the hotel and lunch! There are not many Nyonya restaurants listed in food guides as they say the best Nyonya food would be those from cooked from home itself! There were quite a number of Nyonya restaurants located at Taman Melaka Raya though. Since Nyonya fare was what we wanted, we decided to take a drive there and settled for Bibik Neo Nyonya Restaurant (No. 6, Jalan Merdeka, Taman Melaka Raya - close on Mondays) as YSF said that it was quite good. Recovering from an unsatisfying breakfast encounter, we were not hungry but neither were we full. We decided to order just a few simple small size dishes.

Simple mixed vegetables which I liked, not oily.

YSF and I opted for two small bowl of Itik Tim (Duck and Salted Vegetable Soup) which I enjoyed but there weren't enough meat in it. Found this recipe online, maybe some of you would like to try it.

Steamed Brinjal Ladiesfinger/Okras (thanks Joe! for pointing out the error) which YSF and TML finished on their own as I'm not a fan. This is something that can been done at home but I suppose the difference here is the chilli sauce dip that came with it. It's nice, I could drink it all up! Ha ha ha....

Ayam Pongteh (Miso Soy Chicken). I felt that the meat weren't infused enough though the gravy was tasty. Biting into the chicken, the meat tasted normal. I preferred the potatoes!

Overall, my Nyonya food experience was just okay and tasted average. The dishes weren't oily though but since this was a restaurant, I guess I expected more in the taste department. An unsatisfying breakfast, an average lunch, we only hope things would get better at dinner time (a very early dinner!). Making our way back towards home, we pass through Seremban again and ended up at this place, Kedai Makanan Tow Kee (No. 94 Jalan Kepitan Tam Yeong, Seremban, Tel :06-7616638)

YSF had wanted to eat this and made sure we did a pit stop here for an early dinner. Since both TML and I weren't familiar with Seremban, we gladly agreed as long as there's good food waiting :o).

Selling Hakka Mee since 1930s, these handmade noodles were lovely. Cooked al-dente, I savoured each bite of it. There was a slight hint of alkaline taste to it but after I added some vinegar to it (vinegar from the pickled green chillies) together with lots of pickled green chillies, it wasn't a distracting factor anymore. I have this habit of adding vinegar (if it's available) to most noodles as I find that it makes certain food more appetising and "lighter" for tummy digestion (and noodles are one of those). The minced pork topping was lovely and the clear sauce was tasty though I found it a bit too oily for me. Must take note to ask for less oil the next time I get to eat here again.

With that, we made our way home...and to another short getaway in the near future! The three of us survived the trip and got to know each other more. We'll push our luck with future trips together again. Ha ha ha....Here's to Friendship and Friendship with Good Food!

Recaps : Part 3, Part 2, Part 1, Prologue

If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort. ~ Adabella Radici

Marvelous Malacca - Part 3

I had managed to catch an episode of Taste With Jason on the AEC Channel on Astro (thank goodness there were subtitles!) a few months ago. In that episode Jason (the show host, not our Ipoh Mali!) was in Malacca and the highlight was on this man and his wife who runs a stall in the lane at the side of Jalan Bunga Raya (next to Madam King's departmental stall).

I was mesmerised by the story of how he started the business over 30 years ago. Initially business was not that good and he kept trying to improve the taste of the sauces which he prepares himself. Different sauces were made for different dishes; cockles, sotong kangkung, beancurd skin, century egg, tofu, fish balls and other shellfish. Fast forward to present day, his stall is still in the lane but with endless patrons from one generation to another!

Since I was in Malacca, I told myself that I would definitely have to try the food here. Roping in enthusiastic YSF and reluctant TML, we made our way there after packing the popiah. Knowing well beforehand that the stall is in a dark narrow back lane and that we would have to be sitting on little wooden stools close to the ground, we bravely stepped into the lane. There was another stall offering the same fare further into the lane and ample lighting along the lane. I had expected it to be a lot worse and on seeing this, told myself "Hey, this is doable!". Looking at the area around me, I felt that I had taken a step back into time.

