Eating in Malacca (Melaka)- Part 1 | ThumbsForFood

Many Singaporeans go to Malacca for a short weekend getaway. And, when you think of Malacca, you would immediately associate it with being an old cultural town, Jonker street and definitely for its food! 

So, in this two-part posts, we will bring to you our food finds in Malacca - the well-known and the hidden finds! At the same time, we hope that you would also share with us food finds that you have come across which we did not mention so that we could add it onto our list on our next trip! 

Chop Chung Wah Hainanese Chicken Rice

8 Lorong Hang Jebat, Melaka, Melaka 75500

Near Main Entrance of Jonker Street

Opens daily: 7.30am-3pm

One significant and popular food among visitors of Malacca would be the Chicken Rice Balls! Chop Chung Wah is one of the three chicken rice stalls in Jonker Street, which is one of the main attractions of Malacca. It is not difficult to spot Chop Chung Wah as it is situated directly right of the main entrance of Jonker street. Arguably, Chop Chung Wah is said to serve the best Chicken Rice Balls in Malacca. 

Be prepared to queue on weekends for a seat! As it is usually crowded, the owners usually only allow patrons to order their orders once. Hence, no additional rice balls is allowed to be ordered after you have placed your order. 

Interior of Shop

We felt that the Chicken Rice balls were made quite compact and sturdy. However, we thought that the rice balls were not as fragrant as we would like it to be. The chicken meat, on the other hand, was really good. It was tender, well-cooked and the chicken skin was smooth and delectable! The chilli offered was also spicy and complemented well with the dish. 

Chicken Rice balls and Chicken

Chicken Rice Balls

The tender chicken

Overall, we do recommend visitors to try this dish as it is one of the signature here! You wouldn't be able to see that you have been to Malacca if you haven't tried chicken rice balls.

Jonker 88

Jalan Hang Jebat and Jalan Laksamana
Situatuted in Jonker Street

Another popular spot for visitors of Jonker Street is Jonker 88 which serves up authentic Assam Laksa and Nonya Desserts. It is not difficult to spot Jonker 88 because it is usually bustling with people, especially on weekends!

Entrance of shop

One of their specialties and must-try in our opinion, is their Assam Laksa. Assam Laksa is actually noodles in a sweet-and-sour fish soup broth. It is only completed with the addition of belachan and prawn paste. The one in Jonker 88 is really appetizing due to it's sour flavor. The spicy level is mild so, for those who cannot take spicy food, do not be afraid to try this dish!

Assam Laksa

Their fried fish cake is also one of their signature dishes. I felt that what made this dish slightly different is the sauces that they serve to complement the fish cake. The slightly sweet sauce topped with ground peanuts really whets the appetite.

Fried Fish Cake

One must-eat dessert in Malacca is definitely the chendol. What makes the chendol here exceptionally tasty as the ones we find in Singapore is their generous Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar) syrup. How do you savour the chendol? Simply mixed the whole bowl of chendol and taste the goodness of the combination of red bean, green jelly and gula melaka. 

You will see chendol appearing in this post as we visit other restaurants. We find that the one at Jonker 88 is probably one of the best tasting chendols as the Gula Melaka's fragrance was really awesome.

Chendol

Bikini Toppings 

Lorong Hang Jebat, 75200 Malacca, Malaysia
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs: 10am-6pm, Fri & Sat: 10am-7pm and Sun: 9am-6pm

Cafe Exterior

Signage at the cafe entrance

Bikini Toppings is a relatively new addition in Jonker street with its opening in mid-2013. We got to know this place as recommended by the owner at our accommodation. We were told to try its Coconut Shake. As we found it quite appropriate to have something refreshing on a hot, sunny day, we decided to give it a try.

As we step into the shop, we observed that the shop was simply decorated, with photographs on one side of the wall and chalk scribbling on the red-bricked counter and red-painted parts of the walls. The interior had a minimalist-theme where the different languages on the wall seems to be welcoming patrons, regardless of nationality, into the cafe.

We decided to try out their Coconut shake as recommended and true to it, it was refreshing. We added a scoop of vanilla ice-cream as introduced by the owner. We felt that the ice-cream somehow robbed the natural coconut flavor from the shake. However, we really liked that the shake had little coconut bits in it, giving the shake some texture. 

