Malacca Day 2 - Dim Sum, Baba Charlie

Free and Easy Malacca - Day 2 Itinerary

1) Dim Sum at Ban Hong Xiang Tea House
2) Baba Charlie for Nonya Kuehs and snack
3) Sightseeing - Heritage Trial
4) Dessert at Nadeje
5) Dinner at Auntie Lee
6) Cockles at dirty lane
7) Supper at Pak Putra

Ban Hong Xiang Tea House（万鸿香茶楼） 
We were introduced to this dim sum place by a local. Nice and cheap dim sum at coffee shop setting.  Most of the patrons are locals, but we do note a number of tourists as well.

Ban Hong Xiang Tea House

This restaurant is away from the heritage town, refer to the map and GPS coordinate below.  You can also try to locate Hotel Selectstar as this tea house is just besides it.

The restaurant is very crowded on weekends, even with 2 shop lots just for dining tables, its difficult to get a seat.  Go early in the morning to get a table and to ensure you get to taste a variety of dim sum.

Delicious dim sum ranging from only RM1.5 to RM3, no wonder for the crowd here.

Big Pau - really BIG bun with generous portion of minced meat and egg as fillings (3.75/5)
Herbal Steamed Chicken - tender chicken with slight herbal taste. quite nice! (4/5)
Chicken Feet - this chicken feet were steamed with some herbs, quite nice and not too soggy. (3.75/5)
Yong Tau Fu - generous fillings in beancurd.

Big Pau (3.75/5)
Herbal Steam Chicken (4/5)
Chicken Feet (3.75/5)
Yong Tau Fu

We tried a number of other dim sum as well, which were quite ok.
- Steamed dumplings with different skin and chilli. Fried beancurd & dumpling.
- Beancurd roll with sauce - would prefer to have it without the sauce.

Dumplings, Beancurd roll with sauce, fried beancurd & dumpling

Their Chee Cheong Fun was typical of what you will find in Malaysia.  Not too much of fillings but simple nice rice rolls with nice chilli and sauce and lots of shallots and onions.   (4/5)
We also ordered some carbohydrates - porridge and glutinous rice for those with a bigger appetite.  Cannot really remember how they taste as I was quite full and didn't eat much of those. But will definitely prefer the glutinous rice from 桂苑Gui Yuan Restaurant, Johor.

Chee Cheong Fun, Porridge, Glutinous Rice, Fried Dough

There fried carrot cake and oyster pancake was quite nice too, especially for that price (4/5). Although the oysters were super small, the omelette was nicely fried.  Quite yummy!

Fried Carrot Cake, Fried Oyster omelette
Rating: 4/5

Ban Hong Xiang Tea House @Jalan Gajah Berang
No. D, Jalan Bachang, 75300 Melaka
Contact: 06-2814212
GPS: N2.208833, E102.242667


Baba Charlie for Nonya Kuehs and snack
Baba Charlie, a famous destination among tourists for Nonya kueh.  It is actually located in a housing estate, a semi-detached house at the end of a small lane.

The lane into the Baba Charlie was quite narrow and we were unsure of the turn initially. But with those big tour buses along the main road, you will know that Baba Charlie is just round the corner.  For parking, you can either park at a small empty plot of land before Baba Charlie or go all the way to the end of the land and turn right where there are some open space for parking.

Baba Charlie

There is a room dedicated for sales where a large variety of kuehs and snack are stocked up and nicely arranged for customers to choose. Just get a basket, use the tongs provided to pick the kuehs that you fancy and place it into the plastic bags provided.

Kuehs and Snacks

They have a variety of snacks and freshly made nonya kuehs. Otak, Lepat Kacang, Yam Cake, Ondeh-ondeh, colourful kuehs.

Yam Cake, Ondeh-Ondeh, colourful kuehs 

The preparation and making of the kuehs are done at a "open" kitchen. Quite interesting to see how the workers are busy wrapping kuehs, frying curry puff, boiling the ondeh-ondeh and coating with grated coconut while we are queuing to pay.

Taipai Pulut, Ondeh-ondeh

Frying Curry Puff

The owner Charlie was quite friendly to pose for a photo.

Owner Charlie

We were already quite full after the heavy Dim Sum for breakfast, thus decided to just have the Nonya kuehs from Baba Charlie as lunch.

Pulut Inti

Pulut inti is steamed  glutinous rice topped with grated coconut.

Lovely  nice blue colour on the skin of the kueh.  The colour is extracted from Bunga Telang (Blue Pea Flower.

Ondeh-Ondeh

The ever popular ondeh-ondeh, small ball of kueh with rich melted gula melaka, yummy!

Not sure what is the name of this kueh, texture was more like agar agar, something different from the heavy glutinous keuh.

(clockwise) Rempah Udang, Kuih Kochi Hitam,
Otak, Yam Cake and Lepat Kacang

More and more kuehs.  There was no more surprise after we saw the same blue colour in the third, fourth and fifth kueh.  Sweet coconut, sweet gula melaka, oily glutinous rice ... it gets a bit jelat for us.  The savoury yam cake managed to give my taste buds a break from the sweet indulgence, think I still prefer savoury than sweet stuffs.

Baba Charlie House
72, Jalan Tengkera Pantai 2 75200 Melaka
019-666 2907
(GPS 2.202999,102.231485)
Daily except Thursday
http://nyonyacake.blogspot.sg/

Pasar Malam
Mon : Bukit Beruang/Tanjung
Tue : KG. Lapan/Ujong Pasir
Wed : Bukit Beruang
Thu : Off
Friday : Malim Jaya
Sat : Kota Laksamana
Sunday : Air Keroh/ Batu Berendam

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