Capitol Satay Celup @ Bukit Cina, Melaka

When it comes to Melaka‘s Satay Celup, Capitol‘s popularity supersedes the rest. And with that reputation, you are sure to have a fair share of lovers and haters – some swear by it and some swear at it. But for something that is so subjective, as food is, I guess it is still better to taste it for yourself than let others dictate it for you.

I still can’t really adapt to the queuing-for-food-culture, which explains why I never bothered to visit Capitol satay celup until recently. Most of the time I would eat at other places instead like Ban Lee Siang or King Tu.

While waiting with nothing better to do, I can’t help but notice the many signboards hanging around the restaurant stating their philosophy, and the strong emphasis on how they are the only branch in the whole world. Good to know but also kind of funny in a way. Running a restaurant, serious business indeed.

Hundreds of photos and articles that featured Capitol are proudly plastered all over the restaurant’s four walls. And even more similar signboards.

Food selection here is great, Capitol offers more varieties compared to other satay celup restaurants. The ingredients are not exactly market fresh but the freshness is at least good and acceptable for this kind of cuisine.

One of the item worth highlighting is the XXXXL sized sea prawns. Quite impressive and worth trying if you don’t mind paying premium price for it. Besides, having one of this will surely give a lasting memory for your trip, either because of its taste or price. I bet it is the latter though.

The spicy peanut sauce is the soul of satay celup and each restaurant would have their own secret way of preparing it. Every time the pot is refilled with fresh gravy, the workers would mix a good amount of spices and Gula Melaka into the gravy, rendering it thick and aromatic with a sweet flavor.

What follows is a no-brainer – just dunk the skewers into the boiling pot and enjoy after they are fully cooked. Despite what the locals say about Capitol’s satay celup not as delicious as it used to be, personally I think it is ‘quite ok what’. But if you ask me if I would return, my answer is no because it is not THAT fantastic that I will queue again for it.

Restoran Capitol Satay
‎41, Lorong Bukit Cina,
75100, Melaka
Open daily 5pm onwards
GPS Coordinates: N2 11.710 E102 15.137