Coconut Shake

We decided to also try out their Fresh Coconut Juice as well as Coconut Jelly. The Coconut Juice was refreshing. It also helped us combat the sweltering heat. My personal favorite is the Coconut Jelly which was made out of natural Coconut Juice and slices of real coconut flesh. Even though I am not a fan of Coconut, I thoroughly enjoyed the desserts served here! 

Coconut Juice (Left) & Coconut Jelly (Right)

I saw from Bikini Topping's Facebook page that they have included some mains into their menu. Do check it out and share with us your experience there!

Restoran Nyonya Makko

123 Taman Melaka Raya, Melaka, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11.30am-2.45pm; 6pm-9.30pm

Another top on the list for must try in Malacca is their Nyonya Cuisine! Having tried Ole Sayang, which is just across the road of Restoran Nyonya Makko, we decided to try Makko this time round.

Exterior of Restaurant

Interior of Restaurant

We ordered quite a number of dishes as everything on the menu looks really good! Perenakan cuisine is quite expensive in Singapore. As such, we also took this opportunity to really feast our hearts out! Prices are quite reasonable ranging from RM10 for a vegetable dish to RM 40 for a seafood/meat dish.

Dishes from Makko

Here's some dishes that we liked. The Nyonya Vegetable Chap Chye dish was really good in my opinion! The gravy was good with white rice and the vegetable was soft and went well with the fungus. A refreshing vegetable option as compared to the usual Sambal Kang Kong/ Potato Leaves.

Nyonya Vegetable Chap Chye

Yes, a must order wherever which Nyonya Restaurant you choose to go is the Assam Fish (Tamarind Fish)! The tangy sour sauce really whets up the appetite and with the sauce, it is possible to down a few bowls of rice! We felt that the fish was quite fresh and the portion is quite generous.

Assam Fish

The Beef Rendang here at Makko is flavorful and the beef chunks are tender. What we like is the slightly spicy sauce, with a balance of coconut taste and flavorful spices. It seems the hours of simmering of the beef in the gravy, made the beef take on some of the essence of it.

The chendol was RM3. We felt that the Gula Melaka lack a bit of oomph! But, if you're having an intense craving for some, do give it a go! 

Do leave a comment and let us know if you have a favorite place to go for Nyonya food! We would love to hear from you! 

Nadeje Cake Shop
They have a few branches in Malacca. You can view the other branches here. 

Nadeje Mahkota Parade
Tel No : 06-2843469. 
Operation Hours: 
Daily : 11:00am - 10:00pm 
G-23B, EG 4 & EG 5, Ground Floor, Mahkota Parade, 75000 Melaka. 

We chanced upon Nadeje as we were searching for good desserts in Malacca. As the Mille Crepe craze is on in Singapore, we were quite excited to find that Malacca also has a store that specialize in Mille Crepes cakes. As such, we decided to try it out!

Nadeje's Logo

Nadeje is established since 2006 and they pride themselves for using the finest ingredients to make their handmade Mille Crepe and other desserts. As they are most famous for their Mille Crepe, we decided to order 3 flavors to try! They have about 18 flavors to choose from and it can be quite overwhelming! 

Being fans of Green Tea, we decided to pick it. I had thought that all the layers of cream will be green tea flavored. But, as you can see from the picture below, there are also some layers that are infused with plain cream. The green tea taste was subtle which I had hoped that it would be stronger and more fragrant.

Green Tea

The cheese flavored mille crepe had a light tinge of cheese flavor. I felt that the texture felt more like a light cheese cake compared to a cheese mille crepe. The layers of the cake somehow merged with each other and thus, the layered texture seems to disappear a little. I would say that this choice is light on the tastebuds and will suit those who are looking for something lighter.

Cheese

Tiramisu

Overall, we felt that the cakes are not bad. They are not too sweet and seems to be really made from natural ingredients. It can be better improved if its cream and crepe layers are made more evenly such that the cream will not overpower the crepe. Having said that, Nadeje is a good place to have some tea and cakes if you're looking for something else other than their local food!

Do look out for our Eating in Malacca (Part 2) where we will introduce you a good Tzi Char place, a place for good Char Siew and two places where you can find good Nyonya Dumplings and more chendols!

Update: Eating in Malacca (Part 2) has been posted. Visit Part 2 here. 

Cheers,
Y