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Hawker Food
Yet Another Melaka Food Guide – What’s Good & What’s Not?
Feb 10th
So I was at Melaka again over the last weekend for yet another food hunt.
The mission remains the same: to provide good alternatives to the overcrowded makan places so that you won’t have to queue to eat, as well as weeding out the bad ones (yet highly recommended by various sources) so you can avoid them.
For this round, I also made the effort of including more Halal places that did not open in my last visit due to the Hari Raya celebrations. To make things simple and clear, I will be listing the places according to my own rating instead of the time I visited them. Now lets get started with the good ones:
1. Sin Yin Hoe’s Fried Oysters – This is so much better than that lousy O Chien at Bunga Raya Food Court which I still can’t believe people are actually lining up for. The omelette is void of preserved turnips, nicely cooked and not tore into tiny, miserable pieces. Oysters are fresh and although not big in size, the generous amount makes up for it.
Sin Yin Hoe Coffee Shop
135 Lorong Hang Jebat
GPS Coordinates: N2 11.685 E102 14.942
Business hours: 4pm onwards until midnight (closed on Tuesdays)
2. Kingtu Satay Celup – Tastes as good as the ‘famous ones’ minus the queue, reasonably priced (70 cents a stick, some items have multiple sticks on them) and the ingredients are fresh. Good consistency on the peanut sauce and the taste is just right without being overly sweet. And what’s better, there are no dozens of eyes staring at you, hinting you to give up your seats.
Kafe Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul @ Komtar Walk
Feb 3rd
Call me slow but I just realized the famous Penang Road Teochew Chendul has three branches already at Komtar Walk, Prangin Mall and Sunshine Farlim. What to do? I have been absent from Penang for far too long that I already lost touch with the local F&B scene. Although they do have a branch in Klang Valley at a Giant Hypermarket somewhere, honestly I wouldn’t bother because I know the taste can never match the real deal up North.
As for Ais Kacang, I discovered that most KL people tend to love the Southern version more, those with stronger Gula Melaka taste and totally void of Sarsi flavor. Well I have stayed at both places long enough to develop a passion for both versions. But, if I had to choose, it will be the Penang Ais Kacang without skipping a heartbeat. I just love the refreshing taste that Sarsi syrup gives and not to mention the extra colorful ingredients in it too.
RM12 ‘Keh Liao’ Char Koay Teow @ Bee Hooi Coffee Garden, Penang
Jan 28th
Just when I thought Char Koay Teow in Penang wouldn’t get more expensive, I stumbled upon one that sells a ‘keh liao‘ (added ingredients) version that has a price tag of RM12 while the normal version is RM5.50. FYI, the most expensive Char Koay Teow I ever had prior to this was at Ah Leng that cost RM10. And coincidentally, this stall at Bee Hooi Coffee Garden along Kimberley Street is where Ah Leng used to operate before he moved to his current location.
Even though I knew the noodles would have a tough time competing with the caliber of Siam Road‘s, the curiosity got the better of me. I simply had to see for myself how this could top Ah Leng’s. So after I placed my order and sat down, I paid close attention to the cooking.
And just as I had predicted, the extra cost goes into having much bigger prawns and having an extra ingredient – mantis shrimps. There weren’t any cockles, which is weird so my only guess is that it was hard to get any supply during CNY.
Sun May Hiong Pork Satay @ Jalan Kota Laksamana, Melaka
Jan 11th
Satay is a common food in Melaka so there is no surprise that this state has the most Pork Satay restaurants. Besides the meat being used, one major difference in Pork Satay (aka Nyonya Satay) is the peanut dip which is usually mixed with a dollop of pineapple sauce.
Sun May Hiong (and along with Xiang Ji, Ming Sate Hut etc) is one of the more popular restaurants in Melaka that specializes in Pork Satay. Once you sit down, you will be given a big tray of satays regardless of whether you ordered it or not. Then, you are free to take as many as you can stomach. When the tray is almost finished the satays will be replenished automatically until you say stop.
While I find the satays (60 cents each) to be quite good, the peanut sauce is oily and diluted. The pineapple sauce on the other hand does not do anything much to improve the overall taste. In fact, it is too sourish for my liking.