Open from 7pm till 11pm, closed on Sundays

We were surprised to see people sitting on plastic stools and eating on plastic tables at first. Then we realised that business was just too good and that they had to add these on top of their usual seating arrangement. As we wanted to get into the thick of the action, we wanted to sit on the wooden stools and were lucky that there were seats available right in front of the man himself, Mr Khoo.

Each plate gets Mr Khoo's personal attention, putting the right amount of sauces to ensure that each plate served would be relished by his customers (checkout that kerosene lamp and the Taste With Jason poster on the top left corner! There are also framed articles about his stall adorning the wall).

See that empty red wooden stool? That is where I sat. There will be the occasional motorbikes traveling through this lane and it would almost grazed our backs!

As I sat and ate in front of Mr Khoo, I chatted with him. He let me try each sauce separately on its own and even the top grade sesame seed oil. He uses the freshest ingredients for the preparation of the sauces and all food stuff are top grade too.

His family and relatives help out at the stall too. Note the little plate of sauces with crushed nuts, those are for the cockles and other fare like siput sawah (snails), kepah and kijing (mussels).

There are plastic buckets along the table where customers can throw the shell (and other stuff?) into after eating. YSF had the cockles and she said it was very fresh and when eaten with the sauce, it was THE BEST!

A mixture of some plum sauce with calamansi juice, chili and a range of other stuff made this the best plate of sotong kangkung (cuttlefish & morning glory vegetable) I've ever eaten!

The beancurd skin (foo pei) order came with a mixture of prawn paste and other sauces that made me a fan of Mr Khoo! Ha ha ha....Truly wonderful stuff!

Let's just say, to eat here, one would have to discard all hygiene rules and just simply enjoy the food. For the faint hearted who find it hard to walk into this lane, you will miss out on the great food. For the brave ones like us, we were rewarded with one of the best tasting food (thanks to the exquisite sauces and fresh ingredients) ever! As we left, Mr Khoo said goodbye and I told him that I will be surely visiting him again the next time I'm in Malacca!


To be continued .... Last day in Malacca

Marvelous Malacca - Part 2

Trying to meet the request of my flogger sista, Precious Pea, I'm continuing with Part 2 in my Malacca series. She wants me to finish posting before she makes a trip to Malacca this month end so that she can take notes and be prepared.

For teatime, we decided to look for Nadeje as they are the originator of the Mille Crepe. Us Klang Valley folks have been enjoying Food Foundry's version in Section 17, Petaling Jaya all this while. Nadeje's version is more fluffy and less creamy, which I prefer. However, some still prefer Food Foundry's.

G23-25, Jalan PM4, Plaza Mahkota. Tel : 06-283-8750 (Somewhere in the middle of the four blocks of shoplots, next to Mahkota Parade on one side and Hotel Sri Costa on the other side). Closed on Mondays.

We tried two slices between the three of us; the original and the raspberry version which I really liked. I placed an order for a whole Raspberry mille crepe cake (which I collected the next day).

Being Saturday evening, we looked forward to walking Jonker Street since there's a pasar malam, "night market" in the area every weekend. I love pasar malams and this was my first time at Jonker Street's (I had to miss out on this place the last time I was here!)

Came across this stall and just had to get a small order of the fried abascus seeds (shin poon chi)

At RM2.00, it was pretty good. Made from yam and flour, it's on the peppery side and had enough garnishing.

After that we decided to walk to Jalan Bunga Raya and look for the famous popiah (fresh spring roll) stall that I enjoyed so much during my previous trip here. The popiah seller had changed its operation time and is now opened from 10am till 1 pm and 5pm till 9pm and has further increased the price (RM2.20 small and RM2.70 for a big roll). It's located in front of Madam King's departmental store.

It's huge and best eaten kebab style.....a big roll can be a meal to some with smaller appetite! And why do I love this popiah? It has chunky crispy pork lard in it! You can request for more from the popiah seller. Its turnip is on the sweet side and I could do with less tofu, quite a lot of it in the roll. Since our order were packed together, I had to put one into a plastic bag and eat it from there, hence the yellow plastic bag in the photo. It might not look that appetising that way but the popiah still tasted just as good!


To be continued - Jalan Bunga Raya's Lane Adventure!

