Melaka, about 3-4 hours drive from Singapore, is a popular destination for tourists who want to catch a glimpse of Malaysia's unique heritage. Declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 and home of the well-known Nyonya (Peranakan) cuisine, here you can find Chinese shops and Malay kampongs - all in lost-in-time feel and laid back atmosphere!
I think the easiest (may not be the cheapest) way to visit Melaka is by taking coach from Kuala Lumpur - about 1.5 to 2 hours. Plus if you go by plane to KL, you can avoid the long lines at Malaysia checkpoint.
From the salmon-pink Christ Church Melaka to Jonker Walk Night Market - Melaka is definitely home to some great food!
1. Hoe Kee Chicken Rice - Jonker Street
Who doesn't love classic Hainanese Chicken Rice? Here in Malacca, they have their own rendition with distinctive element in its rice ball shape!
Located at Jonker Street, Hoe Kee is one of the most popular chicken rice shops where each ball is manually rolled into perfection. Their service is highly efficient and quick - order is placed while you're queuing and not long after everything is served on your table!
Hoe Kee serves both normal chicken rice and rice balls - the latter is a little bit sticky, has soft and chewy texture while the former is a bit dry but still fragrant.
Some say the chicken at Chung Wah, another competitor next door, is more tender and tasty. Note that Chung Wah has unending queue with 1-2 hours waiting time under the scorching sun. I guess it's safe to say, which ever you prefer, you'll leave feeling satisfied.
Address: 468, Jalan Hang Jebat 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9am - 4pm daily
2. East and West Rendezvous Cafe
Heard that this place is famous for their Nyonya Chang! I am used to eating "bak chang" or "zongzi" or also known as meat dumpling loaded with pork, salted duck egg yolk, and mushrooms - but Nyonya Chang somehow stands out by their unique Peranakan taste. On the outside, it has that blue-ish color (naturally dyed with blue pea flower) and on the inside it's filled with sweet and salty minced pork, winter melon, mushrooms and spices.
When in Melaka, eat Chendol (also aka Cendol) - I feel like their version lacks of "gula melaka/palm sugar 'wow' factor" and tastes a bit more diluted especially when the ice has all melted. Compared to other cendol places we've tried, this bowl is less sweet but still nicely loaded with well cooked kidney bean, red jellies, and pandan-flavored cendol 'noodles'.
Address: 60, Lorong Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9.30am - 5.30pm daily
3. Calanthe Art Cafe
The first and only cafe in Malacca were you can try Malaysia 13 State's coffee bean uniquely blended with sugar, margarine, and even wheat flour. The place itself is vibrantly decorated with rattan furniture, hand-painted walls by local artists, and all that detailed ornaments on the shelves.
They have both indoor and outdoor seating and this outdoor area is especially my favorite - perfect for me-time while hiding from the heat! Talking about food, Calanthe specialises in local cuisines and heard that their Nyonya Laksa was listed in Malaysia top 50.
Their coffee or usually called "kopi" is made by pouring boiling water through the cloth "sock" filter, resulting in thick and strong taste. You can choose to have it hot or iced, black or white (with condensed milk), blended, and many other ways. Here we tried their Coffee Blend with Melaka bean and Affogato with Sarawak bean.
Address: 11, Jalang Hang Kasturi, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9am-11pm Sun-Thu and 9am-12am Fri-Sat
4. Jonker 88
Jonker 88 is considered popular tourist destination and always has long queue especially during peak hours. The place itself is quite rustic with classic interior - here you have to find your own table first before joining the queue to order. Please note that, here is all about self-service, from ordering to delivering food to your table.
The most ordered food here is their Baba Laksa (with coconut milk soup and thin rice noodle), Nyonya Asam Laksa (with spicy and sour fish soup and thick rice noodle), or the Baba Laksa Kahwin Nyonya Asam Laksa which has the combination of both soups.
Jonker's Baba Cendol has sticky, thick and rich palm sugar poured abundantly on top of the shaved ice. It sort of tastes like browned toffee and just perfect to cool you down and combat the heat after eating their Laksa.
Address: 88, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9.30am-6pm Sun-Thu and 9.30am-9pm Fri-Sat
5. Jonker Street Night Market
Every Friday to Sunday from around 6 pm onward, the entire Jonker Street will be closed to traffic and become one of the most popular tourist destinations. Here at the Night Market you can try some of the local delicacies from fried radish cake, char kway teow, oyster omelette, quail egg skewers to hipster food such as poo-shaped ice cream, whole watermelon juice, liquid nitrogen snack, and deep fried ice cream. Check our video below to see more of the night market highlights!
6. Nancy's Kitchen
A trip to Melaka is not complete without trying their Peranakan cuisines. Peranakan or usually known as Baba Nyonya, is actually a mix of two different traditions usually due to interracial marriage between Chinese immigrants and local Malay Muslim ladies. Peranakan food is known to be mildly spicy, rich and heavy in flavor as they use so many spices and coconut milk.
If you don't like to queue for table, it's very advisable to book at least 1 day before by calling them or just book it through their website. Heard that the recipe here in Nancy's Kitchen has been passed down and it is now at her 3rd generation. On top of selling Peranakan food, Nancy also sells Nyonya Kuih, cookies, Nyonya Chang, as well as her own "sambal" if you want to try to replicate her dish at home.
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| Clockwise: Sayur Keledek Belacan (Sweet Potato Leaves Fried Belacan), Babi Cincaluk (Pork and Shrimp), Ayam Buah Keras (Chicken Candlenut), and Nyonya Pai Tee (Top Hat) |
Start with their Nyonya Pai Tee and this one doesn't disappoint - crisp and light shell filled with stewed jicama, cucumber, egg, and the more you bite into it, the combination of crispy, sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy is definitely addictive. Cincaluk is made of fermented small shrimps and only found in Malacca - if you have never tried it, don't miss it! Chicken Candlenut is one of Nancy's Signature Dishes and also my favorite - heard that the candlenut creates a lovely combination of lemongrass, making this dish a refreshing lemony taste - it was rich in flavor but it won't leave you feeling "jelak".
Another Nancy's famous dish you must try is her Nyonya Laksa. Her gravy is strongly spiced and has rich taste of fresh coconut milk, yet it doesn't feel heavy as you can finish slurping the gravy soup.
Last but not least, wash all the heat down with Nancy's Cendol, which actually is my favorite! The coconut milk is rich, the kidney beans are cooked through, the cendol 'noodles' are fat and toothsome, the Gula Melaka (palm sugar) has caramel-like sweetness, and the coarse shaved ice simply gets along with all the other ingredients.
Address: 13, Jalan KL 3/8, Taman Kota Laksamana, Seksyen 3, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 11am-5pm Sun-Thu and 11am-9pm Fri-Sat, closed on Tuesday
Website for booking: http://www.eatatnancyskit.com/
Check our video below to see more of Melaka's Highlights!
Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to contact me or drop a comment if you want to ask more about Melaka =) Will be back to Melaka at some time in the future and update this list with more places to go!
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