Melaka’s heritage has another great aspect that makes us happy: the food! This delicious legacy is more than rich and various. Due to the history of this place, it has resulted in a mixture of a lot of different styles. Every nation that settled here left behind a culinary legacy: the Portuguese, Dutch, and British brought their cuisine and mixed it with the Chinese, Malay and Nyonya cooking styles. Here is ou Malacca food guide for those who will visit this town.
Christ Church in Melaka is a famous tourist sight
It was surprising that among all this food offer, we didn’t find any fine dining place worth visiting. Ok, there were some western restaurants with French and Italian cuisine, but we like the food which has roots in the country we visit. We can eat western food in the west, we don’t like to have it in this part of the world. Anyway, we were more than content with the street food in Melaka and the pearl among the restaurants we found, Wild Coriander. We tried some others Nyonya cuisine restaurants here, and we can guarantee you here you will eat the best Nyonya food in Melaka.
If you ever visit Melaka, don’t miss Nyonya Laksa which is different from Curry Laksa. Nyonya Laksa broth is prepared with chicken and prawns, whereas Curry Laksa just has chicken – prawns give the soup a sweeter taste. Now, get ready for some serious spice! Laksa here is much spicier than the one up north.
Laksa: Not the nicest food, but extremely delicious
In Melaka, you will find another signature dish, the Chicken Rice Ball. This dish has Chinese origins and is made of rice which is first boiled in chicken soup. When cooked, it is rolled into a ball and served with tender cooked chicken.
Most of the street food is set on the Jonker walk – Melaka’s famous place. On weekend evenings, officials close this street for the traffic, so after 6 pm it becomes a pedestrian-only zone. That is when the locals set up their stalls full of the Melaka street food and other items. The street gets taken over with all kind of sellers and the tourists who walk in a slow-moving line. There is so much to see and eat! You have enormous options for your unforgettable dinner in Melaka. Don’t miss out on freshly steamed dim sums that are right along the tempting grilled satay sticks. Here you have also chance to try out stinky tofu. We weren’t that eager to try it, with the horrible smell and all. The moldy stinky cheese we can handle, but this one is out of edible range for us.
Jonker Walk is crowded
Dim Sums on Jonker Walk were top notch
In Melaka, you will find also a lot of 24-hour Halal restaurants, serving traditional dishes like Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Roti Canai (savory thin pancake, usually served with gravy). Our recommendation for best halal food in Melaka is Medinah 24: the food there is decent and whenever we passed by, it was full. Do not expect the ambrosial dishes here, but, it can be a great first introduction into Malaysian cuisine with an Indian twist.
Medinah 24: Just another lunch there
Nasi Goreng with egg and fried chicken
To try some amazing food, we highly recommend the Nyonya inspired restaurant we visited, Wild Coriander. Here we tried some very tasty dishes based on old Nyonya recipes. Pai Tee – a crunchy flour cup filled with julienned vegetables, omelet and sprinkled with fried shallots – is a must try. These little bits were refreshing and a perfect match for the sour chili gravy they were served with. Our favorite main dish there was Udang Masak Lemak Nenas, which means Prawns with Pineapple in plain English. It’s a great combination of soft prawn meat and juicy, sweet and sour pineapple with the warmth of coriander and chili. Five different variations of rice is their signature side dish, which is also worth trying. It’s all different and all delicious. No matter what you eat there, do not miss out on their top-notch coconut ice cream with Gula Melaka syrup. Dear heaven, this dessert is one of my favorites.
Wild coriander was outstanding
Speaking of coconut dessert, there is another one to try, the Klebang Coconut Shake. It’s a 15 minutes ride out of the town and believe us it’s worth driving there just for that. Great sweet taste of young coconut with ice on hot days? Yes, please.
Klebang Coconut Shake
If you have a sweet tooth like we do, then make sure to stop at the best bakery in Melaka, the Italy Bakery. The doughnuts were our favorite. They weren’t too heavy nor too fatty, with a nice combination of creamy topping and soft dough. You can also try some of their tasty tarts, our favorite was the cranberry. It had a nice combination of sour fruits and the dough was crispy yet still moist. The cakes on display were even nicer than those we saw in Singapore; we tried the strawberry cake and it was delicious.
Sweets in Italy Bakery
The Food Paradise is a nickname that Melaka got with all the different food options it offers. However, we found Penang more suitable for this title. After all, Food Paradise isn’t just about the food variety but concerns also the offer and the facilities. Sure, you can eat in the food court, on the street or in some neglected restaurant, but there is room for the fine dining experience and some inspirational modern twists with these traditional dishes. Some healthy competition also doesn’t hurt the business and is beneficial in the long run.
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