Marvelous Malacca - Part 1

Setting off early morning and having made a stopover in Seremban for the beef noodles, we arrived in Malacca almost noon time. We decided to check into The Baba House and found the place easily with YSF's navigation as she's a regular Malacca visitor. It's my first time staying here and I like this heritage house, transporting me back to the old days . That's how it is with Malacca when one is there, one feels like they have taken a step back in time. Thanks TML for doing the reservation! At RM95 a night, the room was simple, however, the RM25 for the extra bed YSF slept on has long passed its "shelf" life. The mattress was thin but on the other hand, one can't expect much. Would I come back and stay at The Baba House? I would as it's smack in the middle of town and it was so convenient getting around on foot. But don't get the extra bed! :o)

The garden area of The Baba House

Oh, I got to see this colorful trishaw AGAIN! There were more during my earlier trip before.

After checking in and dropping off our bags, we decided to look for Hoe Kee to have chicken rice balls. Located nearby, we walked about 10 minutes and waited in line for our table.

4, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker St). 7.30am-4pm, closes last Wednesday of the month.

I definitely enjoy the rice balls here at Hoe Kee as compared to Famosa Chicken Rice Ball. The rice balls here were more fragrant. You can taste the chicken stock with a slight hint of ginger and garlic. The chicken was tender and tasted good with the chilli sauce and thick soya sauce albeit the chilli sauce was a bit on the watery side.

For desserts, YSF said that she wanted to go to Donald & Lily's Corner for a bowl of Cendol. She told us that it was nice and simple and not too rich. Located about two blocks away, it didn't take us long before we treated ourselves to this cold icy treat.

Behind No. 31, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Tel No : 06-2848907)

There's actually a sitting area upstairs for those who order their food. For customers who are just having cendol, they can only sit at this one and only small table at the back of the stall (or stand around). I felt a bit uncomfortable and claustrophobic but the sun was out in full force and I didn't feel like getting burn that day.

My view of the stall from where I sat.....

I found the cendol pretty normal though the Gula Melaka (Palm sugar) was nice. I suppose all Gula Melaka, especially eaten in Melaka would be nice! :o) There were quite a number of people ordering the cendol; I suppose Donald & Lily have their own fans.

To be continued : The original Mille Crepe

Malacca - Part 4

Polly wants lots of crackers!

After a scorching 2nd day in Malacca, we hoped for a cooler morning when we decided to visit the nearby zoo on our 3rd and last day there. Since the Malacca Zoo was just right next to us, we decided not to go into town at all. We were pretty surprised to see that it was a rather large one. I haven't been to Zoo Negara for ages and can't recall how big or small it is. But I was impressed with the Malacca Zoo. We left for home after spending about a good 3 hours there (missing certain areas of it). It was an enjoyable trip and we plan to visit Malacca again since I'm more familiar with the roads now (or at least I think I am! Ha ha ha...) Here are some pics of the trip to the Malacca Zoo....

Happy kids!

Stop looking at our behinds!
A Red Lory having lunch
Monkeying around...

My fave shot....I like how the tiger on the ground is looking up

By the way, I will be off to Korea and will be back on Tuesday. So, there won't be any postings till then...Take care my friends! See you all soon...

Recaps : -
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1

Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though. That's the problem.
~ Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Malacca - Part 3

After better planning on my 2nd day, we made our way to A Famosa. Who would have thought when this place was built that it would one day become a tourist attraction? I still have hope for charging an entrance fee in the future when folks come into my house to see my "memorabilia". Mrs Pitt will beg to differ and say that they're rubbish. Whaddaya mean rubbish? Bah! Rubbish! Oops, got derailed...Ok, back on track. It was a scorching afternoon and after climbing the stairs, we were perspiring like crazy. So thank goodness, we had some cool breeze when we reached the top. Apart from the peddlers (selling t-shirts, key-chain, water...), there were a lot of students scattered across A Famosa, doing their sketches.

See what I mean by scorching ???

And here's what he was drawing....

