Malaysia road trip - Day 16 (Malacca)

Our initial plan was to spend two nights in Malacca before moving on to another city. However, by the third day, we realised there were still many food places and dishes that we had yet to try. So, we decided to extend our stay for one more night. Just like the previous days, we began our morning with brunch. While making our way to Restoran Baba Ang, we drove past the Malacca Warrior Monument, a memorial built to commemorate the Chinese victims of the Japanese occupation. Although we didn’t make a stop, it was one of the landmarks that caught our attention along the way.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we initially thought it was closed as it looked rather quiet from the outside. Fortunately, it was open, and we parked behind the restaurant before heading in. We ordered the fish asam pedas, nyonya braised pork, sambal lady's finger, two portions of rice, an iced water, and a warm water. Among the dishes, the sambal lady’s finger stood out as one of our favourites. The vegetables were young, tender, and cooked perfectly, while the sambal added a fiery kick that my partner thoroughly enjoyed.

The fish asam pedas was also enjoyable, with a flavourful and spicy gravy. However, the fish had a slight fishy taste. It also came with some lady's finger, although they were not as young and tender as those in the sambal dish. The nyonya braised pork, on the other hand, was fairly average. While the pork itself was decent, the egg was a little overcooked and firm, and the tofu was rather ordinary. The accompanying chili also had an unpleasant smell that put us off. Compared to my partner’s own version of braised pork, we felt that the homemade version had a richer depth of flavour and was more satisfying.

(Total bill - RM 76.65 including 6% SST)

Malacca Warrior Monument for the Chinese victims of anti Japanese Occupation

Restoran Baba Ang

Iced and warm water - RM 0.40 each

Rice - RM 6 (RM 3 per person)

Sambal lady finger - RM 12.50

Nyonya braised pork - RM 23

Fish asam pedas - RM 30

Address:
Restoran Baba Ang
310, Jln Parameswara,

Kampung Bandar Hilir,

75000 Melaka

Tel: +6012 - 283 7571

Opening hours: 11am to 2pm / 6pm to 9pm. Closed on Wednesday

After brunch, we decided to do some laundry and headed to Cleanpro Express Self Service Laundry at Melaka Raya. The washing machine cost RM 4.50 for a 9kg load with a cold water wash, and the cycle took approximately 23 minutes. We also received a RM 0.50 discount, which made it slightly more affordable. For drying, we used the dryer at RM 5.50 for a 28-minute cycle. In total, we spent around RM 10 on laundry, which we felt was a reasonable amount and a convenient way to keep our clothes fresh throughout the rest of our road trip.

 Cleanpro Express Self Service Laundry

Address:

Cleanpro Express Self Service Laundry

No 151, Jln Merdeka,

Taman Melaka Raya,

75000 Melaka

Tel: +603 - 2770 0100

Opening hours: 24 hours

After getting our laundry done, we continued our food hunt and made our way to Jonker 88 for another taste of Malacca’s local favourites. We ordered the nyonya asam laksa and baba cendol, two popular dishes that the shop is well known for. I had totally forgotten that I tried this same nyonya asam laksa 14 years ago and had previously commented that it was very spicy. Interestingly, we ended up ordering it again this time and faced the same challenge as before. The laksa was still incredibly fiery.

The nyonya asam laksa came with toppings such as fried bean curd, sliced cucumber, prawns, and egg. The broth had a strong sourness and a spicy kick that made the flavours stand out. While the heat was quite intense, it complemented the tangy and aromatic broth well, although the spiciness was still overwhelming for us. We also had the baba cendol, which was a refreshing treat after the spicy laksa. The combination of creamy coconut milk, fragrant gula Melaka, and soft cendol strands created a pleasant balance of sweetness and richness. Overall, the cendol was enjoyable and a great way to cool down after the bold flavours of the asam laksa.

 

Jonker 88

Baba cendol - RM 7

Nyonya asam laksa - RM 12

Address:
Jonker 88
88, Jalan Hang Jebat,

75200 Melaka

Our next food stop was Beh Leh Hainam Satay, where we stopped by to try their satay. Since the minimum order was 10 sticks, we ordered eight pork satay and two chicken satay. The satay was served with a slightly sourish peanut sauce, which had a different taste from the sweeter versions we are more familiar with. The pork satay came with a mix of tendons and fats, giving it a chewy texture, while the outer layer had a slight crispiness from the grilling. However, the satay was on the salty side, and after eating a few sticks, our tongue felt slightly numb from the strong seasoning.

(Total bill - RM 15.90)

Beh Leh Hainam Satay. Iced water - RM 0.40 each

8 sticks of pork and 2 sticks of chicken satay - RM 1.40 each

Address:

Beh Leh Hainam Satay

313, Jalan Gajah Berang,

75200 Melaka

Tel: +6012 - 682 9355

Opening hours: 12.30pm to 7.30pm. Closed on Tuesday

We headed back to the hotel before going out again for dinner. Our initial plan was to try Soupy Licious Restaurant, but it was full house when we arrived. As a backup, we made our way to Mcquek’s Satay Celup instead. Even though there was no queue, we still had to scan a QR code to get a queue number before taking a seat. One thing that stood out was that the skewers were clearly labelled, making it easy to identify the different ingredients.

The satay celup sauce had a slight bitter taste, but overall, it was still enjoyable. I had 16 sticks, and the fish balls were one of the highlights for me. The prawns, however, were just average and smaller compared to those at Capitol Satay Restaurant. One of the tofu puffs was filled with fish paste, but the filling did not taste very fresh and had a mushy texture, which was disappointing. Overall, my partner felt that Mcquek’s Satay Celup was better than Capitol Satay. In total, we had 41 sticks, including 27 Mcquek’s sticks at RM 1.35 each, 13 red sticks at RM 1.90 each, and 1 blue stick at RM 3.90 each.

(Total bill - RM 70 including 6% SST)

McQuek's Satay Celup

Restaurant ambience

Meat skewers kept in a chilled fridge display, ready to be picked and cooked in satay sauce

Iced water - RM 0.50 each

Fried skewers

Satay celup sauce

My portion

His portion

Second round of my portion

Second round of his portion

Satay celup sauce

Address:

McQuek's Satay Celup

288, Jln Parameswara,

Kampung Bandar Hilir,

75000 Melaka

Tel: +6010 - 268 2998

Opening hours: 4pm to 11pm. Closed on Wednesday

We ended the night with dessert at CheckIn Bingsu Dessert Cafe, where we ordered the pistachio kunafa croffle. The croffle had a nice crunchy texture on the outside, but it lacked flavour and tasted rather plain on its own. The accompanying chocolate dip also did not quite impress us, as the taste did not complement the croffle as well as we expected. Overall, the dessert was just average and did not leave a strong impression. After a full day of exploring Malacca and trying out various food spots, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel to rest.

CheckIn Bingsu Dessert Cafe

Pistachio kunafa croffle - RM 25

Address:
CheckIn Bingsu Dessert Cafe
15, Jln Merdeka,

Taman Melaka Raya,

75000 Melaka

Tel: +606 - 281 2238

Opening hours: 1pm to 10pm