What to eat in Malacca?

Penang may be Malaysia’s unofficial food capital but Malacca’s cuisine isn’t particularly unknown. Home to a thriving Baba Nyonya culture (descendents of 15th and 16th-century Straits Chinese settlers who married local Malays), Malacca’s food scene has been thoroughly saturated by the Peranakan culture. Curries are lighter than Indian ones, vegetables are flavoursome and meats are neither spicy nor bland making Nyonya cuisine perfect for first-time visitors.

If you are planning to visit Malacca, you may also want to check our where to stay in Malacca post.

Nyonya Food 

Malacca’s Nyonya fare is the original and most authentic of the country’s Peranakan cuisine. Heavily influenced by Chinese and Malay ingredients, some of the most common ingredients in Nyonya cuisine are coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screw pine leaves, chillies and sambal. Besides main meals, Malacca’s Nyonya pineapple tarts are uniquely popular – sinfully delicious, there are many stores scattered across Malacca’s landscape selling these pastries and locals will happily point you in the direction of their favourite stores if you ask them. Try San Shu Gong Food Industries’ (Jonker Street) heavenly double-buttered tarts.

Satay Celup 

A Malaccan institution, satay celup is a fondue-style meal with skewered raw and semi-cooked meats (such as chicken, beef, pork and seafood) that are cooked in a communal pot of scalding hot, thick peanut-based gravy. Besides the meats, there’s also a variety of vegetables including tofu, kangkung and more for customers to choose from. The restaurant prepares the skewered meats and vegetables and stores them in huge refrigerators – customers select their satay and then dip it into the boiling sauces to stew. The best places (Restoran Capitol, Restoran Ban Lee Siang) feature thicker, nuttier sauce than that of other places.

Chicken Rice Ball 

The state’s unofficial signature dish, this meal comprises rice, cooked in chicken stock, and moulded into golf ball-sized balls and served with delicious steamed chicken in soy sauce. It’s a simple dish yet it receives rave reviews, in large part due to its relative non-spiciness as well as subtle-yet-strong flavours. The best chicken rice ball restaurants are usually busy during lunchtime and dinner (the queues are well worth it though), so you’ll have to arrive early if you want to grab a table. Try Kedai Kopi Chung Wah and Hoe Kee (Jalan Hang Jebat) – they serve up some of the best chicken rice balls in the state.

Nyonya Food

Ikan Bakar 
Don’t leave Malacca without trying the ikan bakar (literally burnt fish in Malay). This grilled seafood dish has roots in Indonesia but the smoky flavour remains the same wherever you go. The fish (stingray) is marinated for hours with spices and sambal belacan (anchovy and chilli paste) and then grilled to perfection with banana leaves over a charcoal fire; a variation of this dish uses sotong (squid). It’s topped with healthy lashings of sambal sauce and sliced shallots; though it’s said to be a street snack (usually found with hawker stalls), in Malacca there are a few restaurants that specialize in it.

Fried Oysters

Best eaten piping hot, fried oysters are a favourite Chinese dish with Teochew/ Fujian origins and you’ll see this dish sold in almost all seafood restaurants, hawker centres and pasar malams in Malacca. Shucked oysters are stir fried with scrambled eggs, sliced onions, diced garlic, chives, chilli paste and soy sauce – the result is a soft, sticky and flavoursome dish. The best place to grab a plate is the Jonker Walk night market – the cook who stir-fries the oysters in a large wok (on the spot) will take requests – so you can tell him if you don’t want the dish too spicy and he’ll be more than willing to oblige.

Durian Cendol

The sinfully-sweet cendol is a quintessential part of Malacca’s street food culture. Made from coconut milk, lots of gula Melaka (palm sugar) and served with red beans, glutinous rice, grass jelly, creamed corn and pandan-flavoured worm-like ‘jellies’ (made from rice flour and dyed with green food colouring), cendol’s relative popularity makes it easy to find. You’ll come across an array of variants, the most popular one in Malacca being durian cendol. You would think that the durian-flavoured shaved ice drink would be an acquired taste but visitors say that after their first bowl, they’re left craving more.

Roti John

Essentially an omelette sandwich, Roti John is a popular street side snack (Malays are especially partial to it) in Malacca. Minced chicken, diced onions, eggs and diced red and green chillies are fried, then spread on a baguette loaf with tomato and chilli sauce and then grilled. Variations of this dish use beef, mutton and sardines. The seaside strip of Pantai Kundur plays host to more than a few hawker stalls that are Malacca’s roti john specialists.

Nasi Lemak

Malaysia’s official national dish, nasi lemak is so popular even the Chinese and Indians serve their own versions. At its very basic, nasi lemak comprises a plate of white rice cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaves. Accompanying it is sambal (anchovy, onion and chilli paste), an egg (boiled or fried), salted anchovies, cucumber slices and peanuts; popular complementary side orders include fried, curry or rendang chicken or beef. Locals say that this dish can be eaten no matter the time of day but tourists should be careful as the sambal can be rather spicy – keep a glass of ice water nearby when you dig in.

Where to stay in Malacca?

