melaka - food

What is a Melaka trip without savouring its mouthwatering chow? I made a point to shoot my food prior to digging in, but at times it proved too trying. Asking me to look at steaming hot food but not touching is torture. Even if it's 30 seconds to snap a shot. I'm all for instant gratification.

Trying to follow the makan trail left by the people behind Foodsters Guide, my first stop was chicken rice ball in Chung Wah. I'm not proud to announce that although I've been to Melaka many times, I've never tried their chicken rice ball. The secret of the rice ball is not important to me. I don't care how they roll the rice into balls and why they don't come apart. Their. Chicken. Very. Very. VERY. Heavenly. My mouth still waters whenever I think of the tender, succulent chicken. *swoon*

Went for a stroll along Jonker Walk after lunch craving for something cold to offset the humidity - and I found this place with a decent throng of customers. 88 Jonker Dessert. Their cendol is quite different, with thick gula melaka sticking to the spoon, bowl and my teeth. Didn't quite like how the sugar sticks to the bottom of the bowl, making the final few mouthfuls too sweet for my liking.

My first time eating satay celup. Chose to patron Capitol because it's the oldest place with more variety (said a Jonker Walk shopkeeper). Coupled with the praises sung by my guidebook, what could go wrong? What could go wrong indeed. I didn't like the experience one bit. Gravy to dip my satay tasted like... nothing. Just some thick goo with no taste. I expected slightly peanut-ish flavour, but alas, even the diced cucumber tasted like classroom blackboard. The yummiest item in the shop was the Coke I ordered.

Since I had only about 6 sticks of satay celup earlier, it's time for some real food. And we headed towards Jalan Bunga Raya for the recommended-by-guidebook "oh-jien" (oyster fried egg). It was a long wait, but I was glad to have at least half an hour for my protesting stomache to calm down. This is probably the best oyster fried egg I've eaten for a looooong time. I was told that this place sells the best char-siew (roast marinated pork) in town during the day. I'm jotting this down as a must-try for my next trip, together with the Sun May Hiong pork satay. Have to bring a pork-lover along as well because the boyfriend doesn't fancy pork. Interested parties please leave me a message.

Hotel breakfast was just enough for a 5-year old (which is a good thing actually) so I went for more food right after. My guidebook says the best cendol in Melaka is here in Min Chong. Like the good girl I am, I ordered exactly what the book advised. The veggie rojak was delectable, just the right portion of everything with just the right level of spiciness. Same goes for the cendol. The gula melaka wasn't as thick as the one in Jonker Walk with generous dollops of coconut milk. Yummylicious to the last drop. This shop is a tad "historical" (translation: run-down) and easy to miss if you're concentrating on the traffic instead of names of shops. I think it fits only about 10 people at one go so make sure to time your visit correctly or you'll be standing under the sun!

The second last meal before I left Melaka! I was forced by Eryn to try the pizza in Coconut House. "It's right opposite your hotel so you must go!" Although the food's a bit pricey, they have the best freshly-squeezed pineapple juice on the planet! The pizza was alright, cooked using authentic woodfire and bla bla. I think we can find the same quality here in KL anyways. Because of the irritating mosquitoes (and the price of food), I rushed through a small pizza and then headed straight to Chung Wah for chicken rice balls again.

I'm not stepping on the weighing scale until next month (and few sessions of morning jogs).