It was an interesting journey through time and this is one of those time I felt is about the closest I can get to be a part of history. Well, after spending about an hour here, we then left as our stomach was beckoning us for food! Having had brunch earlier, we looked for some tea time food. I drove to Jalan Bunga Raya to look for some food but had problem finding for a place to eat. Most stalls were either closed at this time (around 3) or haven't opened! Sigh, we walked around and chanced upon Mei Sin Cafe which is your conventional coffeeshop with food stalls. We ordered satay and on seeing something that I haven't come across in KL/PJ (the closest would be lobak), I ordered a plate of assorted snacks.
The snacks were pretty average and the satay too. The satay was only very lightly marinated and it's saving grace was the peanut gravy. It has a hint of pineapple (a guess), making it tangy. Something different but nice. Wonder where I can find such satay sauce here in KL/PJ.

At this point mom was saying that we should most probably pack some food back and eat in, not wanting to risk getting lost again at night. It's a shame to stay indoors but with my bad eyesight, I didn't have much of a choice. We went to look for the famous popiah (fresh spring roll) located in front of Madam King's departmental store. I found it when I saw a stall surrounded by customers. I had to wait a while as there was a lady who ordered about 20 pieces! A regular size costs RM2 whereas big (huge enough to be a meal itself) costs RM2.50. Here, the filling's chunky and there's a magic ingredient that makes it taste so good. What magic ingredient? It's crispy lard! Not to be missed if ever you're in Malacca! Err...unless you don't like crispy lard.
We then went into Italy Bakery shop and bought some buns and I picked up a Pineapple Cupcake. I have not seen any Pineapple Cupcake like the ones here. Topped with pineapple pieces and with added raisins, it looked so nice. I just had to try it and luckily, it tasted as good as it looked. All was good that night. Ha ha ha....What was planned for the next morning? The Malacca Zoo awaits...

To be continued ...

Malacca - Part 2

After wandering around Malacca on the 1st day there, mom and I woke up earlier on the 2nd day and I attempted to look for wantan noodles for brunch at Heeren Street. I did manage to get into the area but due to the roads which are mostly one way, it took me a few attempts to get to the right road. When I found Kedai Makanan & Minuman Wantan Mee, it felt like I had struck gold (well, almost...ha ha ha...).
I read that they prepare a different version, one that is added with some chilli paste. Mom ordered the normal one and I ordered the chilli version. The wantan mee noodles were nice and firm - not overcooked. The chilli paste gave it a distinctive flavour making it different from the ones back in PJ/KL (though there is a spicy wantan mee in Section 17, PJ but it's different). The auntie even handed me a plastic bottle of the chilli paste to add more onto the noodles.
The normal version tasted good too and was very flavourful indeed. The BBQ Pork was sliced thinly and I like it as I don't like chunky meat pieces. The wantan was okay and normal. So, it gets the thumbs up from me! This place opens early in the morning till about 2.30 pm and is closed on Wednesday for those thinking of patronising this place.

After our meal, we walked around Jonker Street. A lot of the houses have been converted to retail shops, maintaining the old facade. Mom had moved to Malacca and stayed in Tengkera when she was 19 years old and went to Kuala Lumpur 3 years later. She commented that she couldn't really recognise the place anymore.
While walking around here, I saw the most decorated trishaw in my entire life. Seems a lot of the trishaws here are decked in this way to attract customers who are mostly tourists. The plastic flowers don't do it for me, I told mom that it looked more suitable for my funeral procession. LOL....
Anyway, my bro had told me that one should get a quote properly from his past experience while in Malacca. He was fleeced by a trishaw peddler who had earlier told him that he would charge RM50 to bring him around to a few places. He told my bro to take his time to look around. Turned out that he was charging RM50 per hour, not a flat rate!!!! It came up to about RM200 plus, but my bro eventually paid him RM100! Well, I'm sure there are some honest trishaw peddlers out there. My bro was just unfortunate to have met one that was not.

I then decided to bring my mom to A Famosa as the trip would not be complete if I didn't take her to at least one famous Malacca landmark. The place was pretty busy as it was school holidays.
Oh, I saw more "colourful" trishaws and told myself that the plastic flower business must be doing well in Malacca. Ha ha ha....

To be continued ...