Thanks to a rich colonial past, thriving Peranakan heritage and excellent Nyonya fare Malacca is Malaysia’s historical pride. Also spelt Melaka, the state  is  one  of  the  country’s  tourism  industry’s  trump  cards.  First established  in  the  fourteenth  century,  it  quickly  gained fame under the auspices of founder Parameswara, a Sumatran prince. Conquered by the Portuguese,  Dutch  and  British,  remnants  of  their  rule  can  be  seen throughout  the  well­preserved  town  centre,  from  Porta de Santiago (the remaining  gate  of  the  Portuguese­built  A’Famosa  fort)  to  the  nearby Dutch­constructed  Stadhuys.  Malacca’s  a  small  town  so  exploring  it  is fairly easy on foot as you’re never too far from tourist­worthy sights.

Hot  and  humid  throughout  the  year  with occasional rainfall, Malacca is perfect  for  year­round  travel.  Temperatures  range  between  30°C ­35°C  during  the  day  and  27°C  ­  29°C  at  night,  though  after rainfall it could  be  cooler.  Rainfall  occurs  mostly  between  October  and  March while May to July remains the state’s drier months. Wear light clothing, good walking shoes and sunglasses; and you’d be remiss to forget your sun block-the higher the SPF the better!

Here in this post we will talk about where to stay in Malacca. Instead of writing about individual hotels in Malacca, we will talk about the main areas to accommodate.

Malacca City

Malacca City’s Dutch colonial square is perhaps its most striking feature. The terracotta-red buildings along this riverfront are unique due to their louvred windows, chunky doors and wrought iron grilles plus the imposing Stadhuys is the oldest surviving Dutch building in the East. The administrative capital of Malacca, a short walk over a concrete bridge at the southern end leads to Jalan Hang Jebat, which plays host to the Jonker Walk night market as well as a vast collection of antique shops. Southeast from the Stadhuys is the remnants of the Portuguese A’Famosa fort – the lone Porta de Santiago gate.

For hotels in Malacca City, their room prices and customer reviews you can visit  Malacca City hotels page.

Malacca City is the most popular place to stay in Malacca. Source : syazatravel.com

Jalan Hang Jebat

A bridge at the southern end of Dutch Square leads to Jalan Hang Jebat. It’s commonly known as Chinatown or Jonker Street and used to be famous for its collection of antique stores that sell Nyonya porcelain, Victorian mirrors, wooden opium beds, Peranakan blackwood furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl and more. Within the area is Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (also known as Melaka’s Millionaire’s Row) which is lined with opulent 19th century ancestral homes and mansions. The fun and zingy Friday-and Saturday Jonker Walk night market, that sells everything from tasty treats to cheap keepsakes, takes place here.

For hotels in Jalan Hang Jebat, their room prices and customer reviews you can visit  Malacca Jonker Street hotels page.

Malacca Chinatown

Ayer Keroh

Situated just off the highway to KL, about 11km northeast of Malacca City, is Ayer Keroh. It’s known for its contrived tourist attractions ranging from the Melaka Zoo, with a worthwhile night-viewing safari, and the Melaka Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary, to a go-kart track and the Ayer Keroh Golf & Country Club – the longest golf course in Malaysia. Housing a 359ha forest, there’s also a Taman Mini Malaysia Complex (13 traditional houses, representing Malaysian states, with works of art and culture in each) and a Taman Mini ASEAN, showcasing abodes of Asian nations. Take bus no. 19 from Malacca City to get here.

For hotels in Ayer Keroh, their room prices and customer reviews you can visit  Malacca Ayer Keroh hotels page.

Source : asiawebdirect.com

Tanjung Kling

20 minutes from Malacca City, about 9km northwest, the journey to Tanjung Kling is a pleasant drive past beachside kampungs. It used to be a mucky, muddy seaside strip with passing tankers spoiling the beach. However, recent progress (the development of seafront apartment complexes and a cleaned-up beach) has resulted in a new and improved Tanjung Kling. These days you’ll see people on the reclaimed beach sunning, flying kites and there’s even a horse riding operator here. Plus, Tanjung Kling’s the best spot in Malacca for seafood with several top notch restaurants and hawker stalls along the roadside at Pantai Kundor.

For hotels in Tanjung Kling, their room prices and customer reviews you can visit  Malacca Tanjung Kling hotels page.

Malacca Tanjung Kling

Malacca Raya

Situated within Malacca City, Taman Melaka Raya isn’t a separate area in and of itself. It’s popular as the town’s favoured food centre especially since, besides a few places in Chinatown, it’s hard to find many restaurants open late at night. It used to house the 60m Eye on Malaysia (which provided 360-degree views of the town centre) until it was dismantled due to a legal dispute. None the worse for the wear, the area will soon see the assembly of a newer, larger Ferris wheel called the Malaysia Eye (December 2011). Malacca’s

two biggest shopping malls – Mahkota Parade and Dataran Pahlawan – are located here.

For hotels in Malacca Raya, their room prices and customer reviews you can visit  Malacca Raya hotels page.

Mahkota Parade Shopping Mall in